If little boys are made of snakes, and snails, and puppy dog tails, and little girls are sugar and spice, and everything nice, what is the perfect blog post made of?
Luckily, it’s a selection of ingredients you probably already have in your content “pantry.”
While throwing together the perfect blog post can feel intimidating, it’s as simple as memorizing a straightforward ingredient list, assembling it all with love, and giving it the time, space, and attention it needs to develop into something extraordinary…
Like a pastry chef creating a beautiful cake. Don’t forget to share if you enjoyed our infographic! Full transcript below.
Feel free to share this infographic, credit to Express Writers: www.expresswriters.com/recipe-for-a-perfect-blog-post-infographic
What Goes Into the Perfect Blog Post?
Before you start assembling the perfect blog post, be sure you have the following ingredients on hand:
1 stellar title
5-10 sentences of compelling introduction
1 heaping spoonful creativity
Several outstanding and informative subheaders
2 cups succinct body copy
Four handfuls research
Six parts formatting
1 part conclusion
A sprinkling of enthusiasm
Love (for garnish)
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients, follow these steps:
Assemble the Title
The title sets the stage for the rest of the blog post, so it’s important to get it right. If you don’t spend enough time on it, or if you throw it together hastily, the whole post will fall when you pull it out of the oven. With this in mind, be sure to mix the right amount of information, intrigue, and length into the title. Remember titles with numbers taste better to readers, so you may consider sprinkling some in. For best results, be sure to keep your title under 160 characters, so it doesn’t get cut off.
Lay Out Your Introduction
Next comes the introduction. Since the intro supports the title, you’ll need it to be nice and firm. Take your time laying it out and be sure to keep it short, sweet, and to-the-point. Don’t stretch it too thin. Otherwise, it won’t be able to support your nice, hefty title. You should also be careful not to make it too dense since this will drive your readers away.
Once your introduction is the right consistency, let it rise for 4-6 hours before revisiting it again.
Structure Your Subheaders
Your subheaders are the pieces of your perfect blog post that help guide readers through, so you’ll want to ensure they’re well-spaced and informative. For best results, add a subheader every 300-350 words, so your content doesn’t get too dense. Be sure to use numbers throughout, and keep your subheaders impactful and informative, for best taste.
Mix Together Body Copy
For your body copy, you’ll need to assemble your creativity, research, and formatting in a large bowl and stir until well combined. If necessary, add more research to reach the right consistency. Citations are critical to great blog posts, so be liberal with yours. Be sure that the content on your site is fresh and high-quality since this will improve the taste of the entire blog post.
Once you’ve secured your citations, turn your attention to the formatting. Half of the fun of creating a perfect blog post is making it look beautiful. With this in mind, use bolded subheaders, H1, H2, and H3 tags, bulleted and numbered lists, and plenty of images. The images are extra important since they make your blog post unique and unforgettable. Be sure to sprinkle them in to taste.
Arrange Your Conclusion
Your conclusion is the last part of your blog post, so you’ll want to pay particular attention to this. As you write your conclusion, be sure it sums up the main points of your blog post and gives your reader a tasty little morsel with which to end the post.
Just like you did with your introduction and body copy, keep it short, succinct, and to-the-point. Any “fluff” should be cut out so as to preserve the taste and you should always use the most high-quality writing possible.
Keep in mind that conclusions read better if they’re allowed to rest before publication, so you’d be smart to let yours sit for 4-6 hours before finishing.
Finish the Post
Once your post has cooled for 4-6 hours, run back through it one more time. Cut out any fluff that has risen to the top, tighten up language, remove unnecessary words, and re-shape the post into a narrative arc the reader would want to interact with.
Edit 2-3 times before publication and consider asking someone else to read the post as well, for posterity’s sake. Once the post is finished, sprinkle it with your enthusiasm and love, for garnish, and publish across your blog channel and favorite social media platforms.
Serve hot with a side of engagement and responsiveness to everyone who reaches out about the post.
