What Makes a Blog Post Good

If you're a frequent reader of blogs, you know whether something is going to be good two paragraphs in. Conversely, it's just as obvious when you're reading something that was put together by someone with little skill or love for what they're doing. That's the last kind of person you want to be. And if you are that person, the last thing you want to do is to convey that impression.

Today, we're going to be looking at what makes a blog post a good blog post

A Good Post Respects the Reader

First things first, respecting your readers is not the same as liking them. You can like your readers, get the warm and fuzzies when they share your post or comment on it, but still be cynical towards them. And cynicism is what it comes down to: if you feel like you're above what you're writing or who you're writing for, it most definitely translates to your writing.

To some, this might not seem like a problem. Whether it is or isn't, and whether being too good for what you're doing is healthy are separate conversations, the thing is that your readers can feel it. Maybe not the few regular readers that you have, but the people who don't stick around, for sure.

This most often occurs with bloggers who are in it for the money. They rarely attract success for the same reason that people whose goal is to become a millionaire (as opposed to creating something great, helping people, etc.) rarely become them.

If you say, "intentions don't matter", they very much do, and it's not whether they matter to you — they matter to your readers. You don't want someone who hates clothing give you fashion advice, right? Same principle.

The fix for this isn't easy, since it involves working on yourself. But start by asking why you think you're above what you're doing. Then ask yourself whether you should be doing it in the first place.

A Good Post Inspires Change

It doesn't matter what you're blogging about, a successful post — any successful creative endeavor, for that matter — exists to affect a change in the world. Doesn't matter if you're blogging about politics or on how to best conduct email marketing, changing something about the world should be your goal.

A post that inspires change should be actionable to work. That means that all the advice it offers and all the "fixes" it attempts must be:

• Relevant; 
• Applicable to the problem they present; 
• Have practical value

If all of these criteria aren't filled, try revising what you're saying.

To make a good blog post, every time you present a problem, a solution must follow it.

A Good Post Focuses on the Reader

You've definitely come across a blogger who's all about me, me, me. They might have even had some success, but no real author-reader connection going on. Don't be like them. Why?

First, it's not sustainable. Few people are capable of talking about themselves at length and not being completely boring. Blogging is the long game, keep that in mind

Second, and more importantly, these people are not connecting with their reader. This is what kills a blog — a disconnect between author and reader.

You're writing for someone to read it, not create an ideal version of whatever you're writing. IF you think this is a problem for you, think about your reader. It's supposed to reflect them, so think about what keeps them up at night. Get into their head, and understand them fully.

These are just a few of the things that make a good blog post. There many more out there, but the above three benchmarks are some of the most often not reached. 

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