6 Ways to Create Insanely Engaging SaaS Blog Posts

Lackluster SaaS blog post engagement can be seriously soul-sucking after all the hard work you invest into building your blog.

We understand. A blog with no engagement from the readers is just an expense for the business instead of being a growth machine.

However, it’s not an isolated challenge, as studies found that the average user spends less than a minute on a page.

You only have a few seconds to capture a reader’s attention and, hopefully, entice some sort of engagement.

Luckily, you can build different engagement opportunities into each blog post so that readers don’t bounce away immediately.

In this post, we’ll show you six specific techniques to craft more engaging SaaS blog posts. We’ve also found some great real-life examples from SaaS and tech blogs you can draw inspiration from.

Let’s explore them one by one.

#1 Craft a Compelling Headline

Headlines (or titles) are the first element readers scan when browsing search engines or social networks. As such, the headline is your blog’s first engagement opportunity.

No matter how dry or familiar the topic, a compelling blog headline will make your readers pause and click. 

For instance, which one of these articles on writing B2B emails stands out the most to you?

All articles make their offering clear. They all promise templates, tips, and tricks—just what you’d expect. There’s nothing wrong with these headlines, except that they all sound very much the same. 

So, if you were writing a blog post on B2B emails, you’d need to craft a more creative headline than that. 

For instance, look at what Zapier did for this blog post.

Zapier slightly twisted the angle and title to make the post stand out from the competitors’ blogs. In the sea of how-tos, a how-not-to is a fresh take on the topic.

The headline is concise, but it still conveys authority. The author has studied 100+ brands and their mistakes; it promises unique research and insights.

So, what can you do to make your blog headlines “clickable”? 

Regardless of the niche or topic, the most compelling headlines

• are relevant and topical
• are not misleading or deceitful
• match the user’s intent
• contain keywords and related terms in moderation (no keyword-stuffing)
• use vivid language, numbers, or personalization

You don’t have to exaggerate, but play with language to turn even the most niche or technical headlines into click magnets.

#2 Establish a Clear Outline

Do you know why people read blogs?

According to HubSpot, most people read blog posts to learn something, answer questions, or solve problems. 

On SaaS or tech blogs, people often look for detailed instructions or practical solutions, like how-tos and tutorials. 

Readers expect a certain order and structure from educational or instructional types of content. They must lead the reader from point A to point B to make sense. 

So, when someone lands on your post, make sure they see organization and structure.

Check out Miro’s blog post for users who are new to the concept of spaghetti diagrams. 

The post first defines the diagram type, lists its uses and examples, and finally teaches readers how to create one.

Look at how nicely this flow is reflected in the table of contents and the subheadings. The moment the reader scans the page, they know what it’s about and can follow along nicely.

Sometimes readers will come to your post looking for a specific subsection or piece of information. If you add a table of contents, you help them quickly find the section they need.

Therefore, when outlining your blog posts, give each section a descriptive headline that illustrates the main focus of the section.

After all, readers won’t read every word of our post, and that’s okay. But they’ll still be able to gauge some value and information from it. 

The alternative is that they get confused and just leave, so you can kiss any further engagement goodbye. 

#3 Show Value Above the Fold

The term “above the fold” hails from the newspaper era, but it’s still relevant in the digital world. 

The phrase refers to the content visible on the screen before the reader starts scrolling, as you can see here:

The “above the fold” is a small portion of your page, but it’s an extremely valuable one. 

Here, the reader forms an impression and decides if they’ll read more of your content or not. You have to use this space to immediately show value or summarize the purpose of your post.

In practice, showing value above the fold may look something like this:

The section contains a data chart, which instantly boosts the visual appeal. Then it outlines the problem and promises the reader some practical solutions if they continue reading.

Other ways to smartly use the space above the fold include:

• displaying a descriptive header image
• summary of takeaways from the article
• author name and credentials
• table of contents.

Whichever element you choose, make your value offer immediately clear.

Show the reader that you have some valuable content in store if they decide to stick around for a while.

#4 Adjust Your Writing Style

When creating content for a SaaS blog post, remember that you’re not running for a Pulitzer. Your main task is to make your content approachable and easy to understand. 

This means adjusting not just what you say but also how you say it. 

Tailoring the tone and language to the reader can make a world of difference. For instance, check out these example sentences from a made-up graphic design platform:

Now you see why the writing style matters. If a blog post needs to help your customers solve a problem, content design and language can greatly affect the customer success rate. 

Adjusting the writing style also involves the formatting.

Simple sentences, short paragraphs, bullet points, and lists make your content more approachable and engaging. Avoid dense walls of text to make your blog post more digestible for the reader.

These formatting principles work for most topics and improve the user experience. 

For instance, look at this QuickBooks blog post about the difference between balance sheets and P&L statements. 

Although it digs deep into the convoluted world of accounting, it still manages to present information clearly with smart formatting.

Finally, keep in mind that clear and concise doesn’t mean being boring. Some humor and personality go a long way in boosting blog engagement! 

