A first impression is more critical online than in-person.
I’ve taught technology, freelancing, and blogging for Ninja Writers Community for the past year or so now. One of the things we always get asked by ninja writers is how to format a blog post so it looks nice.
But proper formatting is about more than just decoration. The first thing people see is the title of your post, the subtitle, and the photo. If they find your post outside of Medium, such as on a Google search page, they’ll see the meta description (the paragraph of text below your link).
An improperly formatted title or less than ideal image, could mean readers pass by your post without even clicking it.
They don’t even get a chance to read it.
And because it’s the internet and tons of new content is posted every single minute, you may never get another chance with that potential reader.
So remember, your post title and image and often your meta description are your first impression on your reader. If they don’t work together to entice potential readers to click the link, your fantastic blog post won’t matter, because no one will click through to read it.
Your blog post title goes at the top. On Medium, you want to make sure it’s in Title case (main words capitalized). Use the capitalizemytitle tool to check proper title case if you’re not sure. Directly beneath your title is your subtitle (in sentence case-first word capitalized).
For a blog post on Medium format your title font by highlighting it and clicking the large T in the menu bar that pops up. Format the subtitle font by highlighting it and clicking the small t in the menu bar. A blog post title on your own website should be formatted as an H2 tag usually. The page title is an H1 tag.
Your title and subtitle are an important part of your first impression on your reader.
Take your time with you title, make sure it’s clear and that it speaks to the message of your post. Your subtitle should give a little more information to encourage the reader to click into your post and read it.
Optimize your title for SEO to help get your post visible to more readers. Whenever possible, include the keyword or keyword phrase at the beginning of your title or as close to the beginning as possible. Use a headline analyzer if need help optimizing your title.
Beneath the title and subtitle is your featured photo or image. Your featured image is a great way to grab your readers' attention.
Horizontal images are better for mobile phones — and we all know lots of people are using mobile devices when they read, so I recommend using a horizontal or landscape oriented photo instead of a tall or vertical one. Using a landscape oriented photo just means less scrolling for your reader before they get to your story.
If you choose to add other photos throughout your blog post, make sure they are super relevant. Don’t just add random photos for decorative purposes or to break up text. Only add photos that enhance the blog post.
Right under the photo, make sure you give credit (cite) the source. This should usually be the photographer name and the site where you found the photo. If you do your own photos, put “photo by author” or “screenshot by writer”.
Once you’ve cited your photo, don’t forget to add your alt text. Using alt text helps those who are visually impaired but it can also help get your post seen by potential readers.
Your introduction starts after the photo. It should be brief and have some common element to it that will resonate with a lot of people. You don’t need a subheading for your introduction. Make it a couple paragraphs, about one-fourth of your entire blog post.
Keep in mind if your introduction is too long, you risk losing your reader before they get to the main points of your post.
After your introduction will be your subheadings or main points or sections. On Medium, highlight the subheadings and click the large T in the menu bar that pops up. If you’re writing on your own blog or website you can format them as heading 2 or H2.
If you have additional sections under one of your subheadings or main points, that’s a secondary subhead and on Medium you highlight the subhead and click the small letter t in the menu that pops up. On your own blog or website you would format with H3 size.
The last section of your blog post is usually the takeaway. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to label this section with a subheading such as “takeaway” or “conclusion”. The reader should naturally be able to tell they are in the last section of your post by the way it reads.
Your takeaway is the message, lesson, or action you want to leave your reader with at the end of your post.
If you think of the title and introduction of your post is the start of your journey, the takeaway is the destination. So the takeaway should ideally tie back to your title, subtitle, or introduction.
Once you’ve written your blog post, make sure to read it out loud to yourself or to others to check for mistakes. If possible, get feedback from multiple people to make sure your post is saying what you meant to say.
Before you publish, check to make sure your display title is updated (find this by clicking the three dots in upper right corner when editing post). Add your five relevant tags and make your post eligible to earn money.
Once you hit publish, share the link to your post across your social media channels and in your newsletter.
If you follow the formatting tips above, and if you post consistently on Medium, and take the time to engage with other writers by reading and commenting on their posts, you’ll soon find your visibility on Medium growing.
Ready for more about writing good blog posts? Check out Does Your Blog Post Satisfy Your Reader?