Writing For Readers: How To Craft Blog Content That Attracts A Crowd

Unless your business is writing, keeping a business blog doesn’t mean you have to be a wordsmith. It doesn’t require that you have a flair for sentence structure, a stockpile of four-syllable words, or unparalleled wit and wisdom either.

In fact, successful online content is less about your way with the written word and more about offering easy-to-read, useful and unique posts that can be digested quickly. After all, people visiting your site have the entire Internet to search through. They aren’t likely to want to wade through a 10,000 word thesis. You have to catch their attention quickly. That means writing in a conversational tone and less like you’re trying to get an “A” on your 8^th grade English paper.

Here are some tips to creating successful blog content …

Keep it Short: The Internet has trained us to move quickly as we search and scan for the information we’re looking for. In other words, visitors to your Facebook page or blog aren’t going to give you a lot of their time. Keep your paragraphs short and your posts concise. If you have a lot of information, break it up in a list or over a series of posts. In general, the easier it is for your readers to quickly understand your point, the more readers you’ll have.

Keep it Simple: Think of the last thing you enjoyed reading online. Was it because it was challenging and sent you running to the dictionary to look up words every other paragraph? Or was it because it was incredibly involved, filled with technical jargon, and kept you glued to your screen for the better part of a Tuesday afternoon? Probably not. Conversational tone means writing as though you were talking to someone. Chances are you have an easier time expressing yourself in conversation than you do when you sit down to write. Get the idea down, leave it alone, then read it again in an hour. Fill in the gaps and take out anything unnecessary. Now post.

Keep it Interesting: Thing is, no matter how well you craft your blog posts, a screen full of text is going to turn-off a lot of visitors to your site. Sure, you have to give them something to read but it helps if you include some visuals as well. Adding photos, diagrams, charts, and video to your posts will make your site more visually interesting and increase the chances that someone lingers long enough to get interested in what you’ve written.

The Ibis Network / www.theibisnetwork.com