People read blogs to learn something new
By far the most common reason people read a blog post is to learn something new.
Why? Posts that contain tutorials, step-by-step instructions, instructional videos or notes often get a lot of search traffic. That’s because people search for instructions on Google every day.
Even when posts don’t detail how to do something, blogs that discuss complex topics such as research, trends, or topics less familiar to readers can ignite a person’s curiosity.
Psychologically, people crave new information the same way they crave food. As a blogger, you can use this to create content that arouses curiosity when discussing topics related to your brand, service or products.
For example, on a marketing blog, we can show our readers how to post a story on Instagram . Marketers or social media users who want to know how to do this can find our content in search or on social media and read it to learn how to create that content.
More broadly, our blog can create multiple pieces of content that discuss a trend from different angles. For example, when the TikTok app came out, we wrote several blog posts to answer common questions from marketers, such as “What is TikTok?” ,” “How do brands market themselves on TikTok?” or “How do you use influencer marketing on TikTok?”
In addition to helping our readers, trending guides or blogs allow us to highlight the level of research and knowledge we’ve gained as marketers.
People read blogs for fun
While people crave knowledge, they also like to be entertained. Every day people may read blogs that tell interesting stories, make them laugh, or intrigue them in some other way.
But as a business blogger, you might ask yourself: “How can I entertain my readers while keeping my blog professional?” The truth is, if you think creatively, there are plenty of ways to entertain your audience while staying on brand.
For example, you can create a fun infographic or a viral photo post about a trend in your industry. While your readers may not want to share viral content, the images and trending information can entertain them. In one of our posts, we posted funny memes that marketers have used in their actual campaigns.
In addition, you can also create a funny but informative video or podcast for your blog post. With this extra layer of content, you can dive deeper into discussing trends or interviewing an industry expert that people in your field follow. While it may not be “interesting” to people outside of your industry, it may be more interesting than the usual blogs in your field.
People read blogs to learn about trends related to their work
While people may not be interested in reading blogs discussing your products or brand, they may be interested in discussing the challenges of the industry in which the company operates.
While the survey results noted in the introduction came from regular consumers with mixed professional backgrounds, it is likely that employees of companies in the industry will read a blog if it educates them or provides them with valuable market information.
From the research above and what we learned in developing marketing, sales and service blogs, industry experts or professionals will read blogs to learn something more specific about their industry.
To focus on a specific industry, experiment with publication topics. You can additionally write about news or trends related to your field.