How to Write a Powerful Conclusion Paragraph for Your Blog Post

So you're finally at the finish line. You did great research and managed to transform that out-of-shape information into a great story. You wrote a compelling introduction and you're pretty sure your readers are going to stay with you till the end. 

The end... All good things must come to an end or they're not good anymore. That's right—it’s time to wrap up.

Read on to see how to write a powerful concluding sentence for your blog posts.

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One of the chapters of my book From Reads To Leads is called Strong Punches Make Good Endings. There I explore different ways on how to write concluding sentences that linger in your reader’s mind long after reading your content. In this blog post, we'll talk about some of it, but make sure you check out my book for more insights.

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How do you write a great conclusion?

First things first: You must know your key message. 

What is the one thing you want your readers to remember? If you can’t answer this question, either your idea is a little fuzzy or you might be writing about it for the wrong reasons (such as for search engine rankings). People don’t want content made for search engines. They want content that answers their questions, solves their problems, or tells them something they didn’t know. 

To formulate your key message, finish the following sentences:

• I am writing about this because… [Think about why the world needs this content to exist.]
• In conclusion, [Add your final say on the topic or sum up your argument.]
• The takeaway from all of this is… [Sum up the main point that readers must remember.]
• Now that you’ve learned about this, here is what you should do... [Tell readers what to do with your advice.]
  

For those who like classifications, here are a few types of endings you can apply in your writing. 

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5 types of endings for your blog posts

The moral of the story‍

The most widespread ending in educational content, the moral of the story spells out what readers should learn. This type of ending often summarizes the main idea of the article. 

For example, let’s say you’re writing about how to choose a SaaS pricing model. The key message of your article is that the market determines the value of the product, not the startup. In your story, you need to lead the reader to realize this main idea. And in the end, you can play your last card—spell out the key message so it becomes the moral of the story. You can end your article like this: 

Think carefully about your pricing model before you launch. But don’t give yourself a hard time if it ends up killing your business. After all, it’s not you who determines the value of your product. It’s the market.

The perfect loop

The perfect loop ties the ending back to the beginning. The most successful Hollywood movies follow the structure of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, or the hero’s journey. In this journey, the hero always returns home from their adventure. The perfect loop works similarly. You start your story somewhere, then travel far away, and finally return to where it all started.

Here is how I started the first chapter of my book, which you can read on my website:

Have you ever lived abroad? I mean actually lived, not traveled. When you travel, you go away temporarily to switch off from your normal life and enjoy the moment in a new environment. But at some point, your trip ends and you go back home to how things were. Moving abroad is different from traveling. It changes your entire lifestyle, creating a sense of excitement—and fear.

And now, here is how I ended it:

When you write directly to your reader, it makes them feel at home. And when people feel at home in a foreign country, they’re no longer afraid. Instead, they feel comfortable and excited.

The cliffhanger

You’ve seen this type of ending in movies. I don't know if you've watched it, but the movie The Old Guard finished with a cliffhanger. Its ending neatly sets the scene for a sequel. Will I watch the sequel? Sure I will. The way the director ended the story made me curious what happens next. If you end your story with a cliffhanger, your readers might get curious and continue their journey on your website. A good cliffhanger raises a question and lets the reader know there’s more to explore. It's a great solution for a series of articles that focus on one topic and unfold like a good book, chapter after chapter.

Let’s say you’re writing a blog post about business growth strategies. Here’s how you can use a cliffhanger at the end:

You probably have questions about how you can implement these strategies. Don’t worry. In the next chapter, we’ll dive into exactly how you can do that.

The action plan

The action plan gives the reader just that—a plan of action. It’s a great way to encourage the reader to act. It also solves a problem for the reader because you not only give them information but tell them what to do with it.

Here is how I ended one of my videos about Content Cluster strategy with an action plan:

Now when you know how to build content clusters, here is what you need to do next:

• Audit your existing content pages and group them by topics
• If needed, create pillar pages that capture all the key aspects of your topics in single pages
• Link your content clusters related to one topic to the pillar page about that topic and to each other
• Identify any content gaps within your clusters and come up with new content ideas to fill them
• Keep an eye on your library, make sure it's always organized and up-to-date.
  

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The question

A question ending initiates a conversation with your readers. Many articles on the internet end with questions. Not all of those questions get answered. Still, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t finish with a question. If your blog doesn’t have a large readership yet, it might be a good idea to first answer the question yourself (or ask somebody you know to answer it). When people see other people’s comments, they’re more likely to write comments themselves. 

Here is an example of such an ending from 17 Little-Known Persuasive Copywriting Techniques That Will Improve Your Sales by Sam Tomas Davis on Sleeknote:

Which of the above persuasive copywriting techniques will you try first? Will you convey authority? Or will you raise (and resolve objections)? Leave a comment below.

So there you have it: five great strategies to end your blog article:

• The moral of the story
• The perfect loop
• The cliffhanger
• The action plan
• The question

Try experimenting with them in your next blog post!

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Watch it on YouTube:

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Before you go, make sure you also check out my articles:

• How to write a great blog post
• How to write an intro paragraph that hooks

Thank you for reading and subscribing to my YouTube channel.