We all want our writings to be read. Every writer, blogger and content creator shares this goal but with two million blog posts written every day, reaching readers isn’t easy. As a writer myself , I met with a few of my blogger friends to understand what readers want. Read on for six pieces of advice from fellow bloggers to help us learn and grow.
YOU DIDN’T THINK LIKE YOUR READER
Just as Dale Carnegie , the author of the bestselling self-help book , ‘ How To Win Friends And Influence People ’ puts in his writing , “If the author doesn’t like people, people won’t like his/her stories”. A reader will click on your article and stay there to read it if they know it will give them what they are asking for. “The main thing I learned was that people are online looking for things to do, try and buy so I started incorporating at least one of those in every article I write,” one of my fellow bloggers emphasised. We often fall into the cycle of creating content that we want to write, instead of what the readers are searching. You have to remove yourself from it . It’s about what they want.
YOU STOPPED AT YOU
Did you write an entire article with advice from you and you only? Because I did. By adding expert advice, you not only increase the credibility of your article but give your readers something new that competitors don’t provide. “You can actually lose readers and credibility with a poorly written or unresearched piece,” Aleria Weber Williamson from Do a shot of Yoga said. So take your time , do your research and make it a point to interview and include quotes from primary sources.
YOU WROTE A SCARY WALL OF CONTENT
Did you know that the average word count of Google’s top-ranked content is between 1,140-1285 words? Neither did I. Words are very valuable indeed. With that in mind,we often forget that readability plays a role. If you write a wall of content, it is hard for readers to break down and digest easily, detracting them rather than pulling them in to keep reading. “Always seek to break your information down into a list of subsections,” Nachman said. Making your content unique and relatable will entice readers to come back as well. If the article appears as blocks of big, wordy paragraphs, you risk losing readers. Adding structure to your article helps your reader enjoy the experience, find what they need with ease and stay on your page for longer.
SOMEONE ELSE ALREADY WROTE IT
Well , we all have been in this situation . If you think your topic is 100 percent unique , I dare you to Google your idea before you start writing. A first step to writing fresh content is to examine what’s already out there. Then determine how you can differentiate. According to Liz Quach from Pretty is My Profession , “The internet is over-saturated with content and being the first to speak on a topic is very important.” But if you aren’t the first, that’s ok too—consider how YOU can contribute something fresh, or add new detail and information.
YOUR COMPETITOR ONE-UPPED YOU
You wrote “7 ways to live stress-free” and your competitor wrote 10. Which would you click on? “It can even be a quantity game when it is a listicle,” Nachman said. If you can add more information to increase the overall value coupled with elements every reader appreciates like higher quality media, you can kiss your competitors goodbye.
YOU FORGOT THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTENT STRATEGY
Writing on a whim isn’t going to cut it for the Internet. You must research competitors, keywords, and sources in advance. “The secret to writing content people want to read is the time you spend before you start writing,” Nachman said. If it takes the average blogger 3.5 hours to write, then you want that valuable time to pay off with readership. Wouldn’t you like to know that your article is what your reader desires? Wouldn’t you like to know that you have the most unique sources featured? That’s how content strategy changes everything. The results may surprise you. I didn’t think many bloggers were paying attention to this and now I realize that more people are paying attention than I thought. Remember , It doesn’t happen overnight. This is a long game.