Writing Content That Gets Noticed
You have been blogging for some time now. Since you started, you feel that you have established a momentum. However, your content isn’t getting as much as attention as you want. You need get it noticed by more people.
There is a mutual need when it comes to online content. You need to share content that will touch other people to the point where they will react positively and want to interact with you and build a relationship because of your content (with the eventual goal of their becoming your client). On the other side, your readers have a need to absorb content that they can learn from and that helps them to solve whichever issues they are encountering. High-quality content gets noticed and it helps you to gain more traffic and to be recognized for your accomplishments by others. There are several approaches that you can take when it comes to writing content that is attractive to other people. Before you start, you must be very clear on what your goals and objective are, who your target audience is, and exactly what you are offering to other people.
Your reason for existing
It is a known fact that you only have three seconds to attract your readers enough for them to want to continue reading. If you don’t grab them within those three seconds, it’s over as far as that particular piece of content is concerned. With that in mind, the way in which you state your purpose for taking up the space with your content must be very clear and extraordinarily compelling. Always keep the concept of WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) at the forefront of your mind. I must always be about how you are going to help the other person. In doing so, your needs will also be fulfilled. If they can’t glean the information of how you are able to help them from your content, they will quickly move on to someone else’s content. Upon first glance, the most important elements of your article are the title and the teaser paragraph. They better really pack a punch. Other elements that you should keep in mind are your domain name, tag line, and look and feel of your blog. All of those elements will give your reader a really good idea of what they can expect from you if they decide to engage with you and your business.
Your content should never be long winded. Bullet points work very well in the blog setting. They allow the reader to understand a lot of important information in short spurts, which means that they will probably do a good job of remembering what you have written. Lists work effectively for the same reason. The majority of people scan rather than reading entire articles. People don’t like to work too hard when it comes to reading content. Along those same lines, your paragraphs should be short (no more than three or four sentences) for the same reason. People will be much more likely to absorb your information is it goes into their heads quickly and easily. A one-paragraph in a blog article (under the right circumstances) is acceptable also.
Enticing headlines
If your headline grabs the reader, they will definitely want to read more. Your headline should tell the reader what the rest of your article is about and how it can solve their issues. A great way to come up with compelling headlines is if you gather compelling headlines that other people have written. If you can identify why they work, you can mimic them in your own writing and captivate your readers.
One of the main objectives when it comes to your headlines is to get to understand your target audience and how they think and what they feel. Try to identify which keywords and key phrases they are using to search for the content that they need. Basically, you need to try and get inside their heads. If you can do that, you will be golden. Also, always remember to write with the emotional element in mind. People respond to ideas that touch them emotionally.
Using graphics
Nobody wants to read only words all of the time. Graphics and other images are very important because they break up the content and make it pleasing for the reader. Images (if used appropriately) can be even more effective than words are. Readers will react favorably to them and will want to continue reading and will really want to be a part of whatever you are offering.
Give others the benefit of your expertise
Other people are constantly thirsting for knowledge. The more you can share, the better they will feel about you and your content. For that reason, you should be very careful with the way in which you choose your keywords and key phrases. There is definite skill involved with choosing the most effective ones and it is well worth the time that it takes to learn how to do that most effectively.
Choosing the best topics
Always choose topics that excite you. If they excite you, other people will be excited by them also. If you have a passion for the topics about which you write, other people will understand that passion and will react to it favorably. The choice of topic is critical to your success.
Conclusion
Your content should be the absolute best that it can be. It should be exciting, informative, educational, compelling, and enticing. Remember that your topics should vary over time but always be interesting and always offer solutions to the issues of your readers. If you always write with others in mind, you will succeed at getting your content noticed over and over again.
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Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: eMarketing Association Network
Discussion: Writing Content That Gets Noticed
Great article, almost lost me at the 3 second mark and I really missed the graphics 🙂 Now all I need to do is start up my blog. Thanks for the tips
Posted by Anthony
Really a good one, solution to the need of human is most important thing. If you are able to solve you are able to fetch their attention.
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Search Engine Interest Group
Discussion: Writing Content That Gets Noticed
very interesting article. It is really worth the reading. Thanks.
Posted by Jose
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writers World
Discussion: Writing Content That Gets Noticed
Carolyn, I went to your website and found your articles very helpful.You obviously know what you're talking about. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
Posted by Jennifer R
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: Writers World
Discussion: Writing Content That Gets Noticed
My blog changed from helpful comments to people between jobs to a memoir writing blog. I guess the change of topic hurt my readership. Maybe I need to launch a new blog??? My memoir workshops are going well.
Posted by Jud
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Group: Social Media in Science – Applying Social Media to Laboratory, Scientific & Health Professions
Discussion: Writing Content That Gets Noticed
Content dissemination is also important. I'm curious to know what content aggregators most people are using? Are they just the standard – StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit – or are people using more niche content aggregators to submit their content to for distribution?
Posted by Lauren
A nitpick (and a common error):
You said: The majority of people scan rather than reading entire articles. (Italics mine)
"Scan" means to look at all parts (of something) carefully in order to detect some feature.
I think you meant "skim," to read or glance through quickly or superficially.
Hi Ann-Louise,
Regarding your definition of scan, I beg to differ. The definition of scan is “to glance at or over or read hastily.”
In any case, thank you for your interest in my article and for your comment.
Carolyn