How to Write Blog Posts That Convert Readers to Subscribers & Buyers

There are many kinds of content marketing, but blogging is the grandfather of them all. In the early days of the internet, blogging was seen as a vain endeavor – the sharing of personal information with an audience that most likely didn’t really care.

Over time, though, blogging has become one of the most popular and lucrative forms of content marketing.

The Benefits of Blogging

Having an active blog on your website can lead to significant rewards when it comes to growing your business. For example:

1. A blog gives you an easy way to add new pages to your website. The more pages you have, the more opportunities it gives you to attract traffic to your site. Without a blog, the chances are good that you’ll rarely add a new page to your site. A stagnant site isn’t likely to get much repeat traffic.
2. If you include a call to action in every blog post, then blogging can help you increase your conversion rate and get new leads.
3. Blogging can help you build authority, and 92% of consumers say that they are more likely to make a purchase from someone they see as an authority than from someone they don’t.
4. Having an active blog on your website can improve your search rank. Google’s algorithms prioritize fresh content over dated content. That means that the more frequently you update your website, the more likely it is that you will achieve (and maintain) a high SERP rank.

Those are significant benefits – and not ones you can afford to overlook. A high-quality, authority blog can help you build brand awareness and brand loyalty, establish yourself as an industry leader, and increase the quality and number of leads you get.

How to Write a High-Converting Blog Post

The key to turning your blog into a conversion powerhouse is knowing how to use it. Adding new pages to your site won’t do you any good if they aren’t optimized for conversion. The content you post must be well-written, relevant to your industry or niche, and demonstrate clear value to your readers. Here are some of the most important elements of a high-converting blog post.

1. A compelling headline can help you attract traffic to your blog. The headlines that tend to convert the best are those that use numbers, ask questions, or address the reader directly.
2. A reader-friendly format is a must if you want visitors to your blog to read beyond the headline. If your blog is one long block of text, just looking at it will instill a sense of fatigue. The key to keeping readers engaged is to use plenty of white space and break up the text with images, bullet points, and numbered lists.
3. Keep in mind that a significant percentage of the readers who visit your blog will skim your content rather than reading it thoroughly. Research shows that web users read in an “F” pattern – meaning that they read the first line or two of an article or blog post and then skim down the left-hand side of the page. If you can include a call to action that catches the skimmers’ eyes, you’ll increase the chances that they’ll convert.
4. Keywords aren’t as central to SEO as they used to be, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. Every blog post you write needs to use high-converting keywords. A keyword is really a question – so think about what answers you are providing, and use that information to research the best keywords for your post.
5. Each blog post you create should be tightly focused on one topic. Inserting comical asides or exploring tangential topics might be charming in a casual conversation, but in a blog post it’s a good way to lose readers. Stick to your chosen subject and cover it thoroughly – and put any unrelated thoughts into a separate post.
6. Make sure that every blog post you create offers tangible value to your readers. Your goal may be to make sales, but your blog copy shouldn’t be overly sales-y. The whole point of content marketing is to be subtle. You offer value to your customers, and that creates a desire to reciprocate. You’ll get higher conversions if you restrain yourself than you would if you made an overt sales pitch.
7. Think about where customers are in your sales funnel – and do what you can to propel them forward. Many people who read your blog are going to be at the research stage of making a purchase. They want information, not a hard-core sales pitch. The posts you write should be geared toward providing them with the answers they want. However, you should also do what you can to encourage them to take the next step.
8. Allay your readers’ fears to increase the chances that they’ll make a purchase. It’s a well-known marketing trope that fear sells. However, it can also prevent people from making a purchase – and it’s important to realize that if you want your blog to convert. Instead of playing on your customers’ fears, find ways to put them in a positive frame of mind. If they feel confident that your product or service can help, they are likely to take the next step into your sales funnel.
9. Use social proof in your blog posts. For example, you might include a quote from a review of your product or a link to a customer testimonial. Other forms of social proof might include social media buttons that show the number of followers you have, or mentions of industry awards and citations.
10. Include multiple calls to action throughout your post. You don’t want to overdo it, but it’s a mistake to give readers only one chance to convert. Each call to action you use should be unique – in other words, don’t repeat the same wording. Use strong, positive language to encourage the people who read your blog to subscribe to your list, visit your store, or sign up for a free consultation.

The takeaway here is that the focus of each blog post must be on your readers’ needs and desires. As much as you might want them to convert, the key is not letting that desire show. Offer relevant and tangible value, make your blog posts easy to read, and give readers a convenient way to take the next step. If you do that, the conversions will follow.

Do you want to turn your blog into a conversion powerhouse? We can help. Click here to learn more.