How to Create An Epic Blog Post That Gets Shared Naturally

• Are your posts getting drowned out in a sea of information?
• Are you getting little or no traffic to your content?
• Do you feel like you are on a content treadmill working hard but not getting anywhere?

For years I was churning out regular content for my blog (3x/week) but didn’t know if anyone was actually reading or sharing it although traffic was steadily increasing. Most posts were only 500-800 words in length and I only promoted them on social media sites.

I decided to test a new strategy by creating an epic post of 1000-2000 words then spending the same amount of time on promotion as writing it. As a result my posts not only received an initial spike in traffic but generated sustainable traffic.

Here are the 6 main benefits for writing an epic post:

1. Boost search engine rankings
   Google wants to display the most relevant results for searches. The purpose of the Panda and Penguin updates was to remove poor quality content from the search engines. Writing epic content tells Google this is high quality stuff that deserves high rankings.
2. High quality content offers more value than regular content
   Creating an article of 1000-2000 words takes much more investment than writing an article of 500 words. Most blog owners don’t want to invest a large amount writing a lengthy post so it will stand out from most other blogs because it’s comprehensive and offers more value than thin content.
3. Increases brand recognition
   When more people notice that you consistently create epic posts it gives more exposure to your brand.
4. Become recognized as an authority in your niche
   Writing comprehensive content shows you have thoroughly researched the topic so people will naturally want to subscribe to your list and purchase your products.
5. More shares, likes and pluses
   High quality content naturally gets passed on to friends because it offers value to readers. Instead of going elsewhere to find information they can get it all from reading your epic post.
6. Generate more sales and subscribers
   Epic content attracts more subscribers and sales because of the incredible value it offers. It also builds trust because readers know you’ve probably invested many hours researching, writing the content and not just scraped the content from other sites.

Types of Epic Posts To Write

• Checklists
  People love checklists because they can check off all the things they must do to achieve the desired result. Instead of only giving your readers 3 short tips and leave them hanging, give them a comprehensive checklist they can constantly refer to.

  Example
  Free Web Hosting Guide: 33 Secrets You Probably Didn’t Know!

• Round-Up Post
  This is where you round up a list of all the top bloggers in your niche who have written about a particular subject.

  Example
  17 Traffic Building Tips from Some of the World’s Most Popular Bloggers
  20 Design Blogs Worth Reading

• Product Review
  Do a thorough review for one of the products you use in your business on a regular basis then promote the heck out of it so you receive regular commissions.

  Example
  Aweber Review – 33 Points To Consider Before Choosing An Email List Provider

• Case Study
  People love case studies because it shows them what actually works, the mistakes were made and the type of results to expect if you follow the same directions.

  Example
  Website Review: iSiteBuild.com Design, SEO & Hosting
  5 experts review iSiteBuild.com..my Local Web Design site

How To Write An Epic Post in 10 Steps

1. Create a content calendar

Planning out your content ahead of time makes it easier to know what to write about. Instead of staring at a blank screen, you already can begin writing on the topics you’ve listed. Make a plan to write at least one epic post each week for every month. One of them should be a product review. I usually write for 30 minutes to 1 hour every morning (approx 500 words) before checking my email or doing other tasks. By focusing on these small blocks of time you can easily finish writing the content (2000 words) by the end of the week. Spend the following week promoting the content while in the process of writing another post.

To create your content calendar open up an excel spreadsheet. Create a list of titles in the first column and put the dates in the second column. After you’ve finished writing your content remove or cross it off your list.

If you prefer a more graphical organization use Trello.com. It’s free online software that enables you to create boards (blog calendar) and cards (post topics). List your blog topics under the “To Do” column. Move the first topic to the “Doing” so you can easily see which one you’re currently working on. When you’re completed writing the content move it to the “Done” column. It’s much easier to use than spreadsheets and way more fun.

Watch How to Create a YouTube Content Calendar With Trello

2. Keyword Research

One of the ways to generate free traffic to your post is to get it ranked on the first page of the search engines. To do this you first have to do keyword research. Open up the Google Keyword Research Tool, enter the general topic you wish to write about, check the exact match box to weed out general phrases then press “search.” This will display a list of related keyword phrases based on the amount of global and local searches they receive. Select a keyword phrase that get’s at least 500-1000 searches each month and has low or medium competition.

3. Market Research

Unless you know your topic well, you’ll need to research what others are saying about it. To achieve this visit forums, blogs and online publications related to your niche or topic you’re writing about. Enter blog+keyword or forum+keyword to find relevant forums and blogs. Read through the comments and threads to see what questions people are asking so you can answer them in your content.

• To see what topics are currently popular visit Amazon.com, Topsy.com, AllTop.com
• To read related articles on your subject visit EzineArticles.com
• To find related blogs do a blog search at: http://www.google.com/blogsearch
• To discover what topic is currently trending visit: http://www.google.com/trends/
• To find hidden topics analyze your site statistics
  (ie Google Analytics, AW Stats)

4. Create An Outline

Creating an outline first makes it easier to write your article. It should consist of headlines, sub headlines and bullet points. Create a list of all your sub topics followed by the main points you wish to make. These points can be expanded upon when you write the actual content.

5. Create A Captivating Headline

If you don’t capture the attention of your readers with a compelling headline they won’t read the rest of the content. It has to have some emotional appeal otherwise they’ll go elsewhere. Use the free headline analyzer tool to create an emotionally appealing headline.

6. Write the content

Expand on the sub-topics you created in your outline in step 4. Write a paragraph on each point. If it’s a long paragraph break it up by using bullet points. It makes your content easier to read. Usually it takes several days to flush out all the content you want to write about so focus on getting several points completed before you continue writing the next day.

Example
For my post…Aweber Review – 33 Points To Consider Before Choosing An Email List Provider I first outlined the 33 points I wanted to make then expanded on each point by writing a paragraph of text for each.

7. Format your post

Correctly formatting your content is crucial if you want to get visitors to read the whole post. Instead of making it one long article that only contains text break it up by including video, images, quotes, headings , subheadings and bullet points. Most people scan content when reading online so make use of large headlines that grab attention.

Include related resources below every point. This helps keep your visitors engaged. Notify bloggers you referenced in your post content. If you notify them they will often share your post on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+. This helps attract traffic back to your own post.

8. Include a call to action

Don’t leave your readers hanging at the end of your post. They want to know what action to take based on your content. For example invite them to opt-in to your newsletter by offering a free report so you can email them when you have new content to share.

9. Proofread your content

Content full of spelling and grammar mistakes looks unprofessional. Before publishing your content get someone else to proof read it. If you don’t have someone to do this, let your article sit for a day then review it again with fresh eyes. Often you’ll find mistakes you didn’t notice while writing it.

10. Promote your post

This where you get to make a small difference in other people’s lives. If your content is not read by as many people as possible you’re not doing justice to the content you worked hard to create. Spend the same amount of time promoting your post as writing it.

Read my step by-step guide on
“21 Ways To Promote Your Blog Post
That You Probably Wish You Knew“

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