When I graduated from college a few years ago, there were a couple of lessons that stuck with me.
First, as a journalism student, I was taught to never write a conclusion for an article.
While this became a habit, it's something I've had to unlearn as a marketing writer because you need to write a conclusion in your blog posts.
Second, in my screenwriting class, I learned that every sentence you write should either move your story forward or reveal information.
As a blog writer, this second lesson is the standard I hold myself to. With conclusions, it's no different.
Conclusions are a necessary element of your blog posts because they guide your reader on what to do next.
Below, let's review the top ways to absolutely crush the ending of your blog post.
1. Write a summary.
Unlike a journalism article, when you're ending a blog post, writing a summary is a great way to go.
That's because your reader most likely forgot a lot of the points you made throughout the piece.
A summary conclusion should list the key takeaways from the article. Keep in mind that you shouldn't just reiterate your points, but draw actionable conclusions that will educate your audience.
Additionally, it's important to remember that your summary conclusion shouldn't contain any fluff. That means all the information should be relevant and tie everything together.
2. Ask a question.
When I write a blog post, I try to remember that it shouldn't feel dictatorial.
In fact, it's quite the opposite. Blog posts should feel conversational. It should be informative, educational, and display empathy with your readers.
One way to do this is by asking your reader a question. You can ask them for their opinion and tell them to comment below. Note that you should only use this tactic if you have comments enabled on your blog posts.
Also, I think it's important that your questions are specific. Readers are more likely to answer a specific question instead of, "Tell me your thoughts below!"
3. Include a call-to-action (CTA).
After reading a blog post, most users are thinking, "Okay, now what?"
This is why the end of a blog post is a great place to provide actionable solutions in the form of a CTA.
Your CTA could be a content offer, promote your product or service, or ask users to subscribe to your email newsletter.
Either way, every time a reader makes it to the end of a blog post, you should encourage them to continue consuming your content.
4. Inspire your audience.
When I read a blog post or am scrolling through social media, I want to feel inspired.
In fact, sometimes a simple blog post gives me an idea of how I could implement a new habit and inspires me to get started.
So, how can you inspire your audience?
At the end of your blog posts, you should challenge your readers to do something. For instance, if you're writing a fitness blog, you can challenge readers to write a new grocery list.
Giving people a goal can inspire them to take action, download your content offer, or continue reading your blogs.
5. Direct your readers to do something.
You've probably noticed the pattern with the tactics I've listed above. All of them have to do with guiding your readers on what their next steps should be.
Whether you summarize your article or ask a question, the end of your blog post should direct readers on what to do next.
Sometimes it can be as simple as asking them to share the post or comment below. You'd be surprised how many people will do something just because they've been asked to do it.
6. Provide links to another blog post.
Have you ever been watching a video on YouTube, and then noticed a video in the recommendations on the side that you want to watch?
I don't know about you, but the recommended videos are the reason I'm usually on YouTube for hours at a time.
When a reader finishes your blog post, we want to enact the same effect.
To do that, you can provide a link to another blog post of yours.
In a previous blog of mine on product knowledge, I ended the post by linking to one of our ultimate guides.
Here's what that looked like: "Want to learn more about new hire training for salespeople? Check out our ultimate guide."
7. Start a discussion.
Not to reiterate, but your blog posts should be engaging and start a conversation.
At the end of your blogs, you can encourage this by asking a discussion question.
Sometimes this comes down to the topics you've chosen to write about. Not all blog posts will warrant a discussion question, but if it does, it's a great way to end a post.
8. Produce a teaser.
Teasing future content is a tactic that I see used on YouTube or podcasts a lot. However, I think it has its place in blogging as well.
If you're on a writing schedule and you know what blog posts are coming up, you can end your blogs by promoting future content.
You can tell readers what's coming next and what to look out for, so you can entice them to come back. Sometimes teasing future content can even inspire readers to subscribe to your blog.
9. Answer who, what, where, when, why, and how.
At the end of your blog post, you want to tie it up with a bow. That means that you should've answered all the questions a user might have.
To do this, think about the who, what, where, when, why, and how.
You can end a blog post by summarizing what the topic was, why it'll impact the reader, what they should do with this information, and how they can implement it in their daily lives.
Keep in mind that this information should be personalized. It should be targeted to your buyer persona and answer why they should care.
Now, I know you're probably wondering, "Well, how are you going to end this blog post?"
I'm going to cheat because I'm going to use several tactics I listed above -- summary and CTA.
First, I want to remind you that it's important to keep in mind how the end of a blog post will impact your reader's journey on your site.
Ultimately, you want readers to continue on your site or engage with your brand, whether they read another blog post, share the post on social media, or download a content offer.
Now, I want to let you know about a great course from HubSpot Academy that'll help you improve every element of your blogging strategy. You'll learn how to craft a blogging strategy, and create quality blog content that your audience will love.
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