How To Announce You Ve Started A Blog

Creating a blog for your business can help draw organic search traffic as well as create a seamless integration between the blog and other marketing channels, such as email and social. Business websites with blogs have more than 400 percent more indexed pages than those that don't, which means you have hundreds of more opportunities for conversions.

Think about how you can attract more people to your business. Consumers use search engines to find the information they need. In fact, Google alone processes 40,000 search queries per second. You can also generate organic traffic from Bing, Yahoo!, and other search engines. Blogs help you create content that appeals to search engines as well as consumers.

First, though, you need to know how to write an introductory blog post. This post lets your audience know who you are, why you're blogging, and what topics you'll cover in the coming weeks, months, and years.

Nailing the introductory blog post can generate new fans and followers from the moment you publish that first piece of content. As long as you follow it up with engaging content, those followers will stick around to soak up the information you share.

We're going to teach you how to write an introductory blog post step by step, so you don't have any question marks hovering over your head. Once you nail that post, you'll have established a solid foundation for your business blog.

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What Is a welcome blog post?

A welcome blog post introduces your blog to the world. It shouldn't consist only of a brief announcement, though, because you're setting the stage for future content. You must let people know that you're an authority in your industry and that you're capable of producing meaty, engaging content.

Think of your welcome or introductory blog post as your audition. You only get one chance to get it right, and your audience will decide based on its content whether they want to return to your blog. Don't let your anxiety take over, though, because we're going to share a formula that works.

As for any audition, you must prepare. Know your target audience, buyer personas, product details, and unique selling proposition. All of these concepts will play a part in the structure and content of your welcome blog post.

Additionally, make sure you know your voice and tone backward and forward. You might want to create a style guide that details information like fonts, colors, word choice, punctuation, structure, and more. That way, each blog post remains consistent with the ones that came before it.

Most importantly, your welcome blog post gives you a chance to express your creativity. If you do it right, you'll earn readers for life.

What makes an effective business blog?

The best business blogs have certain qualities in common. They're magnetic. They consistently deliver top-quality content when it's promised. And they always feature good design, writing, and search engine optimization (SEO).

Writing a slam-dunk introductory blog post can put your blog on the path to greatness. First, though, you need a plan. An effective business blog needs some preparation if you want it to work in your favor.

Building Relationships

The best business blogs attempt to cultivate relationships between bloggers and their readers. They respond to comments, incorporate feedback into future posts, and invite comments and criticism from long-term readers.

Although blogging might seem like a one-way form of communication, it can actually work as a two-way street. Bloggers can leave comments, send emails, fill out surveys, and respond to polls. If you incorporate those features into your business blog, you're likely to find success.

Building Trust

If you stumble across a business blog post that's full of typos, grammatical errors, and misspellings, what is your impression of the blogger? You might think that he or she doesn't care about the blog, doesn't have the skills or experience to convey useful information, or takes an unprofessional approach to his or her business.

Those aren't the impressions you want to leave with your readers.

As you create a business blog, make sure to proofread your content, source statistics and other specific data, and provide solid reasoning for your assertions. If you've done your own research, let your audience know. Otherwise, link to the research you use and give the original source credit. That's how you build trust.

Building Intrigue

The best business blogs hook readers from the headline of every single post and keep their readers' attention until the very last line. It's a difficult task. If you can pull it off, though, you'll find yourself among the top business bloggers.

Learn to write magnetic headlines. Develop hooks that interest your readers. For instance, you can open each blog post with a story. Don't finish the story until the very end.

You can also build intrigue by creating blog series. Each post becomes Part X of a long series, which will keep your readers coming back for more — and your future readers clicking through to the next installment.

Each of these tips will help you create a great business blog that continues to attract attention months and years into the future. First, though, we'll focus on crafting that critical introductory blog post.

Step-By-Step Tips to Craft the Perfect Welcome Article for Your Blog

Earlier, we compared a welcome blog post to an audition. You're standing in front of the casting directors with your lines memorized or your pitch crafted. It's time to wow your audience and get the job.

In this case, though, the casting directors are your readers, and your audition isn't prepared for you. Don't panic, though, because you can create a compelling welcome blog post with just a few strategies in your tool belt.

Before you begin, make sure you're willing to commit to a blog. Just like an actor or actress who auditions for a role on Broadway, you're hoping to get a long-term job. For years, you'll continue to publish high-quality content, so you don't want to start down this road if you can't see it through.

Many business owners start blogs, then abandon them. The latest content becomes weeks, months, and then years old. You don't want that to happen because you'll disappoint your prospects and customers. Worse, you'll appear inattentive and indecisive.

If you're sure you're ready to start a business blog, let's dive into our 15 steps that will teach you how to write a welcome blog post.

1. Name Your Business Blog

Every blog needs a name. You can get cute with it if you want, but you can also make it more formal. This is completely up to you.

When choosing a name for your business blog, think about words, phrases, and jargon to which your audience might relate. Consider creating a Venn diagram or use a similar brainstorming tool to figure out what words might go well together.

You can also call it "The [Business Name] Blog.

