[Pos baru] The Anatomy of a Compelling Blog Post: How to Engage Your Readers

Pos : The Anatomy of a Compelling Blog Post: How to Engage Your Readers
URL : http://wordpress.com/2021/08/03/the-anatomy-of-a-compelling-blog-post-how-to-engage-your-readers/
Ditulis : 3 Agustus 2021 pukul 1:00 pm
Penulis : The WordPress.com Team
Tag : Blogging
Kategori : Content And Blogging

Have you ever read a blog post that just hooked you? Why did that blog post grab you and keep you reading while other posts just merited some scanning and a quick click of the "Back" button?

If you want to write more compelling blog posts, knowing the answer to that question is pretty important.

Well, there are a lot of reasons why some posts are more engaging than others, but one of the big ones is that well-written posts include specific strategies to engage readers and provide value, while others don't. 

It's not about following some cookie-cutter formula - a good blog post will still have your unique voice and ideas. But there's a way to structure your post to make it more compelling to readers, and that's what we're going to focus on in this post.

A compelling blog post will:

* Hook readers at the beginning to stop them from clicking the "Back" button.
* Pull readers down the page, whether they're reading word for word or scanning your post (spoiler - a lot of your readers will scan your posts).
* Answer readers' questions and provide them with actionable steps that they can take to solve pain points or become better at something.
* Encourage them to take an action, such as joining your email list, purchasing a product, reading another piece of content, trying a new technique, etc.

In this post, you're going to learn how to create these types of engaging blog posts without losing your voice and unique point of view.

Table of Contents

* Use the Beginning of Your Post to Hook Visitors ( http://wordpress.com/2021/08/03/the-anatomy-of-a-compelling-blog-post-how-to-engage-your-readers/#hookvisitors )
* Use Your Post's Body to Keep Readers Engaged ( http://wordpress.com/2021/08/03/the-anatomy-of-a-compelling-blog-post-how-to-engage-your-readers/#engagedreaders )
* Use Your Conclusion to Drive Action ( http://wordpress.com/2021/08/03/the-anatomy-of-a-compelling-blog-post-how-to-engage-your-readers/#driveaction )

Let's dig in, starting at the beginning.

Use the Beginning of Your Post to Hook Visitors

The beginning of a blog post serves two main functions:

* Getting readers to notice your post in the first place - in your blog list, in Google's search results, on social media, etc.
* Convincing readers to stay around to read the "meat" of your content.

To accomplish those goals, you'll want to focus on two key elements:

* The title
* The introduction

Convince Readers to Click With Your Title

Your title is one of the most important parts of your blog post because it's what convinces readers to click on your post in the first place. 

Every other part of your blog post could be perfect. But if your title doesn't convince readers to open your post, they're never going to see the rest of your content.

So - how do you write a compelling headline/title? Well, we have a whole post on writing blog headlines ( https://wordpress.com/go/tutorials/writing-blog-headlines-that-attract-attention-in-search-results/ ) , but here are some key concepts:

Make a promise (and deliver on it) - for example, "How to Make a Website in Under an Hour". As long as your post really helps readers make a website in under an hour, that's a promise that will attract readers.

Incorporate power words - power words offer miraculous and mind-blowing results when it comes to attracting readers. You'll be jubilant when you see the phenomenal results from including power words in your titles 😉 SmartBlogger has ( https://smartblogger.com/power-words/ ) a great list of power words to include in your content.

Include numbers for lists - people love numbers in headlines, so it's always great to include a number for any type of list/guide. For example, "8 Tips to Create Better Website Logos".

Don't forget about search engine optimization (SEO) - while you should always write for humans first, you still want to try to work your focus keyword ( https://wordpress.com/go/digital-marketing/create-a-keyword-list-to-attract-your-target-audience/ ) into your title if possible.

Here's an example ( https://smartblogger.com/metaphor-examples/ ) of Smart Blogger's power words in action:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/F42W773sRORgGIxYr7egNILIUtNGXtFUpQw31YJXsJ1WLEORL00bw-Paw4AiHgYYJzOlLt4at_zr_s6zwCvG8g1kbBvywksHKF79eTmZ5wvUnWhctHsFfyhN21x63tLJywzEosyA To help you analyze your titles and/or brainstorm ideas, you can find a lot of great free tools:

* CoSchedule Headline Analyzer ( https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer )
* Sharethrough Headline Analyzer ( https://headlines.sharethrough.com/ )
* Portent Content Idea Generator ( https://www.portent.com/tools/title-maker/ )

Motivate Visitors to Keep Reading With Your Introduction

Once your title gets readers to click, your introduction convinces them to stick around for the rest of the content.

