Do you struggle to start – and end – your blog posts?
Even if you've got lots of great content to go in the middle, it can be really hard to know how to launch in ... and how to wrap things up afterwards.
One really simple (but also
effective) way to both begin and end a post is .... *drumroll*
... with a question.
A question, obviously enough, invites a response. When you start with a question, it gets readers to mentally engage with your post, right from the start. It can also be a great tool to build a sense of connection or agreement: once someone's answered "yes" to a question, or felt that you've understood them – at least a little bit – then they're
more likely to keep reading.
Here are a few fill-in-the-blank questions you could try:
- Do you find it hard to ... [e.g. get moving quickly in the morning]?
- Have you ever wondered ... [e.g. why so many businesses fail]?
- Would you like to ... [e.g. actually finish your novel this year]?
- Do you have ... [e.g. kids who occasionally drive you up the wall]?
- Do you ever
worry what you'd do if ... [e.g. you were in an accident and could no longer work]?
At the end of your post, questions are a really good way to encourage people to comment or engage further: you want them to go beyond simply reading your post to actually take some sort of action. Here, good questions are ones like:
- Do you have any tips to share? Leave a comment below!
- What's your favourite idea from the list above? Let us know
in the comments.
- What one thing will you do to .... [e.g. take your blog further] this week?
- Who in your life needs to hear this message today? Click the button below to email this post to them.
Questions are a simple, hard-to-get-wrong way to begin and end your blog posts. You don't necessarily need to use them every single time (though some bloggers do!) ... but they're a very handy technique for when you're feeling short of
inspiration.
Is there something you'd like to know about blogging, writing or freelancing? Just reply to this email to tell me, and I'll use your topic/question in a future newsletter or on the Aliventures blog. (You can remain anonymous if you want to!)
