This is a recap of Blogchatter’s recent Insta Live Session – How to Break Your Content into Actionable Tips. Read on to see how you can make your content more engaging –
- The reader is evolving, so should the writer!
- What is actionable content?
- How can I break content into actionable tips?
- Nail the Preview!
- Delight the reader with a fitting conclusion
- Lastly, how tech-friendly is your blog post?
- The reader is evolving, so should the writer –
Rewind to 10 years ago from now and observe the reader behaviour then – Limited resources, more time in hand, less hectic lifestyle and less unwanted social media noise. Fast forward to the 2000s, countless resources, hectic lifestyle and Mr. Mill (the millennial) is struggling to balance different factors of his life, resulting in limited attention spans. As per a recent research, as of 2019, the average attention span is 6 secs which is less than that of a Gold Fish.
This is the modern-day reader; this is who you’re writing for. Is your content suitable enough to fit into the busy routine of the reader? Can your content-piece grab the attention of the reader in the sea of content? Will it help him/her or make him/her laugh? How much will it resonate and how much of it will be retained till when? Keeping in mind certain proven tips, formulas and tricks will help to make content planning easier and overall the content piece more engaging –
- What is actionable content?
You must’ve come across blog posts that wouldn’t want to miss and the title or maybe the topic immediately makes you want to know more. You hit the button, start reading and within minutes the content-piece either helps you overcome a challenge, makes you smile or simply helps you relate with an experience. The golden formula of Attract, Engage and Delight helps to draft engaging content. Attract the reader with a crisp, relevant title and preview, engage with rich, research-driven content and delight them with a relevant takeaway. How can we go about applying the formula to any kind of blog posts? Let’s see –
- How can I break content into actionable tips?
Every blog post has a blueprint and structuring the different parts of the posts in neat, clear paragraphs or points makes it easier for the reader to get from point A to point B and find answer to their questions. Have clarity on what you want the blog post to do? Why are you writing it? Who are you writing it for and how tech-friendly is it? Chisel out the extra and let the focus be on the key points, break the monotony with relevant pictures. Listicles work well to engage the modern-day busy readers. Use formatting to highlight key points and to ensure that it is not missed by the reader. Keep yourself in the reader’s shoes while drafting the content and keep in mind the flexibility that (s)he would need. For ex. When sending a sending an invitation for a live session/webinar; mention the date but also keep in mind that many from your target audience might not be free at the said time. Despite of being interested, he might not be able to attend. How do you ensure to let him still be a part of it? While sending the invite, mention – ‘Can’t make it to the session? Register anyway; we’ll share the recording with you.’ Deliver what you promise and ensure continuous engagement. Every type of content can be broken into paragraphs if not bullet points and when supported with clear sub-headings, it helps to make the content also more SEO friendly and keep he reader engaged.
- Nail the preview!
Preview is the first thing that the reader will see. What do I mean by preview? In the world, of social media, preview comprises of the title, the featured image and the excerpt of the blog post. All the three elements should be in tandem. Make sure that you’re utilizing this space judiciously and are not making it content heavy. Give enough information to make the reader curious enough to click and arrive to your blog post. Make it crisp and relatable. Read, re-read and make the necessary changes. Try A/B testing to see what works better for you. The caption also should be supportive of the preview. It is the preview that will play a key role in improving the click-rate.
- Delight the reader with a fitting conclusion
Once the reader arrives to your blog post, make sure that the curiosity finds a connection. Curiosity X Connection = Improved Engagement. It is of value to make the reader curious but not at the risk of making the title click-bait. Concluding the blog post with something that the reader can walk away with helps to improve retention and engagement rate. Identify on what you can offer, is it a free downloadable, is it an audio-clip or is there a video that the reader can watch? Or maybe relevant contact details that can help the reader to take the next relevant action – identify what you want the reader to do after reading the blog post and then write the CTA – Call-To-Action.
- Lastly, how tech-friendly is your blog post?
As per a research, content is consumed twice as much via mobile phones than via laptops and computers. This makes it imperative for your blog to be mobile-friendly. WordPress offers many beautiful options to choose from. Also, make a note of the page load time on both desktop and mobile phones. If it is taking too long for the blog post to load, chances of the reader closing the tab are higher. Take necessary steps to reduce the page load time. Compressing the size of the images and videos on the blog can help to reduce the page load time. Audit your site often to identify action areas and then take steps to improve the performance for the reader to engage with your content!
Sources referred to:
- Hubspot Content Marketing Certificate Course
- Ann Handley Twitter and TedX Talks
- Content Marketing Institute
Write to me if you’d like a fresh pair of eyes to take a look at your content strategy and if you’d like a basic SWOT analysis. Share this post with your friends to help them write engaging content!
ISHASPIRE 
Reblogged this on THE BLOGGING STATION.
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