The Perfect Blog Post Made Simple
Congratulations! You’ve just assembled your perfect blog post! That wasn’t as hard as you thought, was it? Keep in mind that blog posts are very flexible, so you can repeat this recipe, trying out various lengths, topics, methods, and writing styles.
To keep your posts high-quality, be sure never to rush the recipe, and always allow time for them to rise and cool before you publish them.
Also, don’t forget to decorate liberally with the love and enthusiasm, as this is what sets one blog post apart from another and puts the final beautiful touches on your blog “cake.”
Are you curious about blogging for ROI in 2017? That’s what we covered in our latest round of #ContentWritingChat! And if you missed out, you’re in luck because we’ve created a recap for you and it’s filled with awesome tips. Keep reading to check it out!
Blogging for ROI in 2017: Where to Blog, SEO, and Writing Strategies with Julia McCoy
For this week’s chat, our very own CEO stepped in to guest host. Julia McCoy shared her expertise on blogging for ROI in 2017 and offered some amazing tips for writing, SEO, and where you should be blogging this year. We covered some of the key topics to help you succeed as a blogger this year, so make sure you read through them and start implementing this advice for yourself!
Q1: For those that aren’t convinced, why is blogging still so important for brands?
The reality is, many brands still aren’t convinced that blogging is worth their time. They don’t realize the value that it can provide to their audience and their brand overall. So, let’s convince them why they should be blogging! Here are just some reasons blogging is important for brands:
Julia knows that blogging is a must for brands! She even shared some pretty impressive data that backs it up. The graph above shows Express Writers outranking major competitors solely from blogging. She also shared some stats that are sure to convince you of the importance of starting your own blog this year.
A1: Blogging is a lead generation opportunity. It’s how you can build influence, which draws in an interested audience. #contentwritingchat
As Annaliese said, blogging is a lead generation opportunity. So many people will stumble upon your blog and want to do business with you because of the content you share. She also said blogging helps you build influence, which is key to drawing in your audience.
Jason knows that blogging is a powerful way to establish an authentic, authoritative voice. Your blog is your place to share your thoughts with your audience.
A1: Blogging is a great way to show your expertise to the industry. It also helps you connect with your audience. #contentwritingchat
Blogging is an opportunity to show off your expertise to your industry, but also to your audience. It’s a great way to connect with your audience and to start building a relationship with them.
A1: Blogging is important because it allows brands to expand their audience, share more information, and establish voice #ContentWritingChat
To put it simply, blogging is an opportunity to expand your audience, share quality information with readers, and can help you establish your voice as a brand.
A1. Social media is just rented properties while your blog is your real estate #contentwritingchat
Cheval’s advice is important to keep in mind. Social media is like rented property when you think about it. You don’t own the platform, nor can you count on it to always be around. If a social media platform shuts down, you’re going to lose your followers and everything you’ve worked so hard to build (unless you’ve successfully converted them to readers, subscribers, and customers). Your blog, however, is one place that you truly own and are in control of.
Q2: Where should you blog this year besides your own website? Discuss how to find the right platforms.
While blogging on your own website is great, blogging on other sites can provide major results. There are a lot of benefits to guest blogging, but it’s all about choosing the right places to post if you want to make it work for your brand. Keep these tips in mind:
Julia recommends creating a target persona for your audience so you know what they’re like. You can figure out their demographics and also what sites they’re reading on the web. That’s where you should be sharing your content! Check out the blog post she linked for more information on creating your own target persona.
A2: Guest blog on the websites YOUR audience is reading. Find out where they spend their time online and BE THERE. #ContentWritingChat
The key to choosing the sites to guest blog on is figuring out where your audience spends their time online. You want to post on the sites that your target audiences reads so they’ll discover you and head over to your website.
Jason also knows the importance of finding the popular blogs in your wheelhouse and guest posting there. It’s the best way for you to reach your target audience and hopefully make them a fan of your brand.
