A lot of new bloggers wonder how to end a blog post.
And that’s not surprising, because the hardest part about writing a blog post is the introduction and the conclusion.
And you don’t want a mediocre ending…
You want to go out with a bang and leave your readers hungry for more.
So how do you do this?
Keep reading! In this post, I’ll show you 9 actionable steps so you’ll know how to end a blog post with purpose.
Is It Important to Know How to End a Blog Post?
Yes, definitely!
If your blog post is super informative and your reader has reached the end of your post, you don’t just want to leave them hanging.
You want to make sure you write a worthy conclusion and guide your reader to their next step.
Here are a few steps to consider when writing your conclusion.
9 Steps to Ending a Blog Post
1. Summarize Your Key Points
If you’ve written a long blog post, it’s a good idea to summarize your key points. Not everyone will read your whole post; a lot of people skim read and keep scrolling until they find the key points of the post. Think about what you want your reader to take away from your post and emphasize this at the end of your post.
2. Provide an Actionable Solution
If your post tackles a problem for your reader, you could conclude your post with actionable steps to solve this problem. You could also preempt the next problem they’re facing and offer help to solve this by:
- Linking to another blog post
- Offering a content upgrade or freebie
- Offering an (affiliate) product or service
Related Reading: How to Start with Affiliate Marketing
3. Guide Your Reader to the Next Step/Call-to-action
What do you want your reader to do after reading your post? Is there a logical next step?
Your audience won’t know what you’d like them to do next, so you have to tell them.
Do you want them to:
- read another post?
- sign up to your newsletter?
- book an appointment?
Always make it very clear what their next step should be. You can mention one call-to-action or even a few different ones.
4. Promote Your Opt-in Freebie
A freebie or content upgrade is a good way to entice your readers to sign up to your email list.
Mentioning your freebie in every relevant blog post will increase your signups. You don’t have to wait till the end of your blog post to promote it, however. I usually mention my freebie throughout my posts whenever it seems relevant. But it definitely makes sense to repeat this call-to-action at the end of your post when your reader is likely to want to take the next step.
Keep in mind that growing your blog traffic is pointless unless you guide your reader to take action.
So it’s important to know exactly why you want readers coming to your blog.
Is it to:
- Help them with your service?
- Sell affiliate products?
- Sell your course or other digital product?
For all of these reasons, it will help to get people to sign up to your email list, and the best way to do this is by creating a freebie that is irresistible for your audience. Make sure this freebie addresses a problem for your reader.
You don’t have to create a full-blown eBook. It can be as simple as a checklist, but just make sure it gives a quick fix to their problem.
Related Reading: How to Create Freebies for Your Blog
Once your reader is on your email list, you can send them an automated email sequence that will address their problem some more, and you’ll be able to promote your service or product.
Great freebie ideas are:
- Short eBook
- Mini email course
- Challenge
- Checklist
- Planner
For more freebie ideas, read How to Create Freebies for Your Blog here.
5. Ask a Question to Encourage Comments
Asking a question at the end of your post is a great way to start a conversation with your reader. Did they like your solution to their problem? Do they have other solutions? Do they want to share their opinion?
If you don’t know what question to ask, you can simply ask them to leave a comment below.
Most importantly, though, always make sure to reply to comments, answer questions, and engage with your audience. Doing this will make your blog memorable and stand out from the rest.
6. Promote an Offer
Do you offer a product or service? If your offer is relevant to this particular blog post, make sure to promote it at the end of your post.
A lot of new bloggers forget to do this. They think their reader will magically find their offer.
But unless you tell your reader about your offer, they’re not likely to go and dig around your website to try and find it.
Make it easy for your audience and ALWAYS tell them about your offer (or your freebies) IN your blog post. If it’s a long blog post, you can even mention it two or three times.
7. Link to Resources
A clever way to increase affiliate sales is to add your favorite resources at the bottom of your post.
Are you a photographer? Add affiliate links to camera gear that is perfect for your audience.
Are you a food blogger? Add links to your favorite kitchen appliances.
You could also link to books and courses or even online events.
Don’t think that your reader will find this annoying. If the products you are linking to are relevant and can help them, it is always a win-win situation.
8. Link to Related Content
To encourage people to stay on your blog longer, it’s a good idea to add links to other blog posts. If your reader clicks through and reads another post, it tells Google that your content is worthwhile, and this will reduce your bounce rate.
I add links to related content throughout my post, but at the end of my post, I always repeat them or add some other ones.
Make sure to only link content that is related to your current post; this will make it relevant for your reader and increases the chance of them clicking through.
9. Encourage Sharing Your Post
Last, but not least, you should ask your reader to share your post.
Don’t be shy; you’ve got nothing to lose.
Again, people are not likely to do something unless you ask them. So be direct and tell them that you would love it if they’d share your post.
This is How to End A Blog Post
I hope these tips will help you write conclusions with purpose. You can now confidently guide your reader to their next step, engage them in comment, or continue helping them with your offer or resources.
The best way to leave people hungry for more is to write top-quality content that is specifically targeted at them. Blow them away with top tips on solving their problems and become their go-to person for this topic. These readers will become your most loyal fans, and they will definitely come back for more!
And remember to create an opt-in freebie, so you can increase your email signups and stay connected to your audience.
For more tips on blog post writing, make sure to read this article: How to Write a Killer Blog Post in 17 Steps.
I’d love to know your tips for ending a blog post! Please share them in the comments below.