How you do this depends on what your post is about. The key thing to always think about here is intent. 

More specifically, what is the intent of the person who's reading this post? Is it to…

* Learn more about a topic they're interested in?
* Fix a specific problem that they're having?
* Diagnose a problem that they're not sure they have?
* Research the best products?
* Relax and have fun?

You want to structure your introduction to respond directly to that intent.

For a lot of topics, engaging them with some type of story or visualization is a great way to hook readers and make a connection. Or, you can ask a question like we did at the beginning of this post.

Essentially, you want to attract their interest and convince them that their intention will be met if they continue reading your post.

However, for some topics, trying to build a connection can actually be counterproductive.

For example, let's say you're writing a straightforward guide on how to unclog a kitchen sink. 

You don't need to craft a story to connect with your readers and convince them that having a clogged sink is frustrating, and that's why they need to read your post - they already know how frustrating it is! 

They just want the absolute fastest way to fix the pain that they're already experiencing.

In this situation, you want to get straight to the point. It's totally fine to be abrupt - for example:

"Having a clogged sink sucks. In this article, you're going to learn how to unclog your sink in five minutes without needing any special tools."

It's not an especially creative or unique introduction, but it clearly informs readers that they can fix their problem if they read your article.  

It also alleviates potential fears that they might have - such as not having the right tools to follow along or your solution taking too long.

People don't want to invest time into reading an article if it's not going to give them what they want. If you can address those fears right away and let readers know that they won't be wasting their time, they'll be more likely to keep reading your article.

Use Your Post's Body to Keep Readers Engaged

Once you've nailed the beginning of your post, you've already done the hard work of convincing readers to stick around. 

Now, you can get into the meat of your content. In addition to sharing the main content of your post, your main goals here are to keep your visitors engaged and help them get value from your content.

Make Your Content Scannable Because People Don't Read

Here's a dirty little secret about creating content on the Internet:

Most people don't read word-by-word - they scan. In fact, you might be surprised by just how few of your readers are reading your content word-by-word. 

You might even be scanning this post right now! 

In a popular 1997 study from Nielsen Norman Group ( https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/ ) , they found that 79% of people scan articles on the Internet and only 17% read word-by-word.

You might be saying, "hey, that's 1997 - a lot has changed since then."

However, Nielsen Norman Group ran similar studies in 2006 and 2008 ( https://www.nngroup.com/articles/website-reading/ ) with little change in results and other experts have replicated the same phenomenon.

There are two common patterns that readers use to scan articles:

F-shaped pattern ( https://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/ ) - readers focus their attention on the top and left side of your page.

Layer-cake pattern ( https://www.nngroup.com/articles/layer-cake-pattern-scanning/ ) - readers scan headings and subheadings but skip the paragraph text below.

What does this mean for your blog posts? Well, the next few tips are focused on some data-backed ways to help visitors get value from your post, even if they're scanning.

Interestingly, there is one exception to the "most people scan" rule - reading for pleasure. So if your blog posts are something people would read for pleasure (like travel stories on a travel blog), you don't need to focus as much on scannability.

Use Headings to Draw Readers Down the Page

Subheadings are one of the most important players for making your content scannable.

In this eye-tracking study from Nielsen Norman Group ( https://www.nngroup.com/articles/layer-cake-pattern-scanning/ ) , you can clearly see that the subheadings are what draw readers along the page. This is an example of the layer-cake scanning pattern that we discussed above.

Visitors read every subheading but only stop to read the body text if it interests them:

https://wpcom.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/layer-cake-pattern.jpeg For that reason, you want to make sure that each heading is descriptive and engaging.

For example, look at the heading for this section. We could've just used a single word like "Headings". But that wouldn't offer any value if you're scanning this content, nor would it do much to convince you to read this text.

Headings can also be curiosity hooks, which can be especially useful for more creative blog posts. If you can spark curiosity in your reader with your heading, they'll be more likely to stop scanning and engage with the text underneath your heading.

Keep Paragraphs Short and Avoid Walls of Text

Another way to engage readers is to keep your paragraphs short. Ideally, use only one to two sentences max.

