Blogging is not an exact science. If you like clear-cut and direct answers to questions, you won’t find them here. Unfortunately, when it comes to blogging, the answer is usually, “It depends.”

Should you write long posts or short posts? It depends.

Is it better to blog once a week, multiple times a week, or every day? It depends…

Do you need to get involved in the “content marketing arms race” and create increasingly bigger, more comprehensive blog posts (like the ubiquitous “ultimate guides”)?

Probably not, but – you guessed it! – it depends.

One of the biggest questions of them all is, “What makes a remarkable blog post?”

We believe there are 5 elements that can turn even a boring article into something eye-poppingly memorable, shareable, and fun both to write and to read.

What are they? We’re glad you asked – read on!

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  1. Memorable and unique visuals

Let’s face it: text is a boring medium – even if you’re one of those people who can spot the difference between Arial and Helvetica! Formatting will only get you so far, and will make things much worse when overused.

Memorable and engaging visuals, on the other hand, keep things interesting and help your blog posts stand out. They could be as simple as tasteful and thoughtfully-chosen stock photos, or as involved as custom infographics and unique sketches (not trying to brag or anything).

Who does it right: Ahem, there’s this blog called The Draw Shop you may have heard of… Apart from us, you can look at Wait But Why, famous for its simple but hilarious stick figure illustrations.

(Although we frequently use all 5 hacks from this post, we will only mention our blog this once, or it will get tedious very fast!)

  1. Detailed tactics and action steps

We don’t know about you, but every time we see a post called, “47 tips to do X” – we know it’s going to be mediocre and disappointing. Towards the second half, it devolves into esoteric writings like, “Make sure everything aligns with your vision.”

Don’t make the same mistake in your posts. Whenever you recommend that your readers do something… explain to them how to do it!

Don’t just tell them what makes a good headline – give examples or formulas. Don’t just tell them to use power words and consider the job done. Give them the power words, and some guidance on when (and how) to use them.

Who does it right: One famous and high-quality blog that built its brand around exhaustive, detailed instructions is Backlinko. Brian Dean, its creator, even coined the term “expanded list post” to talk specifically about how he uses this hack.

  1. Tangible data and proof

Humanity has a love/hate relationship with facts and figures. We are wired to make snap judgments based on emotion (thank you, limbic system!)… but we also love authority: it’s one of the key principles behind psychology of persuasion.

Data and facts can be used to convey said authority. If we simply told you that whiteboard videos are more engaging and persuasive than text, you probably wouldn’t take it at face value. And you shouldn’t – after all, we have a favorable bias that comes from being in this industry!

But if we told you about numerous scientific studies backing up those claims, and how so many people enjoyed great results using whiteboard videos for marketing… then you’d be much more likely to trust our claim.

Who does it right: Look at any big marketing blog, like KISSmetrics or HubSpot. A lesser-known example is ConversionXL by Peep Laja. Being one of the leading authorities on conversion rate optimization, he still uses data to back up every claim he makes.

  1. Engaging stories

If you’ve ever devoured a great fiction book in one sitting, or binge-watched a brilliant TV show, you know how hard it is to walk away from a good story. We have been telling them for millennia, and we don’t intend to stop any time soon!

Stories happen to work wonders in business just as well as in life. Everyone has them, and everyone can relate to someone else’s experience, however unfamiliar, through a story. We have them, you have them – even that boring distant cousin you see once a year on Thanksgiving has them!

The only requirement that matters for sharing a story in your blog post? It needs to be relevant for the readers, and eventually arrive at something valuable – even if that value comes purely from entertainment.

Who does it right: Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity is a great example of somebody using his experiences, and stories of others, to create gripping and engaging posts. Visiting every country in the world makes for excellent storytelling fodder (who knew, right?)

  1. Humor and charisma

We have talked about the value of humor before – specifically, how it helps you come up with great content, even if you’re in a boring industry. Humor and personality can make any post memorable.

If your content is already pretty good, humor will take it all the way to great. Even if a post has zero good things going for it, a morsel of humor will provide some redeeming value.

Needless to say, you shouldn’t use humor as your only way to write standout blog posts – though you probably could, if your target audience digs your sense of humor. Still, better make sure you use at least one of the other four hacks to give your content substance, then inject some silliness!

Who does it right: Nerd Fitness by Steve Kamb absolutely delights in the geeky, nerdy brand of humor its readership loves. They are also a wonderful case study on how to use style and personality to attract (“qualify”) the right people – if someone is into pop culture references, or superheroes, or both, they will enjoy the Nerd Fitness content.

Bottom line: it doesn’t take much to craft a standout blog post. Even now, as the Internet is overflowing with content, and the pressure is on to write ever more sophisticated material, you can outdo 99% of your competitors.

All it takes is using one or more of these hacks when you write your blog posts. This will make you stand out as the business unafraid to do the hardest, rarest thing of all: caring about adding value to your audience, whether or not they buy anything from you!

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