The internet is full of information, with more and more being added every day. With a few well-chosen search terms, consumers can find answers, opinions, and examples on almost anything. But how do you stand out from the crowd and grab the attention of readers? You need to consider ten ways of writing a blog post people will want to read.
Write for Easy Scanning
Compelling content extends beyond your writing style. You can share the world’s most interesting story or life-changing research — but if you use a solid block of text with a small font — you won’t reach a significant audience.
Online shoppers and researchers have short attention spans and multiple resource options. If a fast look at the blog confirms relevance to their question, they are more likely to stay on the page and read past the headlines.
Spend Time on the Headline
A strong headline brings in more people to read your copy while a weak one sends them searching for something else.
Readers want two kinds of information from the headline:
- Does it confirm that the headline subject addresses what they want to know?
- Does it sound interesting?
Your headline should communicate the kind of content that will follow. Experts recommend making your headline unique, ultra-specific, and useful.
Use Sub Headings
H2 and H3 headings make content easier to read. For longer blogs, readers can scan to find the specific details that interest them. Headings are also excellent places for keywords and keyword phrases, which help with SEO. Search engine web crawlers also check for headers and scan their content.
Headings create a well-organized presentation with a clear, logical flow of information. Your blog welcomes potential customers with quickly accessible answers.
Keep Sentences Short
The most popular blogs on the internet reflect writing at about a sixth-grade level. Successful bloggers need not worry about the education level of readers or their ability to comprehend complex subjects. People browse the internet in search of fast answers, and writers who deliver a clear and digestible format win more views. Don’t over-edit your vocabulary or content. Keeping short, crisp sentences allows your readers to easily read your blogs.
Tell a Story
Stories ignite our imaginations, and characters engage our empathy. People often make decisions based on what they feel, and stories appeal to both logic and emotions. A story does more than draw your readers into the blog and make a compelling sales pitch. Stories can build a personal connection between consumers and a business or between the writer and readers.
Adding personality to your blog and building a connection through stories build brand loyalty — drawing readers back to your website.
Use Case Studies
Consumers see sales pitches on every device they use and everywhere they go. Buyers are wary of trusting a new company, but case studies go a long way toward building trust.
Because some people may mistrust advertising claims, social proof offers a more reliable source of recommendations. Like reviews, the most common kind of social proof, case studies work by the same principle. Readers see proof of the marketing claims.
Engage Their Emotions
Fear, hope, affirmation, connection, loss, and joy each affect readers differently but leave a lasting impression. Not every subject pulls at a reader’s heartstrings — but in the right place — emotion engages the reader on a personal level. It moves them to think, act, and discuss. People will gravitate toward sharing or talking about a blog that evokes feelings when they read it.
Appealing to a reader’s emotions makes your website, blog, or company more memorable. The mental connection created by emotions stays with readers much longer than logic or information.
Ask the Readers a Question
When online viewers read a question, their brain does a quick auto-search for the answer. While reading represents mostly a passive activity, questions engage the user and involve them in the information or sales process.
Questions can turn a blog into what feels like a two-way conversation. Engaged readers retain more of what they see.
Use Metaphors, Examples, and Statistics
Metaphors, analogies, and similes connect new information to a more familiar subject. Examples and statistics help fill out an idea. Examples breathe life into a concept and make it easier to map across into real life. The more different ways a reader processes specific information, the more memorable it becomes.
Often, an example will inspire the viewer to create a movie in their mind as they follow along with the idea and deepen their understanding.
Give Something Away
If you can make people richer or healthier, make their lives easier, or let them in on a secret — you will build a loyal following. People love to feel like part of a group or like they got something for nothing.
Contests, free downloads, and other freebies pave a well-established way to build an audience that will share their contact information with you. At the very least, make your blog a source of valuable and useful information. Readers will appreciate the quality of your posts and come back.
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