Varun recommends posting on forums that are specific to your industry, guest blogging on authority websites, and also using platforms like Quora, Reddit, and LinkedIn.
Another great option is to create content for Medium. Trying posting there a few times and see if you notice any results. Blogging for ROI is going to take some trial and error and you have to figure out what works for your brand.
Q3: What are a few SEO strategies all bloggers need to know if they want to get their content noticed?
It’s no secret that if you want to get your content noticed, SEO is very important. And we can’t talk blogging for ROI without mentioning some SEO tactics, can we? Of course not! So, in order to make sure your content gets noticed and attracts viewers, these are the optimization basics you need to know:
Julia knows how important it is to be able to conduct keyword research. She also said you need to know how to use H2s, H3s, alt tags, and how to write a meta description. It may sound overwhelming for beginners, but it’s all easy to figure out.
Sarah from ThinkSEM said you need to know your audience and what is going to resonate with them. Before you start thinking about SEO tactics, this is the first thing you need to consider.
A3: Use a keyword research tool to find out what keywords surrounding your topic are most relevant to your target.#contentwritingchat
Once you have the right keyword, you can plug that into your content. You’ll want to use your keyword in the title of your blog post, the URL, the meta description, and throughout the post itself. As Mallie said though, it’s important that you don’t go overboard. Keyword stuffing is a huge turn-off for your readers and Google doesn’t like it either. They should be incorporated in a way that feels natural.
Yoast is a great SEO plugin to use if your site is running on WordPress. It’s very simple to use and it makes optimization easy for beginners and those who are more experienced. We use it here at Express Writers and highly recommend it!
Jeff knows that Google Analytics is another great tool to use as part of your keyword strategy in order to optimize your content.
Q4: How can you figure out what content your audience most wants to see on your blog?
In order to attract people to your blog in the first place, you need to create the content they want to see. Once they know you’re a source of great information, they’re going to keep coming back for more. But how do you figure out what kind of content you need to create for your audience? Check out these tips:
Julia recommends figuring out what your audience’s biggest questions are and answering them. You can use tools like Answer the Public and others to figure out what they need help with.
Not sure what your audience wants? Ask them! It really is that simple. You can create a survey and share it for readers to leave their feedback and you’ll easily see what they’re interested in. You can also post on social media to get suggestions.
Jeff also agrees that asking your audience what they want is a pretty powerful strategy. Not only does it provide you with great feedback, but it gives your audience the chance to have their voice heard. They’ll appreciate that.
A4: See what they are talking about, liking, sharing, etc Listen > Talk #ContentWritingChat
Besides flat out asking them, you can also conduct a little research of your own. Figure out what they’re talking about, what they’re liking and sharing. Listening is key to understand your audience. Check out their conversations on social media and pay attention to the comments they leave and the emails they send.
It’s also worthwhile to see what your competitors are doing. Check out businesses that are similar to yours and find out what’s been working for them and what’s not. You obviously don’t want to copy their strategy, but it can give you plenty of ideas for what you can create.
A4: I send out a yearly survey and watch my analytics to see what they like.Those are measureable methods. #contentwritingchat
Sending out a yearly survey is a great way to question your audience about their interests. Getting into the habit of doing it every year ensures you’re always updated on what your audience is looking for. It’s also wise to check your analytics to see which posts are more popular since it gives you an idea of what to create more of.
A4. Watch your analytics + iterate on topics with the most views/long length on page. #contentwritingchat
Kristen also knows your analytics can be helpful when it comes to content creation. See which posts get the most traffic and which posts your readers spend the most time on to see what works best.
A4 – The content marketer who understands their audience the most wins. Every time. #contentwritingchat
And as James said, it all goes back to understanding your audience.
Q5: How important is it to include a call to action in your blog posts? Describe an effective CTA.
