Tips to keep readers on your blog (and coming back again…)

Whether you’re looking to make money from your blog or you simply have a lot to say on the topics that you’re covering and you want to make sure that you have the opportunity to be heard, keeping readers around long enough to hear it is a vital part of running a successful blog. However, it’s not always easy in an online culture that is increasingly demanding their time and attention. Here, we’re going to look at some of the ways you can keep your readers around for longer.

Grab your reader’s attention immediately

While a lot of people might use words like ‘clickbait’ in disdain, there is something to be learned from the more unscrupulous online marketing techniques. You need to be able to grab your reader’s attention right from the heading of your post. Think of the basic opening that your post might use, and then use tools like a headline generator to see if there are snappier ways to write it. Think of the emotions that might get your reader to want to read, from curiosity to FOMO to even a little stress or anger. So long as it’s not misleading, getting them to click is the key. After all, you don’t want to lose them as soon as you get them!

Don’t be afraid to get personal

To begin with, your readers are going to come for the content and the value that it delivers. Over time, however, they’re going to start coming for you, the writer, as well. You should be comfortable with injecting a little personality and emotion into your writing. You can even occasionally go into how certain topics relate to your life, such as by bringing anecdotes into the mix. When done well, you can make your personal brand a big part of the blog’s appeal.

Don’t underestimate the value of good images

The visual component of your posts can be just as important as the text when it comes to getting the attention of your reader. Take the time (and make the effort) to look for stunning and unique stock photos. If you have seen similar photos on other sites, take the (extra) time to look for different ones. Of course, the theme and other visuals of the site matter too, but photos are the most important, especially since they get used on social media posts too.

Lead with the value of the post

As mentioned, you want to get the attention of the reader and hold onto it early. The first sentence can be great for immediately snapping their attention, but you want to make sure that, by the end of the first paragraph or even the first three sentences, you have them interested in reading the rest of the content. Work out what the value of your post is, whether it’s the answer to a specific question, some interesting information, or a kind of insight that they might find worth sticking around for, and make that value clear in the opening. If you have trouble identifying the value of your post, then you should go back to the drawing board.

Don’t let the writing get boring!

You might have the most valuable and interesting information, viewpoint, anecdotes, and more all working for your content but if the content is overly worldly, badly formatted, or simply delivered in the wrong way, then it can really hurt your ability to keep the attention of the reader. You should consider making use of readability tools that will scan over all of your content and help you see where your phrasing might be a little off or where you’re using the passive voice too much, for instance.

Link your content smartly

Lastly, you want to make sure that you’re keeping your readers on your site beyond just one post. When you’re writing a new piece of content, you should think about how it relates to your other content, and keep in mind which posts would be the most interesting to someone who also enjoys this one. Smartly linking in posts that can delve into concepts introduced or covered in your current post can be a great way to get the reader hopping from one page to another, increasing their chances of sticking around in the long term.

Of course, regardless of the tips above, the quality has to be in the content that you’re writing as well. No matter how many tips you follow, you can’t trick people into sticking around for boring content.