How To Format a Blog Post

If you’re anything like me, you already have the ability to write. For me, it always came naturally. I could sit down and write thousands of words effortlessly, and most of it would be pretty well written without any formatting. But those were the days when I wasn’t a content marketer, and so I, along with many others who have realized that content marketing and writing captivating stories is what works, had to learn how to format my writing so that readers could digest and enjoy the content we’ve created! That’s why I’m going to share the secrets with you. Here are some really solid ways you can format your blog post for the best user engagement.

Make every paragraph short and sweet by using headers and subheaders

Here’s secret number one: barely anyone will read your post in its entirety, word for word. It’s just unrealistic. It’s your job to make every heading and subheading captivating, so that your reader will want to read the rest of what you say. For example: this sub-header explained that you have to make everything short and sweet using headers, so you might not have even read this far into this paragraph.

Use numbered lists or bullet points

Buzzfeed is extremely successful for a reason: they CONSTANTLY use lists to get people’s attention. People love lists. So, let’s use a list to summarize our last two points.

• Use bullets to summarize key points.
• Use headers and subheaders to explain each paragraph to your readers.
• (This entire post is a numbered list)

Keep the width of your columns narrower

No one wants to read a blog that starts at the far left of the screen, and continues on to the far right. By keeping the width of your writing tight, your reader will be more likely to engage with your writing, not assume that your blog will be too hard to read.

Use Relevant Images

A lot of times you’ll just see an image in a blog post that is simply the word in a weird font and funky color. You’ll want to find a better image than that. Use websites like shutterstock, photodune, or any royalty free stock photo website to find a really relevant image. Images with actual people in them tend to perform better than images with words (because people know images with words in them means marketing!) Inside your content, you might want to add a few screenshots of what you’re explaining so that people can visualize your points.

Make Your Post Anecdotal

Everyone loves a good story, so make your post a journey that your readers travel through - not a dictionary of boring facts that makes people bounce from your page. Don’t start with, “Once Upon a Time,” but let your voice really come through in your writing rather than just stating facts.

Tying It All Together

Your blog posts are not for you, they’re for your READERS. Make sure you are writing things that are helpful, not just advertisements about your business. Make it interesting for people, and help them get the important information quickly by using subheadings and lists.

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