Engage Your Readers with Exciting Blog Content
Are you concerned that your readers are becoming bored with your blogs? Do you find that you’re not attracting the new readers that you once did, and that the old ones are dropping off? Are you beginning to feel that there’s just too much content out there, and you can no longer compete?
If any of this is ringing a bell, then let’s not beat around the bush – sorry about the mixed metaphors – you need to figure out what you’re doing wrong. And yes, you most assuredly are doing something wrong. Most likely, the problem is not that your content is not of good quality. After all, you’ve been at this a while, so one would assume that your copy is error-free and you are using the English language in a competent fashion. The problem is likely that your content is simply not engaging.
Fortunately, this is a problem that you can fix. Here is how you do it.
Switch Things Up
Have you been used to offering up “text only” blogs? Add some graphics, sidebar quotes or even a video. You don’t have to do this all the time, but if you spice things up a bit from time to time, you’ll have readers coming back to see what you have in store for them that’s different from the last time around.
Be Concise
What this means is write for your readers. Run-on sentences might find you some favor with the search engine spiders, but they will bore your readers at best, and, at worst, could confuse them. So stick with short sentences and brief paragraphs.
Use Subheads
Text is easier to read (i.e. more “scannable”) when it’s broken down into small blocks, with subheads that guide the reader easily through the content. In addition to subheads, bulleted lists can help to keep the reader focused.
Stay True to Your Title
New readers may have come across your blog by Googling topics of interest, so pay attention to your keywords and stay on topic. Remember, keywords aren’t just for SEO. They’re there to help readers engage.
Write the Way You Speak
Content that sounds generic is not engaging. If you think about the content you enjoy reading most, you’ll probably find that it’s material that is delivered in a style that sounds natural; in other words, you feel, as you read, that the writer is truly speaking to you.
This is actually really easy to do; I’m doing it right now. I’m writing exactly the way I’d talk to you if you were sitting here with me. In other words, I’m using my “voice.” Not everyone finds their “voice” right away, but the more you write, the easier it gets.
Find a Great Title
This is what is going to bring readers in, so try to avoid old, unimaginative approaches that are just going to annoy people or cause them to dismiss what you’re offering as “clickbait.” For instance, how often have you seen “5 Foods You Must Never Eat” come up on your Facebook feed or as an ad on a website you’ve surfed into? Did you click on it? Would you have clicked on it if it had said “5 Foods That Can Kill You”?
Keep it interesting and catchy, but keep it honest, too. Otherwise, your readers won’t be coming back.
Tell a Story
The best content always tells a story. So rather than lead off with an opening sentence like “There are five foods you should never eat, because they could kill you,” try something like “Mary always thought she was eating a healthy diet, until she discovered that the foods she loved most could be leading her into an early grave.” Tell Mary’s story or your own, for that matter.
Make Your Blog Shareable
If your blog isn’t shareable on social media, you’re missing out on a lot of potential traffic. So be sure to add social media widgets – people who enjoy your content are going to want to share it, so make it easy for them.
If You Make a Claim, Back It Up
Make sure to include sources in your blog, and add links to those sources. It adds credibility to your blog, and also keeps people engaged by giving them other material to explore.
Include a CTA
A lot of the time, people will do something for you if you ask them to. So ask them to leave a comment – get a discussion going and engage even more readers. Ask them to share your posts on social media. Bring people into your blogosphere. Direct them to a landing page with an enticing offer. Engage them with a call to action.
Conclusion
Finally, the most important thing to remember when creating engaging blogging content is that if you’re excited about your material, chances are your readers will be as well. So make sure you know your audience by developing buyer personas; you want to be writing to people who find value in the information you share. Find out who those people are, and then start engaging with them.
