How to create banging blog content in under 500 words!

Are you struggling with content for an online blog? Here’s a case study for a blog article I wrote for a client this week. It only takes a couple of minutes to read and, who knows, it might give you a kickstart!

The brief

My client briefed me to write 400 words about leadership psychology. They wanted search engine optimisation (SEO) and suggested three keywords, too. Even if I am creating my own in-house blog, I always make sure I am clear on basic information like this before I start. (If you are an SEO newbie it’s worth taking a look at https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo for how to use meta-descriptions, titles, headers and keywords to improve search engine rankings.)

The research

In order to really understand my client, I took an in-depth look at their website. They specialised in recruitment at director and board level. The people they wanted to read and follow the blog were industry leaders. What could I tell these high-flyers about leadership that they didn’t already know? I decided I would explore an example of leadership psychology that had made a big impact on me. It was time to get creative!

Creating benefit

News footage shows Barack Obama entering 10 Downing Street ahead of Gordon Brown. As the President passes the policeman standing on duty, he pauses and shakes his hand. It is an empowering moment. The policeman instinctively keeps his hand held out as the prime minister who follows. Brown leaves him hanging and walks on by. I used that short interaction between leaders as a real and engaging example of different leadership styles. Something they could use themselves when working with their own teams. That was the benefit. That’s what would encourage them to come back and read again.

Blog style

Of course, it’s no use coming up with a great topic for a blog unless you write about it in a way that is simple and clear. As I blogged about Obama and Brown, I kept my sentences, paragraphs and words short. Once I had finished my first draft, I read the content out loud to myself. I noticed a few typing errors, edited down some sentences and deleted others. Then I ran a grammar check and checked out my Flesch Kincaid score. I ended up with a blog that was precise, impactful and easy to read. The client approved.

So, what’s stopping you?

Good blogs are read and shared!

This case study is on writing content. If you want to know more about how to set up an online blog take a look at the free blogging platforms hosted by websites like wordpress.org or wix.com. You may have started reading this blog on social media, but it has been created in my wordflame.org website on Wix. Thanks for visiting! If you liked what you read, please share and subscribe!