A call to action essentially tells your reader what the next step is. What do you want them to do after reading your blog post? Do you want them to leave your site without engaging with you, possibly to never return again? Definitely not! That’s where a call to action comes in. Check out these tips for crafting an effective CTA:
If you’re blogging for ROI, then it’s essential that you prompt your readers to take action. A clear CTA will tell them exactly what to do and will encourage them to follow through.
As Jeff pointed out, you also can’t assume your readers are just going to take the action you want them to take. You need to make it clear and empower them to follow through.
Your content should serve a purpose and it’s important to let your audience know what’s next. Sarah recommends that all CTAs should be visible, understandable, and well-placed and in order to be effective.
A5: Your CTA is crucial! It has to be well written, compelling, and concise or there was little point to your post #contentwritingchat
Without a CTA, there isn’t much of a purpose to your post, is there? Make sure it’s well-written, compelling, and concise in order to inspire action.
Q6: What are the secrets to making blog customers convert into real customers and clients?
Once you have people visiting your blog, you want them to take that next step with your brand. You want them to ultimately become customers and clients. How do you make that happen? We’ve got some great advice for you:
A6 Targeted reader topics, writing the most thorough answers to their biggest questions, SEO optimization, great CTAs #ContentWritingChat
Focus on solving the common problems your audience is facing. They’ll appreciate you for it and you’ll be able to establish yourself as an authority in the process.
Taking pen to paper is always so satisfying! Sometimes it’s just a lot nicer to do things the old school way as opposed to typing or punching out laters on our phone’s keyboard.
Q8: Which blogs do you read on a consistent basis? Tag them and let them know!
To wrap up our chat on blogging for ROI, we wanted to know which blogs our audience loves to read. Here’s what some of them had to say:
Don’t get so caught up in consuming content that you forget to embrace the world around you. As Shannon said, you need to pay attention and you’ll surely find some ideas for your content.
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM Central Time for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!
With blogging as a source of 97% more inbound website backlinks, 126% more business lead growth, and much more (stats below), it’s a major, major foundation of content marketing you don’t want to miss out on in 2017.
To start January off with a bang, we decided to help share some inspiration for our fellow content marketers and create a list of 10 top resolutions to help you blog this year (better than you’ve ever blogged before)!
Print the following infographic below out, and hang it up to inspire your blogging and content progress all year. 😉 Here’s the PDF version, resolutions only, to download.Enjoy – written and designed by our team at Express Writers!
Why Make Blogging Resolutions for 2017?
Here’s some (serious) inspiration.
More than 200 million people (and a whopping 16% of the U.S. population) use ad blockers – so organic content (blogging is best!) is the only way to reach them.
Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links.
Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not blog.
Companies that published 16+ blog posts per month got almost 5X more traffic than companies that published 0-4 monthly posts.
Long-form blog posts earn 9x more leads than short-form posts.
70% of B2B marketers plan to create more content in 2017 than they did in 2016.
The average length of top-ranking blogs is increasing – sitting at roughly 1,050 words in 2017.
49% of marketers are focusing on aligning their content with the buyer’s journey.
Nearly 30% of the most successful marketers routinely repurpose their content. To join the club, though, you must have content to repurpose – and blogs are perfect for that!
45% of all marketers report that writing blogs is the single most important piece of their content strategy.
80% of decision makers would rather get information about a company through an article than they would through an advertisement.
10 Top Blogging Resolutions for the Content Marketer
To outperform last year’s results and make 2017 one to remember, stick to these ten resolutions:
1. I will get backup in my content creation this year
No more stressing out about deadlines, topics, and writing it all. (Express Writers can help!)
2. I will be authoritative in every content piece I put out this year
If it’s less than authority expert level in my niche, it might not be worth my time.
3. I will never put quantity over quality
I should publish more blogs this year to increase my inbound leads, but if I’m rushing and the content is low quality, I shouldn’t publish. Quantity comes second to quality.
4. I will give my audience what they want
I will be relevant, use tools like BuzzSumo to research and find out what my audience wants in topics. This will help me gain more loyal customers.
