How to Use Psychology to Write a Successful Blog Post
My tried and tested 3 part blog post template for Medium
How do you write a successful story? One of my favorite things about writing is that there’s no 100% guaranteed recipe. You can’t just plug words into a formula that spits out money. But there is a structure to certain stories that lets you easily showcase the best elements of your voice which leads to recognition from readers.
Here’s my three-part story template for a successful blog post. This is what I use when I’ve been interested in a particular topic and want to share my thoughts on it. The best part about it is that if done right, it should be very natural to write to this template. Everyone has a passion, an interest, a hobby. And readers, like all humans, find passion magnetic. You can leverage that to write a compelling story readers will struggle to put down.
Let’s break it down.
Pick Something You Care About and Select a Gripping Anecdote.
Relating this anecdote is going to be your first two to three paragraphs. This can be about cats, Netflix, psychology, whatever. The more you care about it, the easier it’ll be to write. Ransack your memory, or actively research your chosen topic. What have you learned? What anecdotes stick out the most? What’s most likely to capture a reader’s attention - like the way it captured yours?
An anecdote is perfect for two reasons. First, if it’s the first thing you think of when you consider a topic, it’s already proven itself to be memorable. Secondly, psychology proves humans are most compassionate about other individuals, not masses of research. Break it down to an individual story first to ensure your readers are invested from the start.
Why? When I think about the most interesting conversations I’ve had with my friends, they never say, “Oh, I was reading in Sage & Riley et al. 1993 that this fact is true.” No. They universally start with the person telling me a story. Readers are universally busy people. You have just a few precious moments to let them know what your story is about in a way that will get them to care.
To illustrate, if I were writing about Instagram influencer culture, I could tell the story that first comes to my mind about an Instagram model called Essena O’Neill who went viral in 2015 for admitting her whole lifestyle was a lie. I haven’t seen her name since then, five years ago, but the story sticks in my head. This makes it a brilliant contender for a gripping anecdote.
2. Leave It to the Experts
OK, you’ve got your readers invested with an anecdote. Now you do want to back up your post with some firepower. This is when you break out the citations, the experts, the leading voices in the field.
Your second section can be a summary of the arguments, or an update on the latest research. This part can be a bit longer than your hook, but its purpose is to explain the implicit question you raised in your anecdotal section. You’ve given them the nitty gritty, now zoom out to see the birds’ eye view. Why did that odd event happen?
To continue the example, now that I’ve piqued my readers interest talking about this influencer who quit social media, I would bring in expert opinions. Why did she do it? Why did it have the effect it had? I can only guess, but the experts know and their research can be paraphrased to explain. Once your reader is interested from your anecdote, they might question it. Your research here proves there’s a reason to listen to you.
3. End With Your Personal Touch
At this point, you’ve gripped your audience with some kind of odd or interesting anecdote. You’ve explained the science behind it by standing on the shoulders of giants. Finally, you’re going to bring it full circle and answer this question: why are you writing about this at all? Why do you care?
This is the most powerful part of your story, done right. This is when you remind the reader that you’re not just scribing the thoughts of others, but a real person, with thoughts, feelings, opinions. You tell them who you are in these last few paragraphs.
The psychology behind this stage is clear: empathy is one of the strongest ways to forge relationships. This applies not just to your everyday relationships, but to the relationship between your reader and you.
To finish my example, I could explain how my own cats’ Instagram account gave me a minor insight into Insta-fame. I could reveal that I often obsess over my own follower count and consider deleting my accounts. I could even talk about how social media influenced my eating disorder. By bringing in the personal touch at the end, you’re finishing the conversation between you and the reader. Leave them with the understanding of why you care.
You can summarize this template into three sentences: “This cool thing happened. This is what the experts say is the explanation. Here’s why it matters to me.” The style is fluid - it lets you showcase the best things about your writing voice without sounding robotic, while still sticking to a template that will hook your reader’s attention.
By starting with the anecdote, you pique your reader’s interest. By pulling in the experts, you lend yourself authority. And finally, by explaining why you’re invested, you leave them feeling connected to you, the writer. You let them into your mind, and you let them understand who you are. You might struggle to show your vulnerabilities to your reader, but no matter who you are or what story you’re telling, it will make your story compelling in a way other voices won’t be.
These three steps will help you write a powerful, fully-formed story that lingers in your reader’s mind long after they read it.
