Note from Taughnee: I used the “Super Simple Ideas” template from The Blog Post Vault as a jumping-off point for this post. The final result is 100% unique content using my own experience, knowledge, and voice.

You want blogging to work for your business – to drive free traffic and bring in new customers – but deep down you know there’s always the chance that you’ll waste hours writing something that goes nowhere.

Believe me, I’ve been there. I’ve been blogging for 20+ years and they’ve not all been winners.

But I’ve learned that writing blog posts is just the tip of the iceberg. Conversions happen more predictably when you start paying attention to the details most bloggers tend to gloss over. 

Our challenge today is to figure out what might be missing in your strategy so every one of your blog posts works like a brand ambassador for your business 27/7/365. 

By the end of this post, you’ll… 

👉 Understand how to get your ideal audience clicking on your content in the first place
👉 Keep them captivated from the first second they land on your website
👉 Know how to structure your content in a way that guides them to the next steps ($$$)

Sound good? 

Then grab a cup of coffee (or your beverage of choice!) and settle in to learn 7 tips for creating blog posts that attract and convert your ideal customers, starting with… 

1. Understand Your Target Audience

Understanding your audience is the bedrock of great content but really understanding what makes them tick is an art. The more you practice honing in on their needs and desires, the more intuitive it will become.

Start by paying attention to the things they’re saying. Listen closely to the comments they leave on social media, the questions they ask in emails, and the feedback they leave on your blog…

• What are their concerns or questions? 
• What’s frustrating them? 
• What’s standing in their way?

By making it a habit to really listen to them, you’ll begin to understand what they want from your content.

If you don’t already have an audience, you can use Ai to create a customer persona and get powerful customer insights that will help you in every aspect of your content marketing (this is something we cover in depth in BrandHQ).

The bottom line is: you want to join in on the conversation already going on in their minds in a way that makes them stop scrolling and pay attention: “Hey, that’s me and this is exactly what I need! How did they know?!”

2. Choose the Right Topics

When choosing topics for their blog, business bloggers tend to go one of two ways:

1) They focus exclusively on keywords and create content for search engines rather than humans, or
2) They just start writing about stuff they know willy-nilly and when inspiration strikes

The problem is: if your audience doesn’t recognize themselves in your topic – if it’s not something they’re already looking for, struggling with, or super interested in already – they won’t click.

A huge mistake bloggers make is trying to come up with completely original content ideas rather than figuring out what topics are already in demand. 

Instead, focus on creating content you know is popular with your target audience and put your unique spin on it. Research what they’re consuming and look for gaps and opportunities that you can fill with your own experience and perspective.  

You can use Ai to help with this one too!

📌 See: How to Choose Blog Post Topics: Steal Our 3-Bucket Strategy for Content That Converts

Or grab the free cheat sheet below 👇

3. Make it Easy to Skim 

Did you know the average user spends just 15 seconds before deciding whether to stay on a web page or leave? We like to play it safe and use a “5-second rule”:

If it’s not clear to them within 5 seconds that the blog post is going to deliver on its promises, they’re going to hit the back button.

Making your content easy to read, skim, and scan is priority #1 when it comes to keeping readers on your website. 

Studies have shown that readers are more likely to engage with content that’s structured in an organized way, which means you should always use a proper document outline.

A document outline breaks your content into logical sections and sub-sections, making it easy for readers to navigate at-a-glance and get right to the information they came for.

Creating an enjoyable user experience will pay off with a lower bounce rate and a higher time on page – which sends good signals to Google, too. 

4. Get More Clicks with Optimized Headlines and Meta Descriptions

Catchy headlines and clear meta descriptions are essential for getting more clicks and boosting your blog traffic.

After writing an epic blog post, it’s understandable you may be tempted to treat this like an afterthought, but these small pieces of copy will make or break it for you because they’re the first things people see. 

In other words, before you can wow them with your content, you first need to get them to click through. 

Think about a time when you were scrolling through the Google Search Engine Results Page. What made you click on one link instead of another? It’s not always about which one is ranking the highest, right? Chances are it was the headline and meta description.

Now think about your headlines and descriptions as heading into battle with all of your competition.

The picture below illustrates what we have to work with, so making the best of this tiny space can go a long way in making your blog post the one people want to click on. 

Before you hit “publish,” take a moment to type your topic into Google and see what’s there. What catches your attention? What can you do to make your headline and description more enticing?

📌 See: 120 Proven Blog Post Titles PLUS 10 Copy Secrets to Double Your Traffic

If you’re not sure how to add a custom meta description to your post, use a plugin like RankMath because it makes it easy peasy to do right inside your WordPress post editor.

5. Write in a Conversational Tone 

Writing in a conversational tone builds a personal connection with your readers and makes them more likely to take action, stay on your site longer, sign up for your mailing list, check out your offerings, and so much more.

Remember, people buy things from people they know, like, and trust, and using a formal tone only creates distance.

Where business bloggers tend to go wrong is trying too hard to sound like an expert. Instead, focus on writing like you’re giving advice to a friend. 

Use relatable language you feel comfortable with

If you wouldn’t say “I was like yaaaaas, boss babe! Smoochies!” to someone face-to-face, then don’t put it in your writing. But you don’t need to sound like a corporate robot in order to sound professional either. 