2. Identify Your Blog's Target Audience

Once you've named your business blog, you need to figure out who will read it. You're identifying your target audience — one that overlaps with the audience for your online courses and other digital products.

Start by creating multiple buyer personas. These are fictional characters that represent your ideal customers. Think about the various reasons a prospect might express interest in your online courses. Create a buyer persona for each.

Each buyer persona should include demographics, motivations, pain points, and other detailed information. The more specific you get, the more targeted your welcome blog post will become. Plus, you can create future blog posts for each of your buyer personas to target potential customers.

How do you narrow down your target audience? Take a look at your current and past customers. What do they have in common? How did they find your business? What do they want to get out of your online courses?

If you don't have any current or past customers, you might have to get more creative. Visit blogs that are similar to the one you want to create. Read the comments sections of the individual blog posts, survey the blog topics, and get a feel for what the blog tries to convey. You're learning about your target audience and the competition at the same time.

3. Use Voice and Tone to Invite the Reader

It's time to let your personality shine. A welcome letter should reflect the voice and tone that you use across all of your digital products, so cultivate it carefully. Write your blog post as though you were sitting across from a panel of your target customers and speaking to them directly.

It's true that grammar and punctuation matter, but you need voice and tone first. You can then clean up any errors you made while writing.

Voice and tone might sound like the same thing, but they're actually different concepts:

Voice: The personality and style behind your writing. This is the personal stamp that you put on your blog posts to make them obviously your own. To get an idea of what voice means, read two news stories that cover the same topic. You'll notice that each reporter makes different stylistic decisions.
Tone: This can change from one blog post to the next. It's the mood behind your words. For instance, you might write a cautionary tale or a funny anecdote. The tone would prove different for each because you're tackling a different subject. Make sure that, no matter your tone, you continue to write in your voice.

How do you find your voice? Consider recording a conversation with a friend. Analyze the speech patterns and word choices. How does your voice differ from your friend's? You'll begin to recognize how your voice sets you apart, and you can then translate it into your writing.

In terms of tone, you want your welcome blog post to convey inclusivity, warmth, and excitement. You're trying to hook people on your voice so they stick around, so don't hold back.

4. Find Common Ground With Your Audience

As you begin to map out your introductory blog post, find a way to connect with your audience on a visceral level. What commonalities do you share with them? How can you use those points of connection to foster a relationship?

For instance, let's say that you create weight-loss courses. Maybe you struggled with your weight years ago, so you know how your potential customers feel. Use that experience as common ground between you and your audience.

In other words, find a way to empathize with people who might read your blog post. Let them know that you're there for them and that you intend to help them solve their problems or reach their goals.

Inclusive language can help with this. Consider phrases like these:

I've been there.
Don't beat yourself up.
There are ways to get what you want.
I'm here for you.
Let's do this together.

You can put your own spin on each one — or come up with something you like better. The point is to let your prospects know that you're in their corner.

5. Be Personal and Relatable

Sticking with this same pattern, remember that you want your audience to like you. If they don't, they won't return to read any of your future blog posts — or to buy your online courses.

Get a little person during your introductory blog post. Share something about yourself that makes you vulnerable and exposes your faults. Mention a mistake you made in the past that you've learned to overcome.

People respect transparency. If you pretend that you have it all together and that you've found the secret keys to every question anyone has asked about the universe, you'll come across as pretentious and disingenuous. Those aren't the qualities you want people to associate with your brand.

Yes, you want people to view you as an authority, but the only way to get there is through transparency. Give prospective customers a peek behind the curtain and reveal the journey that has led you to where you are now.

You want to move your customers down the pipeline. It starts with hooking them on an emotional level. Once you have their attention, you can begin nurturing them toward a sale.

A personal anecdote serves this purpose well. People understand story structure instinctually, so they'll relate to your own story and get hooked on your voice.

6. Explain What The Blog Is About and Its Purpose

You might have watched leadership expert Simon Sinek's groundbreaking TED talk about "starting with why."

It's a fascinating talk that explores the concept of "why." According to Sinek, the most revolutionary leaders and companies always know why they make their products or deliver their services. They have a deeper meaning behind their companies and a strong motivation to reach a goal.

For example, let's say that you're creating online courses that teach people how to make crafts. Maybe your "why" is that you want to help people make their homes as beautiful as possible. You fulfill your "why" by teaching people how to make crafts that beautify their homes.

Only you know your "why." Once you figure it out, you can use it to inform your blog content as well as the direction of your business.

7. Lead With a Story

Imagine that you're talking to your customer face to face. You want to share an exciting, moving, inspiring, or even heartbreaking story.

We've mentioned stories a few times in this article, and for good reason. Stories help connect people and establish commonalities. They're also highly engaging, which is exactly what you want when you're writing a welcome post for your business blog.

Leading with a story also serves as a hook. You won't finish the story until your blog post's conclusion, which will urge your readers to finish the post.

Just make sure that your story aligns with your brand's focus and goals. For instance, if you're selling online courses about personal development, your story should involve some sort of personal growth that you've experienced.

Make it engaging and immersive, but don't veer off on tangents or get so personal that your readers will feel uncomfortable. Instead, make the story scannable by breaking it up into brief paragraphs. Use short sentences and strong verbs to get your point across.

