Blog posts are a great way of getting information across to the reader.
But, with a huge amount of blogs posted online, it has become harder to keep the reader’s attention. In fact, only 2 out of 10 people will read your headline and continue to read the article.
Creating an engaging blog post is easier than you might think!
This article will give you some ideas and techniques to create engaging content that your readers will want to read and engage with.
Once your readers engage in your blog posts, they will be more likely to become a lead and make a purchase which is ultimately what you want!
How to write an Introduction that will hook the reader
When writing an introduction, you must keep the sentences short.
If you clicked onto a blog post and the first thing you see is a paragraph for the introduction, will you continue to read it?
Readers don’t want to spend time reading through the introduction. They want to read the body of the text which holds the information they are seeking!
This links to keeping the introduction brief.
Give snippets of what your post is about, but you don’t need to go into detail as that is what the body of the text is for.
Using the words ‘you’, ‘I’, and ‘we’ help to engage the reader. Using these words create a sense of conversation.
By turning your blog post into a conversation, you will make the reader feel included and it gives the reader a sense that you are writing specifically for them.
You want to empathise with the reader, you want to give them a sense that you understand what they are looking for, and any frustrations they might have.
If you decide to tell a story, make sure you keep it brief and to the point. A long-winded story will only put the reader off wanting to continue the post.
Remember they are looking for information in the body of the text, not your own personal experiences.
It is important to cover what the article covers.
It could be confusing for a reader if they view the headline but when reading through the intro, there is nothing written about what the article includes.
This could cause them to rethink reading and click off your article.
Therefore, it is important to make sure you cover what the article is about in a short and brief way.
For example, I wrote that this article will give you some ideas and techniques to create engaging content that your readers will want to read and engage with.
You must also include why the article is important in a similar way. You might understand why your blog is important, but the reader doesn’t. Make sure you tell them!
4 examples of introductions we love :
1. Review your website performance because every second matters – Search Engine Land
We like this introduction by Search Engine Land because it is informative, to the point and brief. The Paragraphs are no more than 5 lines while telling you everything you need to know.
2. 20 ways to speed up your website and improve conversions in 2020 – The Daily Egg
This introduction begins with a question, one that you could be asking yourself. It gives you statistics that are informative and tells the reader why the subject of this post is important. We don’t look at this introduction and see it as hard work to read, which is why we love it!
3. Subheadings: What they are & how to craft great ones – Niel Patel
It’s no surprise that Neil Patel is good at writing blog posts. But this introduction is one that catches my eye. The paragraphs are separated into smaller sections, he asks the reader a question that he aims to answer and hints at what his blog post will be about.
4. How to fall in love with writing again. – Neil Patel
Finally, we love this introduction because it has what most others don’t. It has bullet points stating facts and giving reasons as to why you might have fallen out of love with writing. The paragraphs have once again been separated into smaller sections and Neil Patel has also included phrases you could be thinking as a way to engage the reader further!
How to make the body of your post simple and informative
When writing the body of your blog post, you must include subheadings.
People don’t want to read your article, they want to skim through it and subheadings are a great way for them to do this!
Subheadings allow the reader to pick what parts of the article give them the information they are seeking and want to read.
Keeping your paragraphs short is another great way to allow readers to skim through your article.
Neil Patel says that 5-6 lines should be the maximum length of your paragraphs.
Big chunks of writing can be off putting to a reader and seem like a lot of hard work. Keeping paragraphs short makes your content simple and easy to read.
Linking to other sites is another great way to engage your reader!
This gives the reader more content to read if they would like to know more about a specific topic you have written about.
It also shows the research you have done to become knowledgeable about the subject you are writing about.
By linking out to other sites and articles, you will look like an expert.
How to write a conclusion that will make the reader want to interact with your company
It is known that a lot of readers will scroll down to the conclusion before reading the article.
This means that your conclusion needs to be just as engaging as the rest of your post.
Summarising what you have written about in a simple and brief way allows these people to get a better feel for your article as well as telling them if your article is relevant to them.
Questions are important in this final stage of your blog posts.
This will tell you how engaging your blog post actually is!
You can increase the engagement of your readers in this final stage of writing by asking them a question about the article.
An example of a question you could ask is: Do you have any extra techniques to engage your readers?
It has shown that readers who leave a comment are more likely to become a lead and make a purchase from your company!
Even if you don’t know what to ask, it is always a good idea to try and end on a question.
WordPress plugins you can use to make your blog more engaging and interesting.
WordPress call to action plugin
Call to actions invite visitors to complete actions on your website. For example: Click here to learn more.
WordPress call to action allows you to add them to your blog posts in a simple way, it is customisable so you can make it work for your website.
When calls to actions are completed, you know if your content is engaging and if not, you will know to change it!
Live chat support plugin
With this WordPress plugin, you will be able to engage with your readers and any questions they have.
It creates a more personal connection and therefore could lead to a higher engagement rate.
WordPress related posts plugin
Once your reader has completed your blog post, you know you are in a good position.
Your post was engaging enough to finish and therefore it would be a shame if the reader was to click off and find another article to continue reading and learning.
Instead you can use this plug in to recommend other articles written by you that the reader might be interested in. Meaning they stay on your website learning from your business!
Conclusion
Engaging the reader takes time to perfect. But learning how to perfect an introduction to hook the reader is a great place to begin!
By creating your blog posts step-by-step, you will make sure you include all the techniques we have given you including: Small paragraphs, using the word ‘you’ to create a sense of conversation and asking a question at the end of your post.
Be sure to try out some of the WordPress plugins to increase your engagement along with our tips and we are sure you will see results in no time!
What technique do you think is the best to increase engagement? Let us know!
