You’ve probably read plenty of advice on how to write stellar headlines that grab readers’ attention and prompt them to click through and read the entire article. You’ve undoubtedly seen many tips on how to write email subject lines that motivate journalists to open your pitches. Recommendations on writing conclusions seem to be scarcer.
The conclusion is a critical part of blog posts and other communications. It clarifies your message and ensures it is memorable. Many otherwise excellent blog posts, news releases and marketing pieces fall flat at the end. It’s as if readers enjoyed a wonderful cruise, only to have the ship run aground yards from its home port.
In light of that, we’ve gathered advice on writing conclusions from leading PR and marketing professionals. Just as there are different styles of writing, there are also different ways to compose a conclusion that inspires action and causes readers to remember your post.
Summarize your central message. In other words, deliver the takeaway. The body of your article contains facts, examples and anecdotes. The conclusion is where you wrap everything into an overarching, concise message. “Although this point may seem obvious, by the time your readers have finished consuming your content, they may have generated their own takeaways that stray from the central message you intended to communicate,” says Natalie Cullings, marketing analyst at Shift Communications.
Include a call to action. The call to action tells readers what to do. That could be to download a white paper, sign-up for a newsletter, purchase a product, or register for a webinar. The best writers transition smoothly from the post to the call to action. Even if you’ve included a call to action earlier in the article, the conclusion remains the best location for a call to action. By the time readers reach the end of the article, they are ready to take an action based on information they absorbed in the body of the article.
Be short. A few sentences are usually adequate. Ideally, the conclusion should not provide any new information. Avoid images, even if your posts typically include many of them, as they add unnecessary length and make the conclusion seem longer.
Be human. Use a personal anecdote or a comment relating the post to an individual reader. “This is especially important if you’ve just finished writing an exhaustively detailed or complicated technical post,” says Neil Patel in a HubSpot post. Being personal increases the power of your message and improves responses to your call to action.
Ask a question. Questions stimulate thinking and can change behavior, a prime purpose of blog posts. They can also prompt blog comments. Questions are best reserved for controversial topics and subjects you know will spark contributions from readers. One or two are usually enough. “You don’t want your readers to feel bombarded with a whole string of questions,” says ProBlogger.
Come full circle. Examine how you started the post and rephrase or reframe it for your ending. “By letting your introduction inspire your ending, you offer your audience a satisfying sense of closure,” says Braveen Kumar, content marketer and editor at Uberflip.
Ask readers to share. If you want more tweets or Facebook shares, ask for them. Readers won’t always think of sharing your post, and they may not notice that you’ve got a “retweet” button waiting unless you tell them. You can also encourage readers to forward the post to friends via email.
Reveal the future. Tell readers you will cover the topic in more depth or a related topic in an upcoming post. “You might simply drop a hint like ‘I’ve got something big to announce next week …’” suggests ProBlogger.
Point to useful resources. When readers finish one post, they are often ready to read more on the topic. Pointing them to other posts, as well as books and newspaper articles, shows that you are an authority in your niche. You can write something like: “If you’ve enjoyed this post, you may also like …”
Bottom Line: In conclusion, strong conclusions are essential to drive home your central point, make your article memorable, and inspire readers to complete the action you desire. These tips will help you write superb conclusions that transform your piece from good to outstanding.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
I agree that a call to action is a really great way to engage a reader right at the end of the article. This is also a great way to solidify your point and help make the article memorable. Being human can be tricky, especially when you are trying to also be unbiased on whatever you’re writing, but it is definitely important. Thank you for all of your helpful tips on concluding this type of article!
Excellent points, William! The conclusion of an article holds a key role in converting a first-time reader into a loyal follower. However, surprisingly many writers underestimate its power and tend to treat it lightly. Storytelling is like a movie where the conclusion can make or break the impact on the audience. In my opinion, the writer must give as much importance to the conclusion as he gives to the introduction.