People love stories. Start to tell a great story and you are almost guaranteed people will read all the way to the end. You can use this idea to write an engaging blog post: use a story for your framework. Let the blog post unfold as the reader progresses.
I’ve written blogs for quite a few years. One of the best techniques I’ve found to get people to actually read what you’re writing is to use a two-part approach.
Two-Part Approach to Writing Blogs People Will Read
First, I write a short email that either tells a story or uses an example to get the reader engaged. This week’s started out with “Ain’t no one got time for that!” and moved on to talk about how people don’t have time to ready lengthy emails. It was a teaser that links to this longer blog on the topic.
This method works because the subscribers to my list see the email and can quickly decide if this week’s blog post pertains to them and if they want to read it. If they do, they move over to the blog post. They already know the topic and they want to hear more. They are now engaged.
Once of the worst things, in my opinion, is when someone sets aside an email or bookmarks a blog “to read later.” Honestly, how often do we EVER have time to go back and read something later?
Grab your readers’ attention immediately or you’ve lost them.
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There are a few other things I’ve learned that increase the odds blog will be read:
Mix it up. Not all blogs have to be written words. Try a video blog one week. Most laptop computers have built-in cameras and people are often more likely to watch a video than read an article. Videos can be done quickly and easily and don’t have to be professional. People love to see you be real!
Bold text throughout the blog to draw the readers down the page. Most readers simply scan an email or blog to decide if it’s worth their time to read it. By bolding relevant text throughout the email you can actually tell the story without them reading the entire blog. And if you do a good enough job, they’ll want to read everything after they’ve read the bolded areas.
Keep it short. Even though an occasional long blog post can be useful to share a lot of information or help a site to rank in the search engines, people just don’t have time to read long blog posts each week. If what you really want to do is serve your audience, give them what they want. Most of the time that isn’t a blog post that takes 10 minutes to read.
Write conversationally. Reading a blog post written in a casual style is so much easier and more enjoyable for most people than one written like a textbook. Look at a popular magazine sometime as an example. Write as though you are talking to just one person. Use contractions. Make it easy to read.
You put a lot of time and effort into your blog posts, you want to make sure they are read, enjoyed and shared by your audience. Not only is it a great way to build your list and your following, but lit ets people know you have great information to share.
Let me know! What are your favorite tips for getting your blogs read?
Copyright: Elnur / 123RF Stock Photo