#5 Use Plenty of Visuals

A web developer I talked to recently told me:

“I hate reading long articles, and I hate long sentences. I first look for the images!”

They are not an exception. According to the NN/g study of web user reading behavior, an average user only reads 20% of the words on a web page. 

The more words on the page, the smaller the percentage of how many words users actually read. 

But what do you do when you just can’t compress everything into a 200-word post without sacrificing content quality?

You can use different visual elements to capture key points and present information in an alternative way.

Visual content is especially helpful in technology-related posts because it can replace walls of text. Think about how diagrams and screenshots help convey complex concepts more clearly. 

Take this Pinterest Engineering post, for example. It uses flowcharts and diagrams to break down advanced data processing systems into more comprehensible segments.

The diagram is hardly a Rembrandt, but it succeeds in conveying technical information with clarity.

Visuals like these can help you anchor your readers’ attention. Not only will they stay on your page longer, but they’ll also better understand and remember your content.

In addition to graphs and diagrams, you can also incorporate the following visual elements into your posts:

• Infographics
• Screenshots
• Demo videos and GIFs
• Pull quotes
• Custom graphics signaling downloadable assets
• Customer testimonial videos
• Flow charts

For extra engaging SaaS blog posts, you can include interactive visual elements, such as polls, widgets, calculators, or carousels.

We’ll mention even more blog engagement elements in the next section, so keep reading!

#6 Add Engagement Elements

This may seem apparent, but it’s worth noting: readers can’t engage with a post if there are no elements to engage with.

For instance, if your SaaS blog post consists of text only, readers can only, well… read.

However, with interactive elements, you create opportunities to turn passive readers into active participants. 

You can choose between several options, depending on what you want readers to do.

Relevant CTAs

If you want readers to complete an action, don’t forget to tell them exactly what and how to do it. 

You don’t have to leave the CTA (call to action) for the end of the article. Sprinkle different CTAs throughout the post so that you can engage readers at different stages of the reading journey.

Here’s an example of a CTA from our post about creating an employer branding content strategy.

This post covers some common strategy goals and offers the reader the option to download a PDF with even more goals and metrics.

This one-click action for the reader is a seamless way to get additional value within the context of the article.

That’s just one example of a CTA. You can also nudge readers toward leaving comments, sharing the post, subscribing to a related demo session, and more.

Social Sharing Buttons

Social sharing buttons are convenient blog engagement tools. 

Few readers will bother to manually copy and paste a link to share it. A quick, simple, one-click solution encourages more users to share your content across various social networks.

In turn, social shares increase your reach, attract new readers, and foster even more engagement opportunities.

Comment Section

Ideally, your posts will inspire a reaction. 

Whether the reader thinks “it do be like that” or disagrees with your points, allow them to say so in the comments.

The comment section lets you build a community, encourage discussions, and gather feedback on your posts. 

That’s the definition of peak blog engagement!

Related Content

Don’t let the visitor read just one article and then leave. You want to move the readers through the content funnel so that they stay on your website longer and notice your expertise. 

You can do this by featuring related content within and at the end of your posts.

However, be mindful to send them to articles relevant to the current topic. 

For example, the screenshot above shows related content below a post on banking trends. Notice that the suggested posts are also about banking.

Infopulse provides digital services to several industries, besides banking. However, they specifically suggest further content that’s related to the industry discussed in each article.

After all, that’s the category the reader expressed interest in. 

Follow the same practice and carefully curate some additional content for your visitors to read.

Subscription Options

By offering easy ways for readers to subscribe, you’re inviting them to stay connected. 

A blog newsletter subscription is not the only option.

You can also invite visitors to follow you on social media. Or they can subscribe to receive notifications on upcoming related promotions, workshops, or webinars.

If you really want to level up your blog posts and turn them into a lead-generation machine, try creating content upgrades that readers can download in exchange for their email addresses.

Here is what a content upgrade looks like on HootSuite’s blog:

This helps you build an email marketing contact list so you can share even more great content with an interested audience in the future.

Strategic SaaS Blog Post Engagement for Impactful Results

SaaS blog posts have a higher purpose than just sitting prominently on search result pages. 

Good search engine visibility may lead a visitor to your post. But you have to steer that visit toward more meaningful business outcomes—like conversions. 

So, once the reader is on the page, make their experience engaging and compelling, from the headline to the conclusion.

If you decide to tackle creating engaging blog posts on your own, keep the techniques we’ve discussed in mind. Give the readers a reason to interact with your blog, and watch the blog engagement soar.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

• 8 Types of SaaS Blog Posts to Jumpstart Growth
• 16 Things to Do After Publishing a Blog Post
• Content Upgrades: Unlock Leads From Blog Content

If you find yourself needing a bit of help in your content operations, may we suggest you get in touch with Acomplix?

We specialize in content strategy for SaaS and B2B companies, so you can trust that we know what kind of content resonates with your target audience.