When writing your next blog post, you’ll probably focus on the introduction. This is a great strategy, but it doesn’t mean you should neglect other blog content. More specifically, you need to pay special attention to your conclusion.
Let’s discuss the significance of conclusions to your blog posts and suggest how to end a blog post effectively.
The Importance of a Strong Conclusion
Being a master at introductions is valuable, but you also need to know how to end a blog post. Even if you’re creating a simple blog post, writing conclusions is essential to the reader’s journey.
In particular, well-written conclusions make your audience more interested in your blog posts while encouraging people to check out the rest of your content. You can also elicit more engagement from your audience by repeating key takeaways and inspiring them to visit the next post or perform other actions.
A high-quality article’s conclusion also makes the reader more likely to return for future posts. Plus, an interesting summary can drive traffic to your website, enhance your lead generation, and get more people to sign up for your email list.
9 Ways to End a Blog Post
Now that you know that conclusions matter, let’s check out the 9 best ways to end blog posts.
Summarize
Your article may have done a good job of pointing readers in a certain direction. If you want to drive your great ideas home, you can summarize the main points in the conclusion. The reader may have already forgotten the helpful tips or other content you wrote. Therefore, use a conclusion to remind them. It’s a simple formula that helps people make sense of your articles.
Encourage Readers to Have a Discussion
Another way to end a great post is to spark a discussion using a call to action. It’s a perfect method of encouraging readers to interact with you and other users.
Here are a few examples of a well-written call to action:
- Please leave your comment below.
- We would like to know what you think.
- Do you prefer X or Y? Share your opinion in the comments below.
A robust call to action is a great blogging strategy, as it inspires the readers of your blog post to respond. The more people responding to your content, the lower your bounce rate, and the longer your email list.
Ask Questions
This tactic is similar to the previous strategy. You can ask questions to create interest, engage your audience, and spark a conversation. For example, you can ask your readers if they enjoyed your tips on finding the best Chrome extension or if you left anything out.
Asking questions is a great idea, but there are a few caveats.
For instance, you might not have set up your blog in the traditional blogging format, keeping the reader from leaving comments beneath the article. If you haven’t designed a page with a comment section, asking people to answer your questions may make your blog seem disconnected.
Furthermore, asking questions can sometimes make you less authoritative in your blogs. Readers coming to your site expect to find an answer to all their questions. If you’ve addressed their concerns in your writing, your inquiries may make you seem like you’re not confident about your content.
Tell Your Audience to Share the Blog Post
If a discussion question or call to action isn’t suitable for your blog post, you may consider asking your readers to share your articles.
Even if users like the point made in your writing, they may simply forget to share it with their followers. They might also fail to notice a share button above the comments section.
That’s where the power of words comes in. Tell your readers to share your blog post with their friends. Chances are your post may have the same effect on others, increasing the potential customer base.
Add Links to Other Sites
This isn’t one of the most creative ways to end your posts, but it’s highly effective. Inserting a link to government or educational websites adds credibility and helps you create an authoritative blog. This can also increase your Google search rankings, allowing more people to discover your page.
The link you add doesn’t have to lead to third-party or authority platforms. You can also add other links on your website and drive readers to the rest of your blog post.
Use a Cliffhanger
Cliffhangers are effective in movies and TV shows. They also work wonders for your writing.
For example, you can write a blog post that clearly tells readers the blog is unfinished. There’s more to come, which piques the visitors’ interests and makes them more likely to return for future posts.
Be Salesy
You might not have had a chance to mention your products or services over the course of your blog post. You left them out in the introduction and body, but you can always write a compelling promotional conclusion.
Bring up multiple points about your offerings in the conclusion to help increase your sales. You can also link to your products or services so the readers can take a closer look.
Provide a Different Opinion
Offering a different opinion is an excellent way to end your blog post, especially if you want to write a divisive article. It keeps you from sounding biased, which demonstrates your credibility. You can even provide examples of why your products or services are superior to your competition. Just be sure they’re factual.
Inspire Your Visitors to Come Back for More
If you want others to return for another post, you should clarify your intention in the conclusion. For example, you can make this point by saying there will be a major announcement next week. It encourages people to stay tuned and check the post once it’s released.
Elevate Every Blog Post
Even after writing the most amazing introduction and body, your post may come up short without a proper conclusion. The risk will be much lower if you apply the above tips. Decide on your favorite strategy and combine several approaches to take your post to a whole new level.