How to Write a Blog Post That Builds Brand Authority
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 5:09 am
How much does your target audience like and trust your brand? How do your customers view your brand? How often does your audience engage with your brand?
Are you happy with your answers to the previous three questions?
If not, you may be struggling to build brand authority.
Brand authority, or the extent to which customers view your brand as a subject matter expert, is the secret ingredient to building meaningful connections with your audience.
The reason for this is simple.
Over time, brand authority translates into brand influence, a magnetic force that brings businesses and ideal customers together in harmony.
But brand authority doesn’t always come easy. It requires intent armenia telephone number data a keen understanding of how your audience thinks, and the right strategy.
Enter blogging: The secret weapon that increases the brand authority you’ve been looking for.
If you want to gain influence in your field, build long-term client relationships, and establish yourself as an industry expert, blogging is a skill worth learning.
Whether you’re looking to revamp your existing blog or are new to the blogging world, blogging for brand authority is a skill that can change how much your audience likes and trusts you.
Are you ready to discover how to write a blog post that builds brand authority? In today’s article, we’ll show you how in eight easy steps.
Are you ready?
Let's get started.
#1. Base your article on search intent
If you’re blogging to increase brand authority, you need to start with search intent.
So, what does your target audience want or need to know?
Don’t rush when doing SEO research . In fact, we recommend spending most of your time on research, strategy, and outlines. That way, when it comes time to shape your article, you’ll be armed with the knowledge and experience you need to get it done. It’s a process, so you may even need to incorporate it into your process or workflow software.
For example, if you own a CX agency, you might target the keyword “customer experience.” Since customer experience is at the core of what you do, it makes sense to address this keyword, right?
But here’s the catch: If you haven’t earned the necessary domain authority (DA) to compete for a particular keyword, you’re fishing in the wrong pool. In other words, your post probably won’t rank high enough for your target audience to see it.
So, what should you do instead?
We recommend using the “Matching Terms” feature in Ahrefs .
Here's how to do it:
Open Ahrefs keyword explorer. Enter a broad one- to three-word phrase around a topic. In this example, Jeremy searched for the term "nursing."
Click "Matching Terms." This will bring up a long list of searches that include "nursing" in the query.
Next, set the following filters and parameters:
Matching terms.
Set the keyword difficulty to a maximum of 30 or higher depending on the strength of your site.
Set the number of keywords to at least three words.
Rank by traffic potential, not volume - this takes into account all relevant keywords that a page will rank for.
“Matching Terms” feature in Ahrefs
Source LinkedIn
And voila! You have a list of target keywords and phrases with excellent traffic potential—an endless supply of ideas to help you build topical authority in your niche.
Once you have chosen your main topic for the post, be sure to take note of how much your competitors’ content scores for the same topic so you can aim to beat them by five points or more.
For example, if your competitors scored between 38 and 45 for the phrase “how to deliver a seamless customer experience,” you’ll want your blog post to score at least 50 or higher.
Another pro tip: research frequently asked questions related to your main topic. These are valuable information that you can use as headings throughout your article.
When it comes to the blog post title, make sure to include your target keyword, preferably at the beginning. Psst: Here’s a cheat sheet with 50+ title formulas and templates so you can write a mind-blowing blog post title. Welcome!
#2. Personalize the article to your audience
What is the second step to writing an authority-building blog post?
Think about your target audience. Who are you talking to?
When positioning your article, you should consider:
Who exactly is your target audience?
What kind of problems do they have?
How can you solve their problems?
What messaging style and tone they prefer
For example, if you're writing an article about the best debit cards for teens, you're targeting Generation Z, a demographic group born between 1997 and 2012 .
So what’s your next job? Conduct research to learn more about how Gen Z thinks and what drives their loyalty to brands.
For example, Generation Z trusts the following brands:
Sharing and embodying their core values
Share information in a simple, concise and conversational way
Value inclusivity
Socially conscious
Have an omnichannel presence
Offer mobile payment options at all touchpoints
Once you know your audience well, use storytelling techniques to personalize your copy, tone, and style to your readers. You can also use AI writing tools like a paragraph rewriter if you want to test different versions or restructure sections of your copy.
#3. Write for the web
Forget what you learned in high school English class and instead focus your efforts on writing for the web.
What is the key skill you need to write web-friendly content ? Knowing how to grab the reader’s attention and keep them scrolling.
Here's a quick checklist you can follow to make sure every article is web-ready:
List item
Target 6-8th grade reading level
Write short sentences and paragraphs - no exaggerations please
Use a tool like the Hemingway App to double-check your article's readability score
Use a copywriting AI tool to make sure your copy is web-ready. There are tons of great tools out there, so be sure to take your time and check out online comparisons like this post about Jasper.ai vs Copy.ai .
[Format your article properly – use an H1 as a title, H2s as subheadings to separate main points, and H3s as subheadings
Breaking up large chunks of text with infographics, screenshots, custom images, and bulleted lists
Use the table of contents to aid navigation.
Use statistics and evidence to support your claims
Hemingway editor app
Source Hemingwayapp
#4. Use the PAS frame in your introduction to grab the reader’s attention
Speaking of grabbing your reader’s attention, your introduction is your second chance (after the blog title) to really grab your reader’s attention.
That's why we recommend using the PAS framework.
PAS stands for: Pain Point, Anxiety, Solution.
In fact, you may have noticed that we used this framework in our introduction above. Did it work? If you've made it this far, we'll assume it did.
