Helpful Tips for Formatting Blog Posts

Jenny Toon copyEver get frustrated because no one seems to be reading your blog posts?  Good formatting helps readers follow your posts easily. Reading on-screen is more tiring than reading print, and most people will skim through posts to find the information they want.

You can help them by using:

  • Subheadings (Header 2) to break up your content and provide signposts so readers can jump to the section that’s most relevant to them.
  • Bold text to highlight key sentences. Don’t overdo it, and avoid using bold text to highlight individual words, as this can look choppy.
  • Add bullet points for lists, rather than putting the whole list in one paragraph. The extra white space that this creates helps readability, and bullet points are easy for the reader to take in at a glance.
  • Use blockquote formatting for any quotes
  • Add Images– TIP- Optimize your images- File Name
  • Include Quotes from specialists and satisfied Customers
  • Include YouTube Videos
  • Great headlines need to grab attention.
  • Use numbers where possible – “7 Social Media Tips” is more compelling than “Social Media Tips” as it makes a specific promise. To see numbers in action, take a look at the headlines on the front cover of magazines.
  • Use adjectives to add interest – “7 Easy Social Media Tips.” Words like easy, simple, quick and straightforward appeal to our desire for instant wins. You can also try words like powerful, or ones that hint at something new – perhaps secret or little-known.

Pay Attention to your Opening

  • Ask a question – this gets readers engaged instantly. It also helps your blog sound friendly and inviting, as though you’re talking directly to the reader.
  • Write a powerful fact or statement – this excites the reader’s curiosity.
  • Ask “why” – if you’re writing a tutorial or how-to, readers may need to know why this is important, so that they have an incentive to read on.

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