Do you know that only two in 10 of your visitors will read your articles until the end?
People don’t have time to waste. They want to find the information they need quickly and easily. And it has to be presented in a friendly manner.
Today, let’s go back to the basics. Here are seven tips to format your blog posts so that they get read — and shared.
Titles matter
What prompts you to read an article? Its title, of course.
A headline is the first thing a person sees. If it grabs their attention, they will read further.
Here are some good examples below:
- Intriguing titles – “How to Create a Massive Buzz about Your Product Hollywood-Style!”
- “Ultimate” titles – “The Only List of Content Curation Sites You Will Ever Need”
- List titles – “30 Tips to Promote Your Events Online”
Be clear and concise.
Hit them with a strong first paragraph
Introductions are just as important as titles. They set the tone.
If you read my blog regularly, you know I love starting my articles with questions and stories. Quotes are also a great option.
Break your content into short paragraphs
Nobody likes long blocks of text. They make content dull and boring.
The only way to keep visitors interested and happy is to make their reading experience enjoyable. So, stick to short paragraphs — 75 words or 3-4 sentences.
Bulleted text is also a great way to present ideas in an attractive manner. It helps set important facts apart from the rest.
Use subheadings
People love being able to skim content. Actually, that’s the second thing they do after looking at headlines.
It’s always a good practice to try and group several paragraphs together under a common subheading. Plus, it allows you to use the H2 or H3 tag, which is a great way to optimize your posts for search engines.
Make your links clickable
While this may not be news to most of you, I have seen quite a few blogs that have no clickable link in their articles.
When you reference an outside source or even your own content, allow your readers to access it easily. Don’t have them copy and paste in a new tab.
It may also be a good idea to use exit popups to prevent your readers from leaving too early.
Use pictures and videos
Since I have covered this topic in many articles, I’ll just repeat myself here. People crave visual content. That’s because he brain processes it much faster than text.
There’s a scientific case for using images in content. According to Megaphone Marketing, our brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text and retains 80 percent of what we see versus just 20 percent of what we read.
Conclude your posts
With a conclusion, you put everything in perspective for your readers. Try using the space as an invitation to continue the conversation. Ask people a question or two.
If the context warrants it, don’t forget to include a call to action.
Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay
