Part 3 of 5 Tips for Attracting More Readers.
So you have written a killer headline and first sentence. Now it is time to keep the readers engaged with killer content.
You have to deliver all the information you promised in the headline.
Personally, I get more engagement on articles between 3–5 minutes long. You might find your readers are different. It is worth analysing your stats to see.
Introduction
The introduction to the post should be a short paragraph of a couple of paragraphs. Each paragraph should be between 2–3 sentences long. Explain what you are going to cover in the article and create intrigue.
Remember to spend time working on your killer first sentence.
Main
Deliver the expected information in the main part of your article. Be descriptive but also entertaining. Let your author voice shine through. Your readers will get used to your voice. They follow you because they like it, so let that voice ring out.
If you have a large amount of information to get over to your readers then use numbered lists and bullet points. Be respectful to your readers and tell them the information in the shortest amount of time.
Look at the formatting of your posts to break up large chunks of text. I use a similar format for all my posts. I hope my readers become familiar with my voice as well as my format.
You may also like to use deep linking in your posts. This is the process of linking other relevant posts you have written into your current ones. This again gets more traffic to your articles however, I would warn not to overuse them.
Keywords
Use keywords in your posts and use them throughout the content. It would be an advantage to have an understanding of basic SEO, but, not essential. When using the keywords do not overuse them as these can ruin the flow of a post.
Keep your keywords precise and exact for example, ‘Knitting’ is too general a search word. Use the keywords ‘Knitting for Toddlers’ is exact enough for it to attract more traffic to your post.
Conclusion
Allow this to be a summary of the main points you have written in the post. I always include a short paragraph labelled ‘Finally’ to conclude my posts. You may have your own method, but ensure you include some form of conclusion.
Call to Action
This is a way of calling your readers into the debate. I use a question at the end of my posts as a call to action. Some people may point you to their email list or other posts. Find a method that works for your readers and then use it.
If you inviting your readers to enter a debate, then ensure that you reply to their comments.
Finally
No one will know their readers better than the writer. Find a method that works for your followers and stick with it.
Respect the time that your readers take to read your posts.
What is your number 1 tip when writing content to engage readers?
I want to write to make people feel better and also ask questions to get engagement.
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I love engaging with people who have read my work. It’s one of my favourite parts of writing.
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🙂 First of all, I write content with the reader in mind; for example, I would provide advice to questions that they have been pondering about blogging.
Fabulous tips, Sam!
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Thank you. I have been using Quora lately to discover the questions people have and then write posts around them.
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🙂 That is a brilliant move, Sam. Quora is an ideal place to find questions that pertain to blogging.
Do have yourself a wonderful week?
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