How to write your first blog post ( & get lots of shares and comments)

how to write your first blog post

If you are new to WordPress then writing your first blog post can be a little daunting.

All of a sudden you start to have second thoughts about blogging because you don’t think that  anyone will read your posts.That happens to the best of us.The self-doubt syndrome

The more you write the better you become and you build your confidence with time too.

I don’t think there is any blogger out there who would hate to have lots of shares and comments. I know I wouldn’t.

It can be so frustrating when you spend so much time creating content and it goes unnoticed.


If you haven’t started a blog yet, check out my step by step tutorial guide.Where I show you how to start a successful blog in less than 30 minutes.

How to start a profitable blog in less than 30 minutes

As a bonus when you start a blog via any bluehost links in the post above I will send you a copy of my ebook The Beginner’s whisper guide for free.

When I started I wished all the information in one plan or even someone to walk with me for the first month at least, that’s why I want to help you to start your blog with Confidence.

I will show you how to set up your blog professional, write your first post and one that attracts readers,how to drive

traffic to your brand new blog,how to monetize and much more.

Once you have purchased your bluehost hosting email me juelz@juelzjohn.com and I will send the book asap.


How do you write your first blog post and get lots of comments and shares?

1.Craft a Kick-Ass headline

The first thing you need to do when writing your first blog post is coming up with a catchy title is that  will attract people to your post and make them click on it.

From the title alone your readers should be able to tell what’s in for them too. How will they benefit from clicking on the post?

  • Include a keyword in the title. Keywords are words you want your blog to rank for which will help boost your SEO in the long run.
  • Keep the length of your headline short. Between 8 -12 words
  • You can add some powerful adjectives before your keyword phrase.For example 5 secrets to a catchy blog post title.The adjectives are meant to evoke some emotional connection with your readers.

Some of the headlines that do well are the ones that share experiences, list/numbers, how-tos, and tutorials.

For example:

5 different ways to style a denim shirt

The biggest mistake I made in my first year blogging (how to avoid it too)

Step by step guide on how to start a successful blog

With time I have also noticed that personalized blog titles do well too. Use I and my in your headlines. An example is: How I grew my email list from 0 to 500 subscribers in one month.

Once you have brainstormed a few blog titles you can use Coshedule headline generator which is a free headline analyzer, it will test how good your blog post title is.

2.Informative post

If you want to get lots of shares and comment on your first blog post then don’t write for yourself write for others.

Good blog posts are the ones that add value to your readers.

Posts like How I spend my Sunday afternoon won’t get you shares nor will you get comments.

Not to be rude, but unless you are a celebrity no one really is interested to know  all about your Sunday afternoon.

You can change it to something like how to have super fun on Sunday afternoon and on a budget(Not the best title but I hope you get the idea.)

You need to find out what your readers are struggling with then give them a solution.

Since this is your first post figuring out the pain points of your readers can be a bit tricky because you are just getting to know them.

A simple trick you can do is to join Facebook groups in your niche find out the question that is frequently asked them write a post on about it.

3.Pictures

People don’t share what they don’t like.

The easiest way to make your first blog post on WordPress get lots of shares is to use appealing pictures. We live in a visual world and pictures are everything.

You can use your own pictures this is mostly if you are in the fashion, food such niches or you can opt for stock images.

A few places you can get stock images are pixabay  and ivory mix.

If you don’t have a good camera, hiring a professional photographer is also an option.

Using pictures will actually break the monotony in the blog post especially if it’s more than 1500 words.

Avoid using heavy pictures as they will slow down your load time which can be frustrating if someone visits your websites and one page is taking forever to open.

You should also make sure that you have optimized all your pictures for SEO.

Some of the things do are: you can simply rename your file name(the folder where you have saved your pictures) with a keyword.

You can also rename your pictures from to Dsc 9510 to first-blog-post (rename with your keyword)

Related posts

How to start a profitable blog

How to choose a creative blog name you won’t regret

Secrets to choosing a profitable niche

4.Format your post properly

Make your post easy to read.

Picture this, you land on a post that you really want to read but you can barely tell where the start or the end is. It’s one continues story with no paragraphs no bullets nothing. Am sure you would close the page and give up.

People are busy and most get impatient when they see a long post.

You can help them by making sure your post is scannable and easy to read.

Use subheadings. When I was writing my first post I had no clue how to use subheadings.

I mostly use H1, H2 & H3.Subheadings are good for SEO too Read more on this post

Use short paragraphs. Like 2 or 3 sentences.

Plain background. Avoid having a busy background which can end up being a distraction from your awesome post.

Have lots and lots of white space.

Make use of bullets and numbers. This will make your post scannable.

5.Call to Action also known as CTA

Having a CTA will initiate engagement. This can be a question or any lead magnet.

Something like; Let me know which is your think one is your favorite method and why (this of course depend  on what your post is all about)

This will also ensure that you get meaningful comments on your posts.

Also, make it easy for your readers to comment. I personally hate it when for me to leave a comment I have to sign in, fill it a form or some that I have to confirm am not a robot I avoid commenting on such websites because I find it time-consuming and it’s a lot of work.

6.Proofread your posts

This is a very important step. You need to proofread your work.

Yes, we are all human and we are bound to make silly mistakes such as punctuations, irregular verb conjunctions.

Grammarly is the best free grammar tool out there and it basically corrects any grammatical errors.

Publishing an article full of mistakes can be a turn off for many people and you might end up losing readers along the way.


7.Make your post SEO friendly.

There is so much to talk about when it comes to SEO which is a whole post in itself.

Lucky you, I got you covered.

I have a post where I go into all details on how you optimize your blog post for SEO (which happens to be one of my most read posts) and also download my free guide ebook where I share all the best tips and tricks to master SEO.

The ultimate guide to SEO your blog post

8.Promote your blog post

The hard truth is that if you don’t promote your post no one will know that it exists well apart from the few family members and friend you shared it with but you definitely want more than that.

Days are gone where you would create content and cross your fingers hoping that someone will magically see it.

There are so many posts being published every other hour think of thousands and thousands so putting your content out there is a must. The more you promote your blog post the more people will remember you.

As new blogger you the 80/20 rule works perfectly. This is where you spend 80% of your time promoting your work while the other 20% you create new content.

There are so many ways you can drive traffic to your new post but what I find most effective are Facebook and Pinterest.

You need to join as many Facebook groups as you can (the one that you can manage) and keep an eye on promo threads.

Most of the groups have days where you share your latest post, a pin you want to be repinned, stumble upon threads, twitter threads. Utilize Facebook well and you will see your traffic skyrocket.

For Pinterest, I suggest you pin as much as you can. For you to be able to do that you need to join many group boards. Just to prepare you, joining group boards can be a lot of work which is worth it at the end so don’t give up when you don’t get any feedback.

I do manually and use tailwind which is a scheduler tool.

Tailwind helps me to schedule as many pins as I can and that means so don’t have to be online throughout. You can sign up using my link and get a free month of tailwind.

How many posts should you have before you start to actively promote your blog?

At least 5 posts in my opinion. This will make your readers to stay longer on your site. Which means more traffic for you.

9.Make your post shareable

This is a no-brainer really. If you want to get many shares then you need to make it possible for your reader to share your post. You can install sumo me or Shareaholic

The most common places to place your sharing buttons are on the side and at the end of your blog post.

Install also “click to tweet”, which will enable your readers to be able to tweet within your blog post.

 

I do all my writing in a word document. I find it easy to edit compared to WordPress dashboard.

Then I copy paste to Grammarly where I edit. Then copy and paste once am done on the WordPress editor.

Once you log in, on your WordPress dashboard on the left side you will see posts then add a new post.

Most of the icons are self-explanatory am sure you have used them on the word before.

I hope you enjoyed and found this post on how to write your first blog post helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

16 Comments

  1. February 19, 2018 / 7:43 AM

    This post is really helpful! I just started my blog, and I found a few good suggestions. I especially like your tips for picking a good title, using tailwind for Pinterest (I need to work on my Pinterest), and writing a post in word (wish I had thought of that). Thanks!

  2. February 19, 2018 / 12:47 PM

    I found myself reading through, wishing I had this as a guide when I first started; some of my early posts make me laugh and cringe! I am going to check out your SEO Guide because I can always improve on that! Thanks 🙂

  3. February 19, 2018 / 12:59 PM

    This is just what I need to learn about. I didnt know Subheadings are good for SEO and I would love to click on your link to learn more about SEO. Thank you for the great information on blogging.

  4. February 19, 2018 / 4:47 PM

    This is great even for people who already have a blog and just aren’t sure what to do next. Thanks!

  5. Drake Conan
    February 20, 2018 / 10:08 AM

    These are a great guide for those planning to start their blog. I can still remember the first time I wrote my blog I really don’t know how to start but It works really good time after time.

  6. Megan B
    February 20, 2018 / 3:41 PM

    Thanks for this! SEO is such a mystery to me sometimes, I appreciate all the advice I can get! x

  7. Elizabeth O
    February 20, 2018 / 4:47 PM

    This is a great guide for a blogger who is beginning, I am so with you on creating a kick-ass headline. I will be sharing this

  8. February 20, 2018 / 6:24 PM

    This is super helpful for those who are thinking about starting a blog or who are new at it.

  9. Heather
    February 20, 2018 / 11:38 PM

    Great tips for writing your first, or any, blog post. There’s more that goes into a successful post than most people realize. It does take refinement, but you’ve made it simple with your tips.

  10. February 21, 2018 / 12:47 AM

    I love that you included sharing informative posts to this list. A lot of bloggers forget that you need to provide content that is valuable for your readers.

  11. Kelly Edgar
    February 21, 2018 / 2:00 AM

    Thanks for these great tips, I am using word press and just starting to get my blog up and running and trying to maximize likes and comments

  12. February 21, 2018 / 2:13 AM

    Having a viral post is such an amazing feeling. Just increasing number is awesome!

  13. February 21, 2018 / 7:56 AM

    Super useful tips! I’ve been blogging for a few years now and 3 years ago I got Grammarly! Love it!!

  14. May 26, 2018 / 8:52 PM

    Thank you for this! I have read through several other posts before running across yours on Pinterest and finally found lots of value!!

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