Creating engaging content that will get discovered and appreciated by many readers is not a simple task. In fact, it’s becoming harder to remain original. This is why here are ten refreshingly simple ideas to make your content more engaging.
1. Create Actionable Content
The first thing you must do is understand your own goals. If you don’t know what you want your readers to do after they read your content, then they can’t possibly know it either. To create actionable content, you have to guide your readers step by step until you get to the point where you ask them to complete an action. Here’s the basic rundown of the steps:
- Discuss the problem and whether or not it is a problem at all. Address all the minor and major issues.
- Outline the method that can be used. Then, if applicable, offer your own, alternative method.
- Pitch your product or service and link it to the relevant landing page. You don’t want the process to be too long.
2. Be Original
Let’s be honest here: it’s virtually impossible to be original nowadays. Either someone has already created the same piece of content you are about to make or there is someone you don’t know working on the same idea as yours right when you started writing for it. You can’t create something that is entirely unique. And that’s okay.
Your aim here is to create content that will stand out and be original in its own way. Take an idea and think it through. It will require extra effort from your side, but it will be worth it as your content will be more engaging this way. Talk about your personal experiences or take an unusual point of view on a situation.
3. Tell Stories
It may come as a surprise to some, but people actually value stories more than facts as they can relate to them easier. Once you master the art of storytelling, making your content more engaging and increasing your sales will not be a big deal.
Stories help your audience connect with you easier. They can even improve your credibility and reputation. If you show that you have experience in the topic you are writing about, your readers will be more likely to listen to what you have to say rather than someone who has never worked out once in their life.
The stories you decide to tell have to prompt an emotional response from your audience. If your story can evoke such emotions as joy, fear, or sadness, you are on the right path. The only thing to keep in mind is that your stories should still work for you and bring your readers to the point where they’re a value to your organization.
4. Provide Accurate Information
Even though stories are powerful, you should remember not to neglect facts and statistics. Including data from research papers, reports, and studies raises the credibility of your claims, especially when that data comes through carefully-crafted surveys from knowledgable sources. However, you must always check the kind of data you are publishing.
You need data attributed to highly respected sources as anybody can put virtually anything on the World Wide Web. You should check the data sources, including the respondents (are they knowledgeable?), the number of respondents (you need a number that reflects statistical significance), and the questions asked (leading questions generate questionable results). In addition, opt for the most recent information you can find.
Besides, you can update your old posts and republish them with new statistics and research. This kind of recycling gives you an additional source of valuable material.
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5. Use Tools & Services
If you are not using any tools or services at this point, you should really consider starting to use them. Writing, editing, and formatting apps and programs can make your life much easier and your content more engaging.
For example, Hemingway Editor highlights passive voice, adverbs, and complicated sentences asking you to get rid of them and make your content more readable. At the same time, if you don’t want to be writing your content yourself, you can hire a writer from a professional writing service like Grab My Essay that will create content for you of the best quality. To determine the level of knowledge your reader must have to understand your content, use Readable.
6. Make Your Content Thought-Provoking
There are three qualities your content must possess: being actionable, being original, and being thought-provoking. We have discussed the first two, but the third one is no less important in any sense. Your reader must relate to what you are saying even if they were going to disagree.
Ask questions without giving away the answers. Your audience is not stupid and they can also find answers for themselves if you let them use their imagination. Keep your audience hooked by painting an abstract scenario relevant to the modern-day culture and let them think about the details themselves. This technique will also help you create discussions in the comments section.
7. Offer Variety
Stop making your posts look like they are twins with only the name being the difference. You have to create variety in order not to be boring. You want to excite your audience with new content every day, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that this content comes in one type and format. Some posts you can create include:
- Case Studies
- Personal Stories
- Top 10 Lists
- News Posts
- Updates
8. Write Catchy Headlines>
Your headlines are like the gateway to your articles. In order for your audience to read your post, they must first click on the title that caught their eye. It has to be something that will get them instantly interested for them to consciously or subconsciously click on the link.
Disregarding the headline as something unimportant is a huge mistake. It doesn’t matter where you are going to post your content – it should always have an engaging title that gets your audience wanting to get more.
You should give your readers a reason to click on the headline. This reason can be a bold statement or an intriguing sentence. As long as it provokes a response, it should be effective enough to work well.
Don’t give out the answer just yet. You are writing about a certain problem and your article will answer a certain question. Let your post do it instead of the headline doing it. Keep the answers until it is time to reveal them.
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9. Keep Going With Your Intro
After the headline, you’ve got a no less important part which is your intro. This part of your article must hook your readers giving away only a short portion of the answer to the question you asked in your headline.
Most people will be skimming through your content rather than actually reading it. This means that the moment they start scanning your intro, they need to realize that the post is actually worth dedicating some time to. It should be irresistible for them.
10. Use Amazing Visuals
This should come as no surprise to many experienced writers as visuals always play a big role in the success of your content. You can be as great as the most well-known writers of the century, but nothing will attract readers’ attention to your post better than amazing visuals.
Add images and videos to your articles to make them more engaging for your audience. Even if someone will be skimming through the article, they will notice your infographic and get interested so much that they will scroll back and read the text properly.
Some ideas for videos and images include how-to’s and guides, product demonstrations, and more. Keep in mind that people remember visuals better than written text.
Final Thoughts
All in all, your articles don’t have to be plain and boring. If you follow the tips in this post, you will be able to make them more engaging and valuable to your audience. It may require more effort from your side, but it will pay off in the end.
Guest post by Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks and empowers using the magic of a word. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin was gaining experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Now she works as a freelance writer at TrustMyPaper. You can find her on Facebook.
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