Attention-grabbing content isn’t the easiest thing to come up with when you start a new blog, and, indeed, it can be harder to keep going as a blog grows. Fortunately there are various methods of keeping an audience engaged so your blog explodes into something they love!
Compile a List of Ideas
There are many strategies for coming up with attention-grabbing content. One of the best methods is throwing digital spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. But even with a head full of ideas, it can be challenging to get what you need, especially in a niche with limited scope. Using a random topic generator is a powerful way to break up your usual thought patterns and shake up content. So, give your niche a toss in a content salad to see what juicy gems will fall out!
Use Visuals for Attention-Grabbing Content
Most people spend around 1 to 2 minutes on a blog, but it depends on how well-written the content is. For instance, a sales landing page has an average time of 92 seconds. Therefore, content needs to be engaging for the reader, and you can do this with some visual techniques:
- Eye-catching visuals, such as images, improve readability and help convey a message.
- You can also use infographics to break down complex messages into digestible formats.
- Animation adds a dynamic layer to your content that helps improve engagement rates.
Resonate with the Audience
Visitors love blogs and posts that they can identify with. With this knowledge you are now in a positive position to get off to a good star because audience research and focus is one of the most overlooked aspects of blog development. Even veteran bloggers make the mistake of not understanding the audience, missing out on opportunities to explode a post and engagement. This is why a niche is vital, as you can ensure content appeals to an audience that will interact.
Keep It Short and Concise
Long-form content has the potential to increase ranking and, indeed, longer articles and videos to get more views and visits. But what really matters is that the content is relevant and well-presented. You don’t need a 1-hour video or an 8,000-word article to get a point across. In today’s fast-paced world, most people prefer shorter yet well-made content. Keeping the message clear and easy to understand is critical to tailoring content that users want to read.
Provide Interactive Attention-Grabbing Content
Interactive blogs are more entertaining than standard articles-based websites. Blog content is a tried and tested way to improve your business and increase website ranking. However, a user can spend up to 47% longer on a blog if there is attention-grabbing content to engage with.
Include polls and quizzes
Polls and quizzes offer something more to your audience and help them feel more connected to the content on the blog. They’re also a great way to gather data for use in future content.
Hold live Q&A sessions
A growing audience loves a sense of community. Live Q&As allow you to get closer to the people who enjoy your content and encourage engagement through direct interaction.
Add more interactive content
The more interactive content the better. While you shouldn’t focus solely on this, content such as maps, simulations and timelines provides more ways to keep your audience engaged.
Polls and quizzes are common on social media, but there’s no reason why a blog can’t include them, either. Q&A is a bit harder on a blog, but there are tools such as Slido that can help you with this. Extra interactivity will also make your blog more useful and keep visitors engaged.
Don’t Underestimate the Headlines
Probably the first thing a user will see when it comes to your blog content is the headline. So why would you write something generic and uninteresting? Okay, so the concept of coming up with eye-catching headlines is an art and skill in itself. However, it is absolutely vital that you spend some time crafting headlines that catch the eye. Keyword research is a critical part of this and will probably be your first introduction to a technique called search engine optimization.
Apply On-Page SEO Techniques
So, what is search engine optimization? SEO, as it is known, is a collection of methods that help a search engine like Google understand what your content is, and therefore, place it in rankings. For simplicity’s sake, and for beginners, begin with on-page SEO. On-page SEO includes everything a user sees such as text, image description and the Keyword research is an important part of this, and should be used to place words within text, headers and the URL.
Attention-Grabbing Content with Trigger Words
Further to keywords, trigger words will help catch the eye of readers. 90% of visitors leave a blog because of bad design, and this includes content that feels generic. You can use trigger words such as “new,” “limited,” and, of course, “free” to catch the eye, and here’s why:
- Trigger words in content are mostly used to engage users on an emotional level.
- The goal of using trigger words is to drive users to a specific action, such as a click.
- By using trigger words within content, you help it stand out in a crowded digital space.
Keep Content Relevant and Current
Any SEO expert or veteran blogger will tell you that content needs many things. And while some would argue over what exactly, all would agree that content must be relevant and current. Outdated information isn’t likely to resonate with readers and definitely won’t rank on Google. The web is filled with blogs that have a hard time making headway in search of visitors, ranking and monetization. The reason is they are filled with content that doesn’t match the blog’s niche.
Summary
Coming up with a varied list of ideas for a new blog will help you develop attention-grabbing content that resonates with the audience. Interactivity, such as polls, encourages engagement and connection, but any content on your blog must stay relevant to your niche and current.
