Today’s content marketing world is saturated with blog posts, white papers, case studies, and infographics. The lack of content is not a problem at all in any niche whatsoever. However, information overload is a serious problem that poses a significant challenge to content marketers.
If your blog posts are not interesting or engaging, you will find it difficult to keep your readers interested and engaged. This will have a negative impact on your credibility, engagement rate, search engine rankings, sales, and profits.
Here are a few of our top tips to help you make your content more interesting and engaging.
Write in the first person
Although it largely depends on the type of content you are producing, you can write in first person 90 percent of the time. Most blog posts are of personal nature, i.e., you are conveying information and providing a solution as an expert to the readers.
This lets you write in first person, which is far more effective than writing in the third person on the web.
Words like “I, we, and you” and more engaging and influential. Saying “I have gained 5,000 new subscribers with this technique that I started using last month” sounds way more interesting and intimate than saying “A technique to get 5,000 new subscribers.”
Writing in the first person can be a bit personal and intimidating at times, but it gives you a voice that sets you apart from other bloggers on the internet.
Be credible
The truth is almost always more engaging, because it’s the truth, after all, and more people would be able to relate to it. Don’t lie or make up things just to be interesting, because people can see right through it.
Second, try to increase the credibility of your content by including relevant stats, case studies, research, data points, videos, etc. More credible content is more interesting.
When readers realise that they are getting the most accurate information on some topic, they are more likely to stick till the end. Higher on-page time may lead to better search engine rankings.
Indicate what to expect
The attention span of average online users is dwindling rapidly. That’s why, after hooking them in the intro, it might be a good idea to tell your readers what to expect in a particular blog post.
What problems are you trying to solve? What are you trying to communicate with your blog post?
It’s not a complicated thing to do. You just give your readers a preview of what to expect and what they will be able to achieve or learn by the end of the blog post. A clearer pathway is more likely to encourage them to keep reading.
Become a good storyteller
You have to be a good storyteller to succeed in today’s content marketing world. Almost everybody is sharing the same information — more or less — on the web. A good story, however, helps set you apart from the others.
Stories also produce instant brain activation, which is why stories are so engaging, scientifically speaking. A good story engages and activates the right parts of the brain.
Work on your storytelling skills and then weave them into your content. See how you relate to the topic at hand and how your readers might too.
Find the right length for your content
Long-form content usually works better — especially in terms of SEO. Search engines prefer deeper, longer, and more meaningful content that is free of fluff and filler.
However, depending on your audience and niche, long-form content may or may not be the best option for you. Unfortunately, there is no hard-and-fast rule about it. You will have to find what works best for your readers.
Our recommendation would be to check your Google Analytics account and identify your best- and worst-performing blog posts. See if you can find a pattern in terms of word count in all of those articles.
Social engagement and the total number of shares will also give you a reasonable indication of what’s working and what is not.
Make your content easily digestible
Lastly, make sure your content is easy to read and consume. Here are a few tips to make that happen:
- Write shorter sentences
- Create shorter paragraphs
- Break your content into smaller chunks
- Use images, videos, and other forms of media to keep things interesting and easy-to-consume
- Use headings and subheadings where appropriate
- Use bullet points when it makes sense to do so
- Use words that would be familiar to your readers
- Avoid technical jargon
Conclusion
Great writing is an integral aspect of a successful content marketing strategy. Use these tips to make your content more interesting and engaging. This will help you improve your website’s search engine rankings as well as the conversion rate, engagement rate, sales, and profits.
