Summary – Getting the site visitors and total strangers to read your entire blog and then act upon the call to action is one of the biggest challenges for online content writing companies. Check out these tips on how to retain reader attention so that they read till the very end.
Reading time – 5 mins
Who is it for – Content writing agencies, Digital marketers, Content marketing agencies, blog developers
Getting target visitors to read your entire blog post is simply challenging in today’s times of short attention span and explosion of content online. While most of them will catch a glimpse and share it with others, just a handful of them will actually read through. Finding dedicated readers for your blog post remains a top challenge for online content writing companies.
The digital world has innumerable articles floating around in search of the right readers. However, very few of them get the kind of visibility they need for enabling conversions and engaging visitors till the end of the sales funnel. Stats are quite disheartening in this context, but we need to know them. When it comes to reading articles, nearly all readers breeze through 50% of the content they read.
Sharing isn’t reading
Your blog post might be getting shared across the digital world. However, that simply doesn’t say anything about how often it is getting read. Why do readers skip reading? Here are some reasons:
- Lack of focus
- They just don’t have the time
- Content skimming
In spite of these reasons, some of your target visitors will have the patience to breeze through the entire article. As engaged readers, they will go through entire content, analyze it, and identify the highlights. This is the ideal scenario that online content writing companies will aim for, but find it challenging to achieve. And the first step to address this challenge is to create captivating and fresh content.
How to keep readers engaged?
Your blogs and web content can still find decent visibility from the intended audience if you know the art of creating them well. Check out these points in content writing that delivers successful visibility outcomes:
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Consistent and appealing
Does your blog offer anything of value to its audience?
Answer this question and pique up the interest of your readers to a great extent.
While writing blogs and articles make sure, you choose appealing, relevant, and meaningful topics. Your content should hit the right spot and find a place in your readers’ mind. That won’t be possible unless you deal with specific and crucial topics. Check out Hubspot’s guide to write an engaging blog post.
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Style and approach
Other than the linguistic and technical aspects, creativity also plays a significant role. The presentation, appearance, and format of your blog content have a remarkable role in captivating readers. Make it a point to choose innovative content writing styles and formats, thus reaching out to potential readers. You have the following options in this regard:
- Long and detailed content
- Image-rich articles
- Tactical and informative
Forbes has a nifty piece on the key types of blogs.
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Communicating the IDEA
Most of the readers forget what they read. Even if they remember, it is not more than 10% of the entire article. You need to get across the right idea within the shortest time span. The following strategies will take you ahead:
- Strong headlines
- Summary of the article
- Highlights and main points
- Numbered and bulleted lists
- Emphasizing on the highlights
- Reinforcing main points while concluding
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Call to action
Once readers have read through the blog, they should be clear about what to do. Either they contact you for more details or subscribe to your content asset. Remember the purpose of call to action in the inbound marketing plan – they open up a new channel of engaging with total strangers and help convert them to sales.
Parting thoughts
It is becoming increasingly difficult to capture the attention of your reader with rapidly growing volume and variety of content in the digital ecosystem. These tips will come in handy to make some of your target readers, if not all, go through your entire article and act upon the call-to-action.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why do most readers only skim through 50% of the content they read?
Readers often skim through content due to a lack of focus, time constraints, or engaging in content skimming. Hence, creating engaging content is the first step to combat these challenges.
- What role does consistency play in retaining reader attention?
Not many people realize this, but consistency is of the essence. Your blog should consistently offer value to your audience. Always stick to appealing and meaningful topics that resonate with your readers. This will make the content memorable and shareable. Also, the readers might come back for more!
- How does the presentation style impact reader engagement?
The way you present your content, whether through long and detailed articles, image-rich formats, or tactical and informative styles, significantly influences reader engagement. Experiment with different formats to capture attention.
Trying out various formats is a great way to grab and hold their attention. Remember, creativity in presentation makes a big difference in keeping your audience interested.
- How can I effectively communicate the main idea of my blog to readers?
Help readers retain information by using strong headlines, summarizing your article, and emphasizing main points with numbered and bulleted lists. Reinforce key takeaways in your conclusion to leave a lasting impression.
- Why is a call to action important in a blog post?
A call to action is significant as it guides readers on what steps to take after reading the blog. Whether reaching you for additional details or subscribing to your content, an unmistakable CTA opens up new feeds for engagement. Also, it is beneficial in turning readers into possible customers.
