Blogging- the Art of Attraction (and Retention)

What is it that makes you enjoy a blog? What is it that makes you sit under the covers, late at night, fiending to read more- eating up article after article until!

Oh no! You reach the last one and yearn for more. I’ve spent an incredible amount of time doing this (Guilty!) because I really get entranced by the style that some bloggers naturally have. If you have a great voice, I’ll read pretty much anything. Anything! You could easily have me reading about whistling goats in Antarctica if I like your style.

…but who wouldn’t want to read about that anyway?

Great content is the key to bringing traffic to your site, having a high conversion rate for RSS subscribers and opening yourself up to making some great blog connections and opportunities.

When you’re blogging on your own website, there’s some tips and techniques you can use to not only lure in readers, but keep them hooked.

Why do we Blog?

We blog for a number of reasons- and there’s an abundance of lonely blogs that have so much potential- and so much to offer- just waiting for us to read. Bloggers write to:

• Get a message across to their readers (animal rights, etc)
• Share their life story and inspire others
• Spread news and product releases
• help with self branding
• Educate others
• Share fun and silly content (these rank high on my list)

The list goes on and on. Not every blogger is as successful as they wish to be though and only get a trickly of traffic in and barely any repeat visitors or RSS subscribers. Why is this?

The Hook

Any writer knows that it all starts with the headline. The first thing you look at is the title of an article- and you know if it’s something repetitive, boring or non-chalant, you most likely will skip over it to the next one entitled, “The 6 Deadliest Creatures (That Can Fit In Your Shoe)”. It’s human nature. We can all take note from linkbait titles and pull some inspiration into our own mundane blog posts.

Tell me, what would you rather read? This:

Or something entitled, “Platypus Domination: the Sting of Love”?

Make your title, short, sweet, interesting and to the point. Cut out any excessive wording and stick to the details. It shouldn’t be a sentence- it should be a quick instant thought to explain the article.

The Line

I say this ALL THE TIME. Once you pull in readers with your headline, your first paragraph can make or break your entire piece of content. Not only do you want to avoid jumping directly into the subject matter, but you want to make sure introduction has some personality in it.

This isn’t high school, and your blog isn’t a part of “The Plastics.”

The example above is a perfect introduction that goes into the topic at hand and breaks away from the blah-say (no clue how to spell that) typical intro. You don’t want to be completely off topic, but you want to be open and inviting, and put a little bit of yourself in there. Don’t be afraid to stray away from the average. You won’t scare your readers away- and if they get scared away because you stepped out of the box, then you probably aren’t missing much anyway.

Once you get past the headline and introduction, make sure your content is easy on the eyes. Readers in the 21st century have the attention of a gnat, so in order to keep them interested:

• Use bullets often. It’s allows users to skim, initially and get a feel for the post
• Use header tags to break up paragraphs
• Link to resourceful content (but don’t go overboard)
• Include lots of fun images

If you’ve done all this, congratulations! You’re getting closer to creating content that will attract and retain your readers. So what’s next?

The Sinker

Your goal, when wrapping up a useful and interesting article, is to get the reader to engage in conversation and come back for more. One key things I almost always do (remember, there is always an exception to the rule) is tie up my post with a question at the end. Are you going over certain plugins you like? Ask the reader if there’s any you didn’t cover that they find useful. This completely baits them in to participate… a call to action, if you will.

Aside from asking them to contribute their own ideas, you can spark a conversation by asking a general question about the topic. This will bring opinions into the comment section (which are hopefully positive and/or productive) but even negative opinions can find a place here and make for an interested and light-hearted debate.

Of course, this brings out the age old questions… comments or no comments? There’s so many different view points, so in order to keep on topic I’ll leave that question for you to ponder over.

I’ve run out of catchy headers (since the complete phrase ‘hook, line and sinker!’ has been used) So…

Frying the Fish!

All of these points would be moot if you don’t follow this one rule: Find your voice, and use it loudly.

You can do everything by the book- catchy headline, bullet points, a semi-interesting introduction paragraph- but if your whole entire post sounds has the stiff tone of the automated voice when you call your cell phone company, nobody is going to come back! Think of your blog as a conversation, and your readers as your social circle. No one wants to be around boring Bertha or Cathy cant-stay-on-topic. Pick your headline. Get your intro down. Write in your own unique and interesting voice. Close with a bang and make your readers feel included.

Own it!

Speaking of social circle, make sure you’re reading our fun updates on our BlueGlass Fan Page- or joining in the conversation on Twitter. What are some blogs you’ve come across that have an excellent writing style that you can’t stop reading? Tweet #BGBlogTalk with the blog URL- I wanna check it out and hopefully find a blog to obsess about. Other than this one, of course.