13 Adventures, 5 Tactics to Try for Effective Blog Content Writing

“Adventuress” Leslie Bailey finds “bucket lists” irksome. Rather than focus on things to do before you die, she recommends trying new things right now.

Whether I end up (or whether she does, for that matter!) going indoor skydiving or flying a helicopter during the coming year, I must say Bailey’s Indianapolis Star article “13 Adventures to Try in 2013” contains many of the elements that make for great blog content writing.

A number in the title
To freshen up blog post content, start with one idea about your product or service. Then try putting a number to it:

• 2 Best Ways To Eliminate……
• 3 Problem Fixes to Try ….
• 4 Home Remedies…
• 5 Tips…
• 6 Knottiest Issues in…

Convenient navigation path to follow calls to action
Each one of Bailey’s suggestions ends with a phone number and website address readers can use to get it done. In other words, if I’m moved to actually try scuba diving, Bailey’s told me where to go to actually sign up. Ease of navigation (as I stress when offering business blogging help) is absolutely crucial to the success of any SEO marketing blog.

Varied sentence structure
Each one of Leslie Bailey’s paragraphs begins a different way. “Try fencing” begins: “Admittedly, it’s a chance to shout ‘Engarde!” at someone…  “”Go to the Kentucky Derby” begins: “I want the whole deal: big bets, bigger hats and lots of mint juleps.” “Ride a motorcycle” begins “Mostly to impress my Harley-Davidson-loving uncle.” Blog content writing, as I’m fond of saying during business blogging training sessions, is both science and art, with much of each relating to the words used in each blog post. And, the greater the variety in the parts of speech used and the sentence structure, the more interesting the writing will be.

“Pow” opening line to set the stage and grab attention
“At the risk of sounding too hipster about the whole thing, I have to tell you, the phrase ‘Bucket List’ irks me,” Bailey offers as her opener. A big part of content writing for blogs, I’ve found, involves getting the opening line” right. In fact, had Bailey been blogging rather than writing a feature article, an even  shorter and more direct opener might be (in bold letters)t “I have to tell you, the phrase ’Bucket List’ irks me.”

First-person writing
Leslie Bailey’s article is a grabber because she’s describing activities she’s either already experienced or which she’s challenging herself to try soon. I teach Indianapolis blog writers they’ll be at their most effective when they are at their most personal. Even professional ghost bloggers, I explain, can write in “I” format when sharing a personal experience that brings out some important aspect of the client company’s products, services, or corporate culture.

Many thanks, Leslie Bailey. I must admit it’s highly unlikely I’ll either try escargot or drive a NASCAR car in 2013 – or ever. What I can do, however, is use this wonderful 13 Adventures list as an example of engaging content writing!