A Nice Hike – A Nice Blog Post

Written by: Gary Horsman

A Nice Hike Can Be Like A Nice Blog Post

Content Marketing

This past weekend I decided to go on a short hike but I still wanted to reach a worthy destination. This can also be the hallmark of a great blog post or cool content marketing piece. You can take the reader on a short journey and still bring them to something special . . . something that has a good payoff.

For my hike I decided I would go to Bandon Gap on Route 73 in Vermont. My hike would be the short (0.6 mile) hike to the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid (isn’t that a great name for the destination). As a title of a blog post this would be compelling. I want to note that there was also a chance to see some Peregrine Falcons on the cliff as they nest there.

The Set Up:

The hike sounded interesting and has some worthy things to observe and see. The hike also has a catchy title. I was on my way . . .

The Journey:

The hiking trail is well marked. The display board near the parking lot tells a hiker about the hike and also about what interesting things you could expect to see along the way.

The trial it self was extremely pleasant and well constructed. It was easy to walk on and when it became a bit steeper then the rocks had been rearranged to provide a stairway. Even the steep parts were well constructed making the going easy.

This idea should be just like the writing for your blog posts and your website content in general. Make the journey pleasant and rewrite or reconfigure any tough parts to make it easy for the reader.

The Payoff:

At about 0.6 miles, one got the sense that the trail would soon break open and provide a nice view but this did not happen until about the last 20 feet of the trail. The trail ended literally at the cliff itself and the view was spectacular. The payoff was a bit of a surprise (not a bad thing) and was an excellent cap-off to the journey.

Make your writing have a nice payoff for the reader. They need to know that reading your materials is worth the time and effort. Show them something interesting. Teach them something valuable.

A Bonus:

I was with my little pups and was a bit concerned that they could be targets for a Peregrine Falcon which I thought could swoop down from some great height. I was on the lookout for a Falcon the entire time. I asked some other hikers if they had seen any Falcons and they had not. None-the-less I was watchful and I believe that I did see a Falcon (but from a distance).

Later on, when back on the trail and under cover, I did hear the call of a Falcon. Even though the sighting was at a distance I did get to see a falcon (I think) and did get to hear one and did not have to take any defensive measures (all 3 things translate into a bonus for me).

For anyone finding themselves in the Brandon Gap area and with the a desire to do a short yet very pleasant hike with a very nice payoff then consider the hike to the Great Cliff of Mount Horrid.

For you bloggers and content marketers out there consider how you can provide a nice blog post or content piece that is not too long (or too short) and written in a pleasant easy-to-follow format with a worthy payoff. Your readers will love it just like I loved this hike. 

If you want to learn more about content marketing then I invite you to take a look at our content marketing tutorials. Here is link to our Introduction to Content Marketing.