For most businesses, the end of the year is a busy time. And by “busy time,” I mean that your task list has probably left you wanting to do this:
But guess what? I’m going to give you one more task to complete before the end of the year anyway.
Write a “best of” blog post.
Here’s why you should do it:
People can’t get enough of list posts
Even people who claim to hate list posts can’t deny that they work. Just take a look at these results of a Conductor study that reveal people’s preferences for blog post headlines:
You can see that list posts beat out every other type of post by quite a bit. According to Nielsen Norman Group research, that’s because numbers catch users’ eyes as they scan Web pages.
Even more interesting: People prefer headlines that include one superlative, according to Conductor research.
Since “best of” posts naturally include a number and one superlative (“best”) in the headline, you can feel pretty confident that your “best of 2015” post will do well.
You can boost your blog traffic by linking to influencers
Even the most humble influencer can appreciate a good ego-stroke every once in a while.
So, if you mention an influencer or two in your post, they might share it on their social media accounts.
You can’t just mention them and expect the post to work its magic on its own, though. You’ve got to reach out to the influencers you’ve targeted and tell them they’re featured in your post. You can do this by:
Emailing them directly. For a greater chance of success with this, mention something you admire about their work before you ask them to share your post. Making a real connection will go a long way in helping you reach your goal.
Leaving them a comment on their blog. Most influencers who blog are pretty good about replying to comments, so this is a great way to get a quick response from them. Just remember to make a connection like you would if you’d emailed them personally — no one wants to help someone who is begging for handouts without making an effort to connect first.
Sending them a tweet. This is a good option if you don’t have their email and they don’t have a blog. You can simply tweet the post and mention in your tweet that it features the influencer (you’ll want to tag them, of course).
Before you choose one of these, think about your network. Do you know anyone who could introduce you to the influencers you’re after? If so, go that route for a better chance at reaching them.
You’ll establish yourself as an authority
Think about it — do the authorities in your industry try to please everyone?
Nope. They have strong opinions, and they stand firmly behind those opinions. That’s because taking a stance can help a business build a strong brand, strengthen relationships with their target audience and gain even more authority in their industry.
So, go ahead and proudly declare what you deem to be the “best of” this year on your list. You’ll probably gain some critics in the process, but remember that you don’t care about their opinions of your business anyway.
You can write a “best of” post quickly
If you’re the kind of person who would rather eat a plate of dead spiders than write a blog post, you’ll be happy to learn that “best of” posts don’t require much effort. You just gather the list items, write a bit about each item, add the links and you’re done.
I mean, just look how short each section of Moz’s “best of 2014” post from last year is:
Looks pretty easy to create, huh?
It is.
So, no excuses. Gather your list items and start writing today. You’ll have a shareable blog post before you know it — no crying in the fetal position necessary.
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