10 Tips for Writing Engaging Content

Do you spend hours, days, or even weeks writing blog posts only to find that no one is reading them? If so, then congratulations on being in the right place. As a content creator for an online marketing company, I’ve found that these 10 tips for writing engaging content can be a major help when it comes to getting people to read your stuff. Let’s dive right in!

1. Ask a question

People love to feel included and feel like they’re an important part of the conversation. So while you should always be aiming to educate your reader, the best way to ensure that they actually read your content is to ask them a question. My favorite thing about doing this is that it can also provide you with great blog post fodder in the future; and you don’t even have to answer the question yourself. Other people will be happy to leave comments answering your questions.

2. Make it visual

Whether it’s a relevant image or just a funny meme, there are some benefits to adding some kind of graphic element to your blog post. One of them is that it can be an excellent way to engage with readers on social media. Pinterest is a great example of this; if you use a relevant image in your blog posts, then you can pin it to your Pinterest profile so that people who are browsing your profile will see it. They might even click through to read the full blog post.

3. Link out

Instead of trying to create content that covers everything, link out to other blogs and writers who have already created content that addresses the topics you’re discussing. This not only increases the value of your own blog, it also helps to build relationships with other bloggers and writers. When you’re participating on social media, make sure that you link back to their blogs whenever you can. You might even consider asking them to do an interview for your blog.

4. Be a human being

This is one of the most important parts of writing engaging content: be a human being! There are few things more boring than reading content that sounds like it was written by a robot or an agency copywriter who is trying to hide behind a corporate-speak facade. When you’re writing, try to engage with the reader and be as conversational as possible. Don’t forget to use your own voice.

5. Write the way you speak

This is similar to being a human being, but I think it deserves its own point. Unless you have a very personal blog, people are probably reading your content because they want to learn something useful or informative. So why not give it to them in a way they can understand? You might even be able to make it entertaining (see number one)! If you write like you talk, then the people who read your content will feel like they are having a conversation with you, and that’s just more likely to catch their attention and keep them engaged.

6. Be true to yourself

If you’ve already got a blog, then chances are you already have a following. You can either continue doing what you’re doing now, or you can sit down and write great content that actually attracts people. Either way, remember that your audience wants to connect with you—so put yourself out there! If there’s anything that makes your own writing style unique, then maybe it’s something that people will want to read about!

7. Use videos and images in a way that helps your readers learn

I know this can seem like an obvious tip, but it gets overlooked all too often. I’ve come across so many blog posts that are just listicles of images or videos that have no relevance to the topic at all. While there are rare exceptions to this, it’s generally a good idea to use images and videos in a way that helps your readers learn something new. You may even want to create your own images or videos in order to do this.

8. Create content that doesn’t require much thought

The best way to engage people is to give them content that they can consume easily. If they can finish reading a paragraph or two and then be done, then you’ve got their attention for longer than if you had written more in-depth information for them to read. Remember, most people only have a small amount of time to spend on content, so we’re looking for ways to engage them as effectively as possible.

9. Don’t give up

This goes back to blogging: if you want to start posting consistently on your blog and you can’t think of anything to write about, then don’t give up! Just keep on writing; after a while, it will become easier and you will find yourself thinking of ideas more easily. And if all else fails, try writing about what you would be interested in reading about. I promise that someone else would love it!

10. Be consistent

This tip ties in with another one that’s sort of hard to do, namely the next one. Be consistent...this means that you should be posting at least once every two weeks. But don’t just post once a week, and then not post for a month at least have some consistency. What I mean by this is that if you only post once every two weeks, then at least you should post something at least once every two weeks. So how often should you be posting? The best thing to do is to start slow and measure yourself over time.

If you follow these 10 tips, you’re sure to have a much higher chance of engaging your readers. If you’re really struggling to write engaging blog posts, then try writing a mini blog post every day or two and get them scheduled in advance. You can even share some of the mini posts on social media to give people an idea of what you’ll be posting soon!