5. I will increase my rankings by finding and writing around long-tail keywords
This is one of the top ways to gain blog spots in Google’s rankings.
6. I will promote and create
Creating isn’t enough: I also need a promotion plan. I will have social media management and an active social account connected to my blog.
7. I will be creative with topics and approaches
Content burn-out will only hurt me and my readers. This year, I’ll dig deeper to come up with more creative topics and new ways to approach topics and news.
8. I will take notes from my competitors
I will monitor my competitors to learn things like which keywords they’re targeting, which social platforms they’re using (and how), and what I can do to enhance my content efforts accordingly.
9. I will try new content forms
Interactive content, newsletters, infographics, and live-streaming can all boost my content strategy in 2017. I will expand into these new content forms to grow my business and expand my audience.
10. I will repurpose my content to get more traction
Repurposed content can help my content strategy stretch further. I will find creative ways to repurpose and re-use content of all types.
Ten 2017 Blogging Resolutions for the Content Marketer (Infographic) Sources:
Did you miss this week’s #ContentWritingChat? Well, there’s no need to worry because you can catch up with our full recap of the chat. Tuesday’s chat was all about guest blogging. If you’re looking to introduce guest blogging into your growth strategy or want to take your guest posts to the next level, you’ll want to read through these amazing tweets!
#ContentWritingChat April 19 2016 Recap: Strategies for Successful Guest Blogging From an Editor
Our guest host for the week was Kathleen Garvin. Kathleen is the Editor over at The Penny Hoarder and previously worked at SEMrush. She’s experienced in SEO, blogging and digital marketing, as well as guest blogging. We enjoyed having her expertise over on our Twitter chat at #ContentWritingChat.
Q1: Why is guest blogging essential to brands and writers with a presence online?
Why is guest blogging a must and how can help build your online presence? Check out what some of the participants from Tuesday’s chat had to say:
As Kathleen said, guest blogging helps to give you a voice and also gets you more exposure for your brand. When you guest post on another site, your content gets featured in front of a whole new audience. It doesn’t get much better than that!
A1: #GuestBlogging establishes authority, esp. within a niche; also credibility as other publications accept your work. #ContentWritingChat
Tara mentioned that guest blogging could establish you as an authority figure within your niche. She and Sarah from Think SEM both agreed that you also gain credibility when other publications feature your work. That’s huge!
A1: Guest blogging provides a platform with new readers exposed to your brand. A chance to build new relationships. #ContentWritingChat.
As Ryan said, guest blogging exposes your brand to a new audience who hasn’t heard of you before. Both he and Eliza agreed it’s also a great way to build relationships. When you guest post, you not only start forming a relationship with the website, but also their readers.
A1 HUGE. It’s massive content exposure potential online for free – the cost of your time writing & making the connection #ContentWritingChat
Kathleen said to look to the high-quality blogs in your field. Don’t forget to consider your goals. What are you trying to achieve with your guest post? Are you trying to grow your traffic, generate awareness for your brand, gain more sales? This could play a factor in choosing which sites to guest post on.
A2: Relevance and audience engagement (you can look at the comments section) are big factors to consider #contentwritingchat
As Andrew said, make sure you’re choosing sites that are relevant to your brand. Also, does the site receive a lot of engagement from their audience? That’s key!
Like Kristen said, never be afraid to reach out. The worst you could hear is no. If there’s a site you want to post on, send over a pitch. You never know how it could work out!
Q3: How do pick topics guest bloggers can’t resist?
The next step in guest blogging is coming up with an amazing topic. No matter what site you’re writing for or what topic you’re writing on, providing value is always a must. Here are some more tips for choosing topics:
A3: If you’re pitching, do your homework + read the publication/blog. See what’s been covered, bring value. #ContentWritingChat
A great tip from Kathleen: do your homework! Don’t blindly pitch a website your ideas. Do some research first by reading their blog to see which topics they’re covering. You want to make sure you choose topics that fit.