Avoid using jargon or technical terms 

Avoid words your readers may not be familiar with – and be aware that you may not even realize you’re using terms commonly used in your industry but not by your audience.

In case you’re not sure, you can ask ChatGPT and then ask it for suggestions for how to say it in a way that’s more approachable for your audience: 

Keep it concise

Remember, people are busy so they’ll quickly become annoyed if you take too long to get to the point. If you love using as many words as possible as much as I do ​​🤪, it’s just a matter of getting your thoughts out in the way you need to and then editing it down.

Pro-tip: say it out loud. Does it feel awkward? It’s probably because you’re using too many fancy words when you could just say it simply. #fancy-pants

Use contractions 

Contractions are a natural part of spoken language and using them in your writing can help make it feel more conversational. 

Think “you’ll” instead of “you will” and “don’t” instead of “do not.” 

I’ve been practicing this one for years and I still don’t catch them all, but give it a try – you will  you’ll see that it makes a big difference in the tone of your writing. 

6. Make it Visual

The internet has shortened all of our attention spans (*shakes fist at TikTok*), so hitting your readers with a big wall of text is just going to make them groan and abandon ship. 

Remember: you’ve got 5 seconds to hook them in and one of the first things they’ll look for is whether it looks like it’s going to be easy to read… 

This is where visuals can help!

By breaking up your text with images, graphics, and other visuals, your readers will be more likely to stay engaged with your content. This means increased time spent on your site and the more likely they’ll be to convert into subscribers and customers.

And the cool thing is, adding visual interest to break up your text can take many forms, including:

• Relevant photos and graphics to enhance your readers’ understanding of the content
• Screenshots or screen captures to illustrate concepts and provide examples
• Callouts and block quotes to highlight key points or quotes to draw your readers’ attention to 
• Subheadings to break up your content into smaller, logical, easy-to-digest chunks 
• Bullet points and numbered lists to summarize key information or provide step-by-step instructions
• Content upgrade opt-in graphics or forms: to provide readers with a free tool to help them implement what they learn in your post
• Videos or .gif animations to demonstrate concepts in a dynamic way
• Charts and graphs to illustrate important data so it’s easier to understand 
• Quotes from experts to lend credibility to your content
• Turn statistics into graphics to call attention to relevant data so readers don’t miss it 
• Interactive elements to encourage readers to participate such as “click to Tweet” or quizzes and polls
• Infographics to help convey complex ideas in a way that is easy to grasp
• Get creative!  Remember that anything that is not a paragraph of text can help break up your content 

7. Always Call Your Readers to Action

By including clear calls-to-action (CTAs) in strategic places throughout your posts, you can guide your readers toward the next step in their journey to become a loyal follower, email subscriber, or even a customer.

Start by identifying the goal you want to achieve with your content. Do you want your readers to…  

• Download your free guide? 
• Spend more time on your website and click through to read another post?
• Check out your relevant offerings?

Once you’ve identified your goals, write CTAs that clearly communicate what you want your audience to do and why they should do it. 

If you don’t ask, and if you don’t tell them exactly what to do, they won’t take any action at all. And we’re pretty sure clicking away from your website never to return is not your goal.  🤪

Use language that encourages your readers to take a specific action and wherever possible – really sell it. Tell them the value they’ll get on the other side of the click, for example:

❌ Click here to download my free guide
✅ Want an easy way to [achieve result]? Our free guide breaks it down! Download to get started

The placement of your calls to action is key as well. Consider the context of your content and the behavior of your readers – they should be strategically placed throughout your post where they’re most likely to be seen and acted upon.

For example, you can include them…

• In the body of your content whenever you’re making a relevant point
• At the end of your post so you don’t leave them guessing what to do next
• As an exit-intent pop-up to invite them to join your mailing list and continue learning about the topic

Have you noticed that I’ve already placed several calls to action in this post? It may not be obvious because I’ve asked you to click on things in context when it was hyper-relevant to what you were reading so it wouldn’t seem intrusive or distracting. 

It’s super easy to get so focused on providing value that you completely forget about the reason why you’re writing the blog post in the first place: to provide your readers with a path forward on their journey to become your customer. (Not just read your post and peace out.) 

📌 One of the many conversion-minded features we baked into The Blog Post Vault templates are reminders to call your readers to action in the most logical places. If you’re looking to generate more leads and sales with your blog but you’d much rather just have a proven framework to follow, this is it!

Your “Attract & Convert” Checklist

Before you hit publish on your next post, run it through this quick checklist to ensure it’s actually working for your business:

• [ ] Is this a “Join-In” Topic? Does this post answer a specific question your audience is already asking in their heads?
• [ ] Does it pass the 5-Second Skim Test? Can a distracted reader understand the value of your post using only the subheadings?
• [ ] Is the “Battle Entry” optimized? Is your headline and meta-description compelling enough to beat the competition in a Google search?
• [ ] Does it sound like a friend or a robot? Read it out loud. If it feels stiff, add contractions and cut the jargon.
• [ ] Is there “Visual Breathing Room”? Have you used graphics, bold callouts, or bullet points to break up big walls of text?
• [ ] Is there a clear “Path Forward”? Did you tell them exactly what to do next? (Don’t just provide value—provide a destination).

Will you be using any of these tips to create your next blog post? Let us know in the comments below!