Long chunks of text actually encourage readers to scan because it makes it more difficult for them to find key pieces of information in your text. 

By keeping paragraphs short, you make it easier for readers to pick out key phrases and ideas.

Use Bullet Points to Present Key Information

Using bullet points is another great way to make your content more engaging while still presenting key information to the reader.

Look at these two examples:

Example 1:

To write a great blog post, you should have a strong title, engage readers with your introduction, make your content scannable, use smart subheadings, keep paragraphs short, and use bullet points to present key information to your readers.

Example 2: 

To write a great blog post, you should...

* Have a strong title.
* Engage readers with your introduction.
* Make your content scannable.
* Use smart subheadings.
* Keep paragraphs short.
* Use bullet points to present key information to your readers.

The text is exactly the same. But by breaking the tips into a bulleted list instead of a paragraph, they're much easier for readers to consume. 

Here again, we can turn to eye-tracking studies. In the example from Nielsen Norman Group ( https://www.nngroup.com/articles/text-scanning-patterns-eyetracking/ ) below, you can see that the bulleted lists were much more engaging to readers than the paragraph text below:

https://wpcom.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/eye-tracking-bulleted-lists.jpeg Include Images to Save 1,000 Words

You probably know the saying that "an image is worth a thousand words." Well, we can't scientifically provide you with the exact image-to-words value ratio, but we can say that including relevant images in your content is another great way to keep your visitors engaged.

Not only do images break up your text (which keeps your post scannable), but they also help you provide context and value that you might not be able to capture with text alone.

Images also grab your readers' attention, as you can see in the eye-tracking examples above - so make them count!

If applicable, you can also go beyond images and use other media such as video or audio.

Don't Be Afraid to Tease Your Visitors

Do you know why TV shows use cliffhangers? Because they work!

The same concept holds true for your blog posts. Teasing content that you'll cover later on can be a great way to keep readers hooked and moving down the page.

Of course, you don't want to overdo this. If your post is just cliffhanger after cliffhanger, your reader might just get frustrated because it's taking them too long to get value from your post.

Use Your Conclusion to Drive Action

If readers make it to the bottom of your post, you've done a great job. You convinced them to give your post a try with your title and introduction. And, more impressively, your body content was so engaging that people made it all the way to the bottom.

Now, it's time to move them to action.

Recap Your Post With Actionable Tips and Information

When readers finish your post, you want them to feel satisfied and like they got value from your post.

One of the best ways to do this is to recap the key ideas from your body section and present an actionable roadmap for readers to implement what they just learned. 

You could do this with a bulleted list that recaps the main action points, a checklist to make sure readers implement key tips, or anything else that helps readers act on the information that they just learned.

Make a Call to Action

A call to action, or CTA for short, is exactly what the name says. It's you making a call for the reader to take some action.

What action? Well, that really depends on why you're writing the blog post:

* If you're a blogger trying to grow a following, the CTA might be to join your email list ( https://wordpress.com/go/content-blogging/how-to-increase-email-subscribers-9-tips-to-boost-your-opt-ins/ ) or social community.
* If you're writing a series of blog posts, the CTA might be to read the next post in the series.
* If you're marketing your business, the CTA might be to sign up for an account or purchase your product.

Or, it might not even have anything to do with your website. If you're writing a blog post about why journaling is beneficial, your CTA might be for readers to try writing their first journal entry right now.

The key idea is that you don't want your post to just "end". You want the reader to have a clear idea of what they should do next after finishing your post.

Start Writing Better Blog Posts Today

Congratulations! At this point, you now have the knowledge to start creating more compelling blog posts that engage your audience and keep them coming back for more.

To accomplish this, remember that each section in your blog post serves a key function in engaging your visitors and providing value to them:

Beginning - grab your readers' attention with the title and use your introduction to hook visitors and convince them to stick around.

Middle - present your main content in an engaging, scannable format to make it easy for them to get value and keep them reading.

End - recap actionable tips in your conclusion and encourage users to take action.

See what we did above? We just recapped the main points from our post so that you have an actionable framework for writing your next blog post.

Now - it's time for the other key part of the conclusion - the call to action.

If you want to get started with your own blog and share your compelling blog posts with the world, sign up for a free WordPress.com account today ( https://wordpress.com/create-blog ) to create your first blog post in just a few minutes.

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