Blogging | Finance Freelance Writer

The conclusion is the place where you really want to drive home your message. Crafting a killer conclusion is simple, yet some people don’t do it well. You’ll want to make sure that you have some powerful statements that motivate your readers to take action on the things that they just learned.

Include the SEO Keywords In the Header

Google got wise to people stuffing keywords into blog posts at random to make them look like the most relevant blog posts. Now, search engines want to see keywords only where they make sense. The Conclusion header is a place where SEO keywords do make sense.

Including your SEO keywords in your conclusion header will not only reinforce the topic in the mind of the reader, it will also boost your SEO keyword juice.

Engage with Your Readers – Ask Questions

As you close your blog post, these readers have taken time out of their day to read all the way through to the end. Ask them a question about what they have learned. Ask them how they plan on using the content in their lives.

Asking questions gets people to write comments in the comment section. This is great for SEO. It shows that people are interested and value your website enough to make comments.

Ask For Questions

You can ask your readers what questions they have on the topics that you just covered. This can be very beneficial in helping you determine what you need to cover in future blog posts.

Be careful about asking for questions in the conclusion. You ONLY want to do this if you are willing to answer the questions that are asked. No one wants to come back to see if their question was answered only to discover that it wasn’t.

Not every copywriting client wants to have questions, so always make sure that you are following the brand’s voice.

Add a Call to Action

Finally, add a call to action for your readers. You can ask them to sign up for your awesome newsletter, or read another related blog post. If you have a social media strategy, you can encourage them to engage with you on social media.

If your call to action is to sign up for a newsletter, this will be written into the link that they will click on. It won’t always be within the text of the blog post.

A call to action can include checking out a product that is relevant to the topic and will help your readers in their daily lives. You can tell your readers to check out the latest widget in your store.

Conclusion

Killer conclusions are conclusions that really emphasize your message. A powerful conclusion can be simple, but strong enough that your readers are going to remember it. The best conclusions get your readers to take action. They get them to take the next step in the customer journey whether it is signing up for your email list or buying the latest gadget. Powerful conclusions will lead your customers to action.

Watch my Youtube video on writing a killer conclusion:

https://youtu.be/sQ_BI10ltow

Creating an outline for your blog posts is part of the writing process. Some people view it as an extra step, but it is a step that makes the whole process more smooth. I find that outlines help me write faster and alleviate some of the writer’s block that can creep up when you don’t have a goal or target.

Outlining Basics

When creating your outline, you’ll want to make sure that you have your target market in mind and some keywords to focus on. Create a working title and 3-4 headers to focus on.

Under each of the headers create some logical subheaders that you can write about. Make notes under your headers with important points that you want to touch on.

Include some resources that you may want to reference – pictures, statistics, quotes and case studies are great.

Work Quickly

You should write your outline quickly. Don’t spend more than half an hour on your blog post outline. Remember, whether you are writing for a client or your own blog post, this is a business and time is precious.

If you can’t think of things to write for one subheading, move on to the next one. Often this will keep the creative juices flowing and you’ll come up with topics to add later.

Remember, this is an outline. It is your FIRST DRAFT. It isn’t meant to be seen by anyone else. A FIRST DRAFT outline shouldn’t be perfect. In fact, your first draft will often be crappy.

“I always like to have a basic outline, but I like to leave some things to be decided while I write.” –J. K. Rowling

If the author of Harry Potter, one of the most popular children’s books, uses an outline, then it definitely shows that it is good practice to write with a basic outline. But also, don’t be afraid to add things as you write. The outline isn’t the final draft.

Schedule Outlines Into Your Writing Day

Set a time limit for your outlines. Plan on spending the first half hour of your writing session on an outline. This will ensure that you actually get your outline done and that you don’t waste a lot of time on it.

Great planning and outlines help to prevent writer’s block. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure that you’re doing them consistently.

“If you do enough planning before you start to write, there is no way you can have writer’s block. I do a complete chapter by chapter outline.”-R.L. Stine

Use a Template

Templates can help you stay on track. They guide you through the writing process. A basic template can be created in Google Docs or through the Wealthy Affiliate writing platform. The template will remind you to come up with a variety of topics and encourage you to meet a word count goal. The rest is up to you.

Writing with a template can also help to keep the document organized. You will create headers and subheaders and can jot your notes down within the framework before you edit it and expound on the knowledge that you are sharing.

Final Thoughts

Use an outline even when you are writing a short blog post. Your readers will appreciate that you thoughtfully put your ideas together and used headers and subheaders. Your writing will be more cohesive and enjoyable to read.

I hope these tips have helped!

Category: Blogging

Writing Effective Conclusions For Your Blog Posts