A3: Guest bloggers should always have a new or unique angle on a topic that is trending or popular. What can you offer? #ContentWritingChat
Tara and Sarah both agree: be unique! You need to put your own spin on the topics you’re writing about. Don’t write the same thing everyone else is already writing.
Peter said to make sure your content is solving a problem people need the answers to. This is a great way to provide value to an audience. When you consistently provide quality content that helps your audience, they’ll want to keep coming back to your site for more.
.@ExpWriters#ContentWritingChat A3. First eliminate the topics that’s not your forte. Then look for the trending ones in your authority
Pratik said to steer clear of topics that aren’t your forte. It’s best to write what you know. When you have a full understanding of the topic you’re writing about, it shows through in your writing and you’ll be more confident in your work.
Q4: What should you include/not include in a pitch email? When should you follow-up?
When preparing your pitch email, there are a few things you should (and shouldn’t) include. And how do you know when to follow-up? These tips will help:
A4: Include: Personalized greeting, short intro, pitch idea, past clips #ContentWritingChat
Kathleen recommends including a personalized greeting, a short intro, then pitching your idea and adding links to previous work. However, if you are linking to some of your past work and you were a ghostwriter, inform the person of that ahead of time!
A4: Well first off, make sure you actually read their guidelines to ensure you include what they ask for (1/2) #contentwritingchat
If there are guidelines published on the website regarding pitches, Andrew suggest looking at them before you send your pitch over. Make sure you follow them if they do! If they don’t, it’s a good idea to pitch a couple topic options just in case your first idea gets rejected. It’s helpful to briefly mention why each piece would be beneficial to their audience.
A4) I hate saying this, but please write the damn thing. Templates are so easy to spot and it’s super lazy. #contentwritingchat
Kyle says to ditch the templates! Personalize your pitch email instead. He said it helps to reference something specific about the site you’re pitching to or say how you found the site.
A4: Pitch your idea, a brief synopsis, explain how it will add value for both sides. Show links of past work for trust. #ContentWritingChat
Ryan recommends pitching your idea with a brief synopsis and explanation of how it will add value. When they can see the value your post will bring, it could increase the likelihood it might be published.
A4. It helps to have a well thought-out pitch. Use bullets & get to the point. (Don’t write a novel!) #contentwritingchat
If you haven’t gotten a response and you feel like you should follow-up, remember this: Give them time to respond. Don’t wait one day and start sending follow-up emails. Editors are busy and need time to respond to your email. Following up one week later is a great idea. Remember to be polite, too!
Q5: What makes up a great guest post author bio? What links should you include?
What should you include when writing your author bio for your guest posts? Here are some tips from Tuesday’s chat:
You just might want to steal Kathleen’s format for author bios! She includes her current position and company, her past role, any related passion projects, and social media links.
A5: A great bio will explain who you are & what you want the readers to know about you. #contentwritingchat
Consider linking to a landing page with an opt-in form for your email list to encourage people to sign-up and boost subscribers. Great tip, Michael!
Q6: Should guest posting be part of your growth strategy? If so, how often should you guest post?
We know the benefits of guest blogging, but should it be part of your growth strategy? And how often should you guest post? Take a look at these tips from the chat:
A6: Yes! Guest posting is a great way to grow your brand + connect with others in a field. #ContentWritingChat
Kathleen recommends making guest posting a part of your growth strategy. It grows your brand and helps you connect with others. However, make sure you are more focused on quality posts, as opposed to a quantity of posts.
A6: When I am busy I try to guest post once per month. How often depends upon your rate of growth/niche/strategy. #ContentWritingChat
Tara said how often you guest post should depend upon your rate of growth, your niche, and your strategy. If you’re focused on growing your audience, step up your guest posts!
A6: Yes. Guest posting is great for building authority & exposure, & helps you build important relationships/connections #contentwritingchat
Andrew also agreed that guest posting is fantastic for building authority and gaining exposure, while also helping your build relationships. Much like Tara, he suggested the frequency of guest posting should depend on your goals. Every post should serve a purpose!
A6 It’s HUGE for me building up @ExpWriters presence. So, yes 😉 We guest blog at 10-12 pubs, 15-20 posts /month. #ContentWritingChat
If you’re just starting out, Kyle recommends making guest posting more of a priority. It’s a great way to start building your audience when you’re still in the beginning phase.
Dagmar also suggests guest blogging regularly. She said it helps you connect with a new audience, gets you backlinks, and increases your domain authority and your online visibility.
A6 It’s a good start to put yourself out there. And to jump into the water. To share your expertise with a unique view #ContentWritingChat
Kyle said to share the guest post on social media, your email newsletter, and even email it to friends. You want to make sure you get the word out about your content.
A7b) Share your blog posts with your email list who may share on their social media for greater reach. #contentwritingchat
As Kavita said, make sure you respond to the comments people leave on the post. It shows you’re listening and that you’re interested in what they have to say. Starting a conversation with them makes a huge difference!
.@ExpWriters#ContentWritingChat A7. Consider writing a couple of sister posts on your blog, for the guest post. It helps audience land.
You may want to consider writing some related posts for further reading on your own website. It’ll be great for when people visit your site via the guest post. Great tip, Pratik!
A7: Promote your post like it’s a film release. People pick up on that excitement and want to know more. #ContentWritingChat
Q8: How can you track the results of your guest post?
You want to make sure you have a goal you’re trying to achieve with your guest posts, whether it’s growing your audience, makes sales, building relationships, etc. How can you measure that goal after the post goes live?
A8: Referral traffic in Google Analytics, email newsletter signups, social follows #ContentWritingChat
Kathleen says to keep an eye on referral traffic in Google Analytics, email newsletter sign-ups, and social media follows. If you didn’t get the results you wanted in relation to your goals, make changes and try again!
Don’t forget that people may forget to tag you when sharing on social media. As Jeff said, a quick search of the URL on Twitter will show you who has been sharing your post.
@writingchat see how many views you have & compare it to a previous date, more followers, more likes, more change! #ContentWritingChat
Track how many pageviews you received as a result of the guest post. Did you gain more followers, more likes, etc.?
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing.
Have you ever stopped in the middle of creating your online content, whether it be a social media post, blog, or other piece of online content, not sure what the proper word count should be? We’ve studied, analyzed, and researched–and put an infographic together to guide you. Here’s every correct content length for any piece of online content on the web. Feel we missed anything, or do you have something to add? Let us know in the comments! Full infographic transcription below.
An Infographic Guide to Online Content Length
Curious how long your content should be? You’re not alone. With dozens of conflicting opinions about word count flying around the web, it can be difficult to determine how much is enough on various platforms like blogs and social media. Fortunately, we have the answers.
Let’s explore the word count question here.
The Rise of Social Media: Why Your Content Matters
Social media is booming and one of the best ways to engage with the huge numbers on each platform is to ensure that the content you share there is as user-friendly as possible. Take a look at the user numbers for some of today’s hottest platforms:
There are currently more than 2 billion active social media users in the world
Content on Facebook earns 5 billion likes each day
Twitter has more than 284 million users and the platform sees 500 million tweets daily
Google+ has more than 363 million users
Online Content Lengths for All Web Platforms
Now that you know how big social media truly is, let’s take a look at what the ideal content length for all distribution channels really is.