8. Explain the Connection to Your Business

A business blog has one main purpose: Bring in new customers. If you're not focused on that goal, your blog won't help you sell more online courses.

Near the end of your introductory blog post, mention your business and link to your sales page. Explain that you offer even more in-depth content in your courses and that you'd love for readers to check out your digital products. This isn't the time for a hard sales pitch. Work it into the copy naturally.

9. Detail the Topics You Plan to Cover

Your introductory blog post should make clear what topics you intend to cover in future posts. What should readers expect from you on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis?

It's fine to cover this point in a few short sentences. You could even break it down into bullet points so your readers can scan the list quickly. The important thing is to establish expectations, then deliver on them.

For instance, will most of your blog posts cover how-to content? Do you intend to share videos and audio content as well as text? Might you offer a curated list of content from other blogs and web properties on a certain day of the week?

Before you can spell this out in your welcome blog post, you need an editorial calendar. Instead of launching your business blog without a plan, decide exactly what post topics you'll cover for the next six weeks. Schedule them on your calendar or in a spreadsheet so you can refer to them as you write your welcome blog post.

10. Ask Questions

You can also use your introductory blog post to get feedback from your audience. While developing an editorial calendar is essential, you also want to know what your audience wants to get out of your blog posts.

Do they want long-form educational content? Do they prefer short-form tips and strategies that help them meet micro goals?

Add a few questions to the end of your blog post. When your readers comment, you can mine their feedback for ideas and inspiration.

You could also create a poll to embed in your blog post. It should be short — no more than five or six questions — to encourage people to take it. The more responses you get, the better data you'll have.

Questions could include the following:

Would you like to read text-based content or watch videos on this blog.?
Will you read this blog on a mobile device?
How often would you like me to post content?

These questions will help you decide the direction in which you want to take your business blog. You might not get much response on your introductory blog post — you're just starting out, after all — but you can check back as your audience grows and take into account what your readers share with you.

11. Share a Fact or Statistic

We talked earlier about establishing yourself as an online authority. Facts and statistics help you appear more authoritative because they reflect that you've done your research.

Share a few facts and statistics that emphasize why your online courses and your blog content are important for your audience. In other words, why should they care?

12. Address the Fine Print

Every business blog needs to cross a few T's if they want to remain successful. In your footer or sidebar, you can mention that you're promoting your online courses. Additionally, if you include affiliate links or sponsored content on your blog, disclose that information in a conspicuous place.

Entrepreneurs have more opportunities than ever to make money online, and you can take advantage of all of them. However, you have to let people know when you're writing a promotional post.

You can also add a copyright notice in the footer of your blog, so people know that you're protecting your intellectual property. If you plan to write sponsored content or include affiliate links regularly, you might even create a page that explains your advertising policy.

13. Don't Forget the Call to Action

Don't wrap up your introductory blog post just yet. You need a call to action that encourages readers to visit your sales page, landing page, or other promotional web page. It could be a text link, a big button, or something else entirely. Just make sure that it stands out.

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14. Research Examples of Welcome Blog Posts

If you're still struggling with ways to write your welcome blog posts, check out how others have done it.

For instance, check on the introductory post on Krebs on Security. It dates back to 2009, but it features many of the qualities we've discussed in this blog post.

Krebs starts by sharing a breakdown of his experience and his writing credits. He's telling a story and establishing his authority at the same time.

For a completely different approach, check out the welcome blog post for Fitness on Toast, which was written in 2012. The author uses a much more casual voice in her introductory post.

However, you'll notice that she's using storytelling to connect with her audience. At the end, she doesn't include a call to action, but she urges her readers to "stay tuned." That's an intriguing statement that might convince readers to stick around.

15. Decide When to Publish Your Blog Post

Now you're ready to schedule your welcome blog post for publication. When do you want it to go live?

Believe it or not, you might want to think about this strategically. You're excited to publish your first post and begin your blogging journey, but slapping it on the Internet on a random day might not prove effective for your business.

Consider publishing your welcome blog post on the day that you release a new online course. The simultaneous launches can build intensity, excitement, and engagement. Plus, you'll know exactly what you want to include in your call to action.

Use your blog to boost your business

Creating a business blog takes work, but it's well worth the effort. We blog regularly here at Kajabi, and we've never regretted the decision to launch a business blog. It keeps us connected with you, our customers, and allows us to share in-depth information to help you become a better entrepreneur.

You can do the same thing for your audience. It all starts with learning how to write a welcome blog post. Using the 15 steps above, you can do just that.

You just need to sign up with Kajabi so you can have your blog and online courses under one umbrella.

Start by naming your business blog and identifying your audience. Figure out what you want to publish, how often you want to blog, and where your common ground lies with your audience. Tell stories. Make yourself as personal and relatable as possible. Expose your vulnerability to connect with your audience.

Don't forget about your business, though. Make sure to plug your online courses and to create a compelling call to action. You need those elements to drive conversions.

Once you've published your welcome blog post, don't stop there. Continue publishing based on your editorial calendar.

Try Kajabi free for 14 days

Kajabi is everything your online business needs. All in one place.

Yes! Let's go