You’ve got the technical tidbits down of actually having a website so now it’s time to write your very first blog post! Firstly, no, this isn’t the space to introduce yourself & your new blog. For example don't write “Welcome to my blog! This is the topic I’ll be covering today. Here are my social media handles. Will you please follow?”.
I'd recommend starting with a specific topic that your target audience needs. That seems unintuitive, right? If more people are searching for a term or a topic, that means more readers for you. So you're wanting to write your first blog post... hence my title of writing your first blog but be careful...
If you choose a general & broadly searched topic that’s been covered by some of your major competitors, for example if I had titled this blog 'how to blog', then it’s likely that your post won't rank on the 1st page of search engine results pages (SERP). So, give your new blog a chance to rank by choosing a topic that not many people have written about.
Let’s walk through it.
Choose topics that you’re passionate & knowledgeable about.
Before you write anything, pick a topic for your blog post. The topic can be pretty general to start. For example, if you're a company that sells wellness products you may want to start by writing a tips blog for a specific nutritional element like getting more Iron in your diet.
Don't: jump into a "how-to" piece for your first blog post. Why you ask...
Well it's because your credibility hasn’t been established yet. Before teaching others how to do something, you’ll first want to show that you’re a leader in your field.
For instance, if you're a gas engineer writing your 1st post, you won’t write a post titled “How to Replace the Left Hand Manifold in your Kitchen Boiler.” First, you'd write about types of boilers, or tell a particular success story you had about how you replaced a damaged component which would have otherwise caused a customer's house to be filled with carbon monoxide.
Here are four other types of blog posts you could start with:
List: 5 ways to fix a leaking boiler
Collection: 10 boiler brands to consider for your kitchen today
Google Slides Presentation: 5 types of boilers to replace your old one with
News Piece: New study shows 35% of people don't replace their boiler even when it's on a reduced parts list.
If you're struggling to come up with topic ideas, a mood board or mind map could help. Similar to the "leaky boiler" examples above, you could go through your old topics to give you the inspiration to come up with unique & compelling new topics.
This can be done by:
Changing the topic scope
Adjusting your time frame
Choosing a new audience
Taking a positive or negative approach
Introducing a new format like a video instead of writing
1st Blog Post Ideas
The Difference Between [Niche] & [Niche], Explained by an Expert
The Difference Between SMO & SEO, Explained by a Social Media Expert
The Difference Between Hatchbacks & Saloon, Explained by a Car Salesman
The Difference Between Frying & Searing, Explained by a Chef
2 [Niche] Common Mistakes (+ Ways to Fix Them)
2 Healthy Eating Common Mistakes (+ Ways to Fix Them)
2 Cabbage Blanching Common Mistakes (+ Ways to Fix Them)
2 Sofa Maintenance Common Mistakes (+ Ways to Fix Them)
9 Proven Tips for [Niche]
9 Proven Tips for Checking Plumbing Problems under Your Boiler
9 Proven Tips for Writing a Blog About Make-up
9 Proven Tips for Doing DIY Garden Beds
Why I Moved from [Niche] to [Niche] (Comparison)
Why We Switched from Hubspot to ZohoCRM (Comparison)
Why I Switched from My PC to My Apple Mac (Comparison)
Why We Switched from Samsung to Google (Comparison)
Want some real examples of blog posts? See mine here.
Next time we'll dive into Keyword Searching for your Blogs!