Elayne Whitfield, BA, MVA ~ VA Industry ExpertSubscribe Now

How to Create Impact with Short Blog Posts

How to create impact with short blog postsLonger blog posts may seem like the best way to convey your thoughts and attract attention because you have more space to make your point with. In reality however, it is the content that matters most, not the length. People are also impatient these days and they want to get the information they need fast. Long posts are valuable too but once you become proficient with 300-500 words you may never want to go back to spending time on extensive pieces.

Start with a Compelling Headline

As trivial as it may seem, headlines are what attract readers and there’s no denying this. Your headline needs to tell the reader what’s in the content without being absurd or misleading. Tell them what you’re going to tell them in a way that will maximize impact.

Be Concise

If your post is going to be short you are going to want to make sure the small amount of text that you do provide is full of valuable stuff. Cutting back on text doesn’t mean you get to cut back on content. You still want to deliver information, just without all the fluff. Good editing will help make your short blog posts impactful without having them filled with unnecessary things.

Make It Scan-able

People read differently online than they do on paper. Instead of reading the standard way from left to right, an online format allows people to scan something from top to bottom first while looking at the left side of the page. Using bullets, headlines, and attention-grabbing headlines will help guide the reader through your entire post without requiring them to read every word.

Laser Focus the Topic

A short blog post needs one primary focused point to consider with one main topic. For example, instead of “Five Reasons to XYZ” you might want to write about “The Most Important Reason to XYZ”. The difference here is that many people will not really care about the 5th best reason to XYZ so focusing on “the most important reason” will be focusing on exactly what they want.

Engage Your Readers

Always ask for comments. You can make a huge impact with engagement after your one-topic blog post. This makes the short blog post worth more than a larger post in terms of shareability and activity.

Include Relevant Graphics

Using effective images will make it more likely that your blog post will be opened to being with and more likely that it will be shared by those who read it. A well-composed blog along with the right graphics will make a huge impact.

Practice Good Copywriting Technique

The best thing you can do is to remember that verbs are more important than nouns. Actionable content gets better results. Most people don’t consider copywriting when composing a blog post, but with a short blog post it’s essential if you want your post to be impactful.

Know Your Audience

What demographics comprise your primary audience? Which platforms does your audience use to access your content? How can you customize your content to match audience needs, wants, and preferences? What does your audience want and need to know? The more inside information you have on your audience, the greater the impact you can provide in your short blog posts.

Short blog posts take less time to write, they don’t have to keep the reader’s attention as long, and they focus on only one topic at a time. Focus each short blog post on a minute topic that is important to your audience for the most impact.

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