By Terez Howard
A month or so ago, I got a Victoria’s Secret catalogue and decided I would get a pair or two of flannel pajamas. I didn’t really care if I purchased them after winter ended because I figured they would be cheaper by that time. But now, I cannot stop thinking of those warm-looking pjs.
Shortly after I received the catalogue, I noticed how uncomfortable I felt in my pjs when I was in bed. My pant legs always ended up twisted like pretzels around my legs and rode up as if they were short shorts. I got to the point where I couldn’t stand if my pants only started to ride up to my knees.
Then I remembered those flannel pajamas, the ones that had pants like leggings, nice and tight ones that would not ride up or twist. I needed them yesterday!
What those pajamas have to do with blogging
But this post isn’t going to be about my pajamas, even though I could probably fill up a post just talking about them. It’s about our eyes. Victoria’s Secret does something very interesting that I never noticed before.
That company provides pajamas for everyone. Skimpy lingerie to shorts and tees to lovely nightshirts to those flannel pjs that I like, Vickie’s really has every woman’s tastes covered.
That got me thinking about blogging. What am I giving to my audience? Are they getting a need satisfied? Are they getting the information they want? Are they at least being entertained to some degree?
We bloggers cannot write to appeal to every Internet surfer. But we can appear attractive to the members of our audience.
Utilizing the power of the eyes
They draw people in. They entice them. They make people go, “Hmmm.” Pictures are the start of a reason to read your post.
Tap that “Add an image” button in WordPress and upload a shot to your blog post. Since I’m a freelance writing mama, I am certain my audience would be interested in children. That’s why you will see family-friendly photos on my blog.
If you can’t take a few original pictures (which are best, in my opinion), there are plenty of royalty-free stock photo websites. Expect to pay a fee to free your mind of worrying about infringing on copyright laws. My favorite is iStockphoto.
The first words people read are headlines, telling people whether or not they want to read a post or not. Show people how they will benefit by reading your entire post in your headline. Give them a tantalizing reason to read what you have to say.
I personally look at headlines very simply. There are basically two types of good headlines: the ones that tell you exactly what to expect and the ones that make you wonder what to expect. Experimenting with those two will get readers hooked on the rest of your words.
What do you see?
What you see directly affects your actions. The same goes for your readers.
How do you utilize the power of the eyes in your blog posts?
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Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas. You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger.
Thanks, Terez!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