The framework is exactly what it sounds like. You’ll start the introduction by highlighting a problem point, agitating it, and then following up with a solution.
Are you happy with your answers to the previous three questions?
If not, you may be struggling to build brand authority.
Brand authority, or the extent to which customers view your brand as a subject matter expert, is the secret ingredient to building meaningful connections with your audience.
The reason for this is simple.
Over time, brand authority translates into brand influence, a magnetic force that brings businesses and ideal customers together in harmony.
But brand authority doesn’t always come easy. It requires intent armenia telephone number data a keen understanding of how your audience thinks, and the right strategy.
Enter blogging: The secret weapon that increases the brand authority you’ve been looking for.
If you want to gain influence in your field, build long-term client relationships, and establish yourself as an industry expert, blogging is a skill worth learning.
Whether you’re looking to revamp your existing blog or are new to the blogging world, blogging for brand authority is a skill that can change how much your audience likes and trusts you.
Are you ready to discover how to write a blog post that builds brand authority? In today’s article, we’ll show you how in eight easy steps.
Are you ready?
Let's get started.
#1. Base your article on search intent
If you’re blogging to increase brand authority, you need to start with search intent.
So, what does your target audience want or need to know?
Don’t rush when doing SEO research . In fact, we recommend spending most of your time on research, strategy, and outlines. That way, when it comes time to shape your article, you’ll be armed with the knowledge and experience you need to get it done. It’s a process, so you may even need to incorporate it into your process or workflow software.
For example, if you own a CX agency, you might target the keyword “customer experience.” Since customer experience is at the core of what you do, it makes sense to address this keyword, right?
But here’s the catch: If you haven’t earned the necessary domain authority (DA) to compete for a particular keyword, you’re fishing in the wrong pool. In other words, your post probably won’t rank high enough for your target audience to see it.
So, what should you do instead?
We recommend using the “Matching Terms” feature in Ahrefs .
Here's how to do it:
Open Ahrefs keyword explorer. Enter a broad one- to three-word phrase around a topic. In this example, Jeremy searched for the term "nursing."
Click "Matching Terms." This will bring up a long list of searches that include "nursing" in the query.
Next, set the following filters and parameters:
Matching terms.
Set the keyword difficulty to a maximum of 30 or higher depending on the strength of your site.
Set the number of keywords to at least three words.
Rank by traffic potential, not volume - this takes into account all relevant keywords that a page will rank for.
“Matching Terms” feature in Ahrefs
Source LinkedIn
And voila! You have a list of target keywords and phrases with excellent traffic potential—an endless supply of ideas to help you build topical authority in your niche.
Once you have chosen your main topic for the post, be sure to take note of how much your competitors’ content scores for the same topic so you can aim to beat them by five points or more.
For example, if your competitors scored between 38 and 45 for the phrase “how to deliver a seamless customer experience,” you’ll want your blog post to score at least 50 or higher.
Another pro tip: research frequently asked questions related to your main topic. These are valuable information that you can use as headings throughout your article.
When it comes to the blog post title, make sure to include your target keyword, preferably at the beginning. Psst: Here’s a cheat sheet with 50+ title formulas and templates so you can write a mind-blowing blog post title. Welcome!
#2. Personalize the article to your audience
What is the second step to writing an authority-building blog post?
Think about your target audience. Who are you talking to?
When positioning your article, you should consider:
Who exactly is your target audience?
What kind of problems do they have?
How can you solve their problems?
What messaging style and tone they prefer
For example, if you're writing an article about the best debit cards for teens, you're targeting Generation Z, a demographic group born between 1997 and 2012 .
So what’s your next job? Conduct research to learn more about how Gen Z thinks and what drives their loyalty to brands.
For example, Generation Z trusts the following brands:
Sharing and embodying their core values
Share information in a simple, concise and conversational way
Value inclusivity
Socially conscious
Have an omnichannel presence
Offer mobile payment options at all touchpoints
Once you know your audience well, use storytelling techniques to personalize your copy, tone, and style to your readers. You can also use AI writing tools like a paragraph rewriter if you want to test different versions or restructure sections of your copy.
#3. Write for the web
Forget what you learned in high school English class and instead focus your efforts on writing for the web.
What is the key skill you need to write web-friendly content ? Knowing how to grab the reader’s attention and keep them scrolling.
Here's a quick checklist you can follow to make sure every article is web-ready:
List item
Target 6-8th grade reading level
Write short sentences and paragraphs - no exaggerations please
Use a tool like the Hemingway App to double-check your article's readability score
Use a copywriting AI tool to make sure your copy is web-ready. There are tons of great tools out there, so be sure to take your time and check out online comparisons like this post about Jasper.ai vs Copy.ai .
[Format your article properly – use an H1 as a title, H2s as subheadings to separate main points, and H3s as subheadings
Breaking up large chunks of text with infographics, screenshots, custom images, and bulleted lists
Use the table of contents to aid navigation.
Use statistics and evidence to support your claims
Hemingway editor app
Source Hemingwayapp
#4. Use the PAS frame in your introduction to grab the reader’s attention
Speaking of grabbing your reader’s attention, your introduction is your second chance (after the blog title) to really grab your reader’s attention.
That's why we recommend using the PAS framework.
PAS stands for: Pain Point, Anxiety, Solution.
In fact, you may have noticed that we used this framework in our introduction above. Did it work? If you've made it this far, we'll assume it did.
The framework is exactly what it sounds like. You’ll start the introduction by highlighting a problem point, agitating it, and then following up with a solution.