BlogPaws 2014: Write Engaging Blog Posts
Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess
Is your blog content so-so? Do you re-read it and find that it’s ho-hum? If that’s the case then you need to learn to write engaging content and that is what Rose Hamilton, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Pet360, and Shawna Schuh, President of Women in the Pet Industry shared with BlogPaws 2014 Conference attendees during their session on, get this — Creating Engaging Content!
What can help to create engaging content? It’s part of a three-legged stool approach they said:
- Copy — getting your readers to think about and read your content
- Graphics — allowing your readers to see your content (think infographic)
- Video — a way to let your readers see you and hear about your content
The two also said, “Friends don’t let friends create boring content!” What does this mean, to you, the blogger? If you have a trusted friend who will read your posts and give you honest feedback before they go live, ask them if your content is engaging or whether it’s ho hum and so-so.
Rose shared five tips for creating engaging headlines, they were:
- Promise only what you can deliver. If you say you’re writing about creating engaging blog posts, then share information on that topic.
- Be specific. A vague headline looks like this, “Lessons of a stray cat.” A specific headline looks like this, “Five business strategies from a stray cat.” Which one do you want to read?
- Make the headline about the reader. Consider headlines that begin like this, “Have you ever wondered…”, “Do you want more…” “Are you ready to…”
- Be clear, not clever. Clever is, “There’s a whole lot of shaking going on.” Clear is, “Excessive shaking can signify an ear problem.”
- Ask a question
Rose shared that it’s “More difficult to be specific in a headline than you may think.” She urged attendees to spend as much time on creating engaging headlines as they do creating engaging content.
One way to test whether you’re creating an engaging headline is through the use of this headline analyzer.
When Shawna spoke, she shared her five tips for creating engaging posts and they included:
- Getting personal. Understand what pet parent concerns are and write a post about that. Her example included, “Reasons dogs are better than boyfriends.”
- Be practical. Blog about, “The five best cat breeds for kids.”
- Pack a punch. This includes writing short sentences that provide a quick hit of information. “Remember, we all lack time and need to get our blog posts read in a short time and because of that we have to cater to their limited reading time frames.”
- Be proactive. Help people solve their problems. Write a post on how to find a pet sitter, for example, when it’s vacation time.
- Ignite passions. If you are passionate about the subject you’re writing about, chances are your readers will feel that passion.
If you’re making videos to put on your blog — and both speakers said that you should be! — they offered tips on how to make them engaging.
- Make them short — two minutes or less
- Make sure there is a through line
- Focus on one topic per video
- Anyone can make a video even if you only have a smart phone
- Make the goal to be providing information, not selling a product
What steps can you implement right now to make certain your content and headlines are drawing your readers in and engaging them with what you write?
(Photo Shutterstock: Dog and cat on computer)