Twitter
Is Twitter really increasing its character limit from 140 to 10,000? The CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, started the rumor:
But, best practices currently state that it’s more fruitful to keep Tweets limited to 100 characters. Here’s why:
Tweets that are 100 characters or shorter enjoy 17% more engagement than longer Tweets
So-called “medium length” tweets (between 71-100 characters) are re-tweeted more often than large (101-characters or longer) or small (41-70 character) tweets
Twitter is built on brevity, and 100-character tweets are easy for users to consume
Facebook
While Facebook is often thought of a long-form content platform in comparison to Twitter, it may surprise you to know that the ideal character limit for a Facebook post is actually shorter than a tweet. Here’s what you need to know:
The ideal Facebook post is 40-characters or fewer
Facebook posts with 40-characters earn 86% more engagement than longer posts
According to Facebook best practices, the second-best length of a Facebook post is 80 characters or less. These posts receive 66% more engagement than longer posts
Google+
Google+ is all about readability and accessibility of content, so it’s important to keep content easily digestible. Here’s what you need to know about Google+ headlines and content:
The highest-performing Google+ headlines are 60 characters or less
Readers only absorb the first and last three words of a headline, so headlines that are 6 words or less have the most impact
The ideal length of Google+ body content is 200-440 characters
LinkedIn
LinkedIn posts are designed to be short and sweet. According to BufferApp, the ideal length for a post on the platform is 25 words.
LinkedIn posts that are around 25 words encourage the highest number of click-throughs.
For B2B companies, the ideal word length for a LinkedIn post can vary between 16-25 words.
For B2C companies on LinkedIn, the ideal word length for a post is between 21-25 words.
Instagram
Since Instagram isn’t focused on text-based content, but rather great visuals: there are currently no solid “best practices” for word count. You can, however, follow these tips for best results from your Instagram posts.
Use creative #hashtags to promote interaction with your established network. Consider using the Instagram Explorer page to learn more about trending hashtags that can enhance your brand. Up to 15 hashtags per post is an average amount. Always be relatable with your hashtags to what your visual topic is about.
If you’re sharing an Instagram photo on Twitter or Facebook, be sure to lessen and streamline your hashtags. Photos with too many hashtags will look out of place on these networks. Some brands drop the hashtags in an Instagram follow-up comment if they’re streamlining.
Tell your brand story through captions. This offers context for your image and helps followers connect with your content.
Pinterest
When it comes to Pinterest descriptions, keeping them within the correct character-count range can enhance their performance hugely.
200-character descriptions earn the most re-pins
Pins that feature CTAs earn 80% more engagement than those that don’t
Research has found that pins with an image height 800 pixels or greater earn significantly more re-pins than those with smaller images
Blog Posts
Rule of thumb: blog posts are the place where informative, guide-style, long-form content can shine.
Buffer found that the ideal reading length of a blog post is 7 minutes. This translates to roughly 1,600 words
As a general rule, longer blogs are more likely to provide quality markers for search engines, which allows them to rank higher
Blog posts that are longer than 1,500 words receive an average of 68% more tweets and 23% more Facebook likes than shorter posts.
Most web pages that sit in the top 10 SERP positions for any given keyword have at least 2,000 words
Eight-word or longer search queries have risen by 34,000%, which means that content targeting long-tail keywords will perform better today.
5 Key Best Practices for Social Media Posts
No matter where you’re posting content, there are several rules you should always follow:
1. Be helpful. Readers want helpful content. It matters less if your content is 80 or 800 characters and much, much more that it’s helpful and well-written.
2. Don’t blab. As a general rule, concise is better. If you can get a point across in 1,000 words, you shouldn’t be stuffing a 2,000-word post with empty fillers just to meet word count. This will cost you readers and damage the quality of your content.
3. Add visuals. Posts with visuals earn 94% more views than text-only posts. By including high-quality infographics, memes, stock photos, or screenshots in your content, you can increase engagement hugely.
4. Craft compelling CTAs. Something as simple as adding CTAs to your social media content can create a huge shift in your conversions and rankings. By telling your readers exactly what you want them to do, you stand a better chance of them actually doing it.
5. Engage. A social media post is only as valuable as the level to which you engage with it. This means responding to comments, speaking directly with followers, and posting additional content as needed to keep the conversation going.
