From the first word to the last. From the opening to the close. From the tangible to the intangibles. There's a lot to think about when it comes to creating a potent blog post. While we can't write the post for you, at least we can simplify the process. We can give you a cheat sheet of the must-haves you'll find in every good online article. Discover those ingredients here. Enjoy!

2. So.
You think you’ve got
yourself a good blog post?

3. You chose your
writing style.

4. You knocked out
the first draft.

5. You allowed it to sit
for an hour.
!
Or a day.

6. Now it’s time to edit
that bad dog
— ruthlessly.

7. So that it has a
fighting chance in
the trenches.

8. You’ll want to pay attention
to details like avoiding
goofy, but common,
grammar mistakes.

9. You’ll want to choose your
words carefully so you say
what you mean.

10. This will allow you to shed
excess copy so that you
have a lean, muscular
article.

11. But you’re
not done.

12. You also must ensure that
your blog post has all of the
essential ingredients it
needs.

13. Ingredients like
these.

15. Your headline is the first,
and perhaps only,
impression you make on a
prospective reader.

16. So, writing great
headlines is a
critical skill.

17. As David Ogilvy said:
!
“The headlines that work
best are those that promise
a benefit.”

19. A great headline mixed
with a lame opening is
like inviting someone to
your house …

20. … only to slam the door
in their face as they
approach.

21. You must capture
the reader’s
imagination …

22. And pull them
deeper into your
content.

23. That’s why copywriting
legend Eugene Schwartz
would sometimes spend
entire weeks on just the first
50 words of a sales letter.

25. Certain words hold more
sway over our decision
making process than
others.

26. You must
understand why
these words are
persuasive …

27. And you must use them in
the contexts that make
sense for your audience
and their businesses.

29. Everything you
write begins and
ends with a
sentence.

30. If you want to be an
average writer …

31. Then write average
sentences.

32. But if you want to
be a great writer …

33. Then you need to
write great
sentences.

34. And that doesn’t
mean your
sentences have to
say a lot.

35. They just have to
say the right things.

37. Bullet points keep people
reading your
• articles • pages • sales copy.

38. But your bullets
can’t be lame or
long-winded.

39. You need bullet points
that keep your copy
readable…

40. Which means writing
bullets that combine
brevity and promise.

42. Let’s face it. Large blocks of text
are unfriendly to a reader’s
attention. They are like a wall that
forbids the reader to enter the
garden. They suggest that the
treasures behind that wall is only
to be offered to those who are
willing to climb the wall. Even
though that wall is daunting.

43. They can quickly
chase your readers
away.

44. But you can keep
readers on your
page with good
subheads.

45. Just think of
subheads as
mini-headlines.

46. A mini-headline with a
benefit to sell the reader
on continuing to read.

48. A good novel, movie, or
TV series begins with a
character in conflict.

49. Then amplifies that
conflict …

50. … where life
becomes
miserable …

51. … but ends in a
satisfying
resolution.

52. The same is true for
your marketing
story.

53. You need a hero.

54. A goal.

55. An obstacle.

56. A mentor.

57. And a moral.

59. Internal cliffhangers stitch
your story, article, or
podcast together using
emotions.

60. These are
statements and
devices …

61. … inside a piece of
content …

62. … that entice the
reader to keep
reading.

63. Think of them as
mini-moments of
seduction.

64. The scraps of food
you dribble out …

65. … to lure the bunny
rabbit into your
house.

67. We love to hear
stories.

68. Stories about
trials.

69. Stories about
transformation.

70. Stories about
triumph.

71. But why waste the
high resolution the
web offers…

72. With merely black
lines on a white
background?

73. When you are trying
to get the biggest
bang out of a blog
post …

74. It’s smart to let
imagery to do some
of the heavy lifting.

75. This includes
video.

77. The goal of effective writing is to
take the reader on an enjoyable,
informative ride from
point A .……………….. to point B.

78. So the key to an
effective ending?

79. Understand exactly
where you are
trying to take the
reader …

80. Before you even
write a single word.

82. You don’t have to be
a veteran
copywriter to write
copy that sells.

83. Often the sheer passion
of what you are trying
to say breathes off the
page.

84. In fact, you can record
a conversation about
the product …

85. … transcribe that
conversation ...

86. And use it as a
rough draft.

87. In other words,
write like you
speak.

88. Want more information
on any of the 11 essential
blog post ingredients?

89. Visit
!
http://www.copyblogger.com/ingredients/

90. You’ll find an
infographic you can
embed, print, or pin.

91. Or you can download
a one-page PDF of
these ingredients.

92. And a list of articles
that expand on each
article.

93. Discover all
that here:
!
http://www.copyblogger.com/ingredients/