High-quality content is still the king of every commercial campaign. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to promote with your blog; it might be a product, service, website, or your mere opinions. There is one thing that all great blog posts have in common: they hook the reader with the very first sentence.
You clearly wanted to achieve the same effect when you started blogging, right? Instead of trying different strategies and learning from trial and error, you can simply follow some times that will get you there. This is how you write an especially intriguing opening:
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Write a catchy headline
This is the part that attracts the most attention. It has to be creative, relevant, captivating, and clear. Don’t go for click baits like “Emma Watson tweeted after Alan Rickman’s dead. What happened after will leave you sleepless.”Your goal is to grasp the essence of the entire post into a simple, clear title. Use numbers, top lists, questions, and other tactics that intrigue the readers. Think about blog titles that made you impatient to see what the writer had to say. That’s the type of headline you need.
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Use online tools to craft the perfect title
Sometimes you have few versions of a headline and you don’t know which one to commit to. That’s a good start, because on bad days you don’t have a basic idea where to start. You can use some of these tools to get ideas and settle for the perfect version of a headline:
– CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
– KingSumo Headlines
– Optimizely -
Make a bold claim
You’ll hook your reader with a bold, controversial statement in the introduction. For example, you can say that a mediocre player is currently the best one in the NBA, and then you’ll explain why you think that way. If most readers don’t agree with you from the first sentence, but you get their attention and you manage to explain why you’re right, you’ll spark a great discussion in the comment section.
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Outsource
If you cannot think of a great idea that would engage your audience, you shouldn’t start writing for the sake of publishing something. However, you do have a schedule to stick to, and you have to be on trend with the hot topics. In such case, you can outsource the research, writing, or/and editing part of your job to services like AssignmentMasters.When you collaborate with professional writers and editors, you’ll certainly come up with a great idea and you’ll execute it brilliantly.
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Talk to your readers
Don’t write generic content in third person. Imagine you’re talking to target reader (or customer) and don’t be afraid to write as you speak.Blogging is just like having chats with your friends: you talk clearly, you don’t pull out words from the dictionary, you rarely use passive voice, and you don’t appear formal. Jargon is fine when you’re sure your audience understands it. If you’re not sure that the reader would get your point, then avoid jargon and go back to simplicity.
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Promise a solution
Why would your target reader spend time with your post? What are you offering in return? Your main goal is to get them to read the content and take the action you suggest, but you won’t get any attention if you make the intro salesy. Your reader should get the impression that he will benefit from reading what you have to say.For example, if you’re maintaining a blog that includes Amazon affiliate links for cosmetic products, you should start with the benefits the particular product offers. Your target customer will get rid of acne or wrinkles, and he will discover how that product makes the skin beautiful by reading your text.
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Stay brief and clear
Think about it: do you prefer reading relatively short and extremely clear posts that offer great value, or do you waste your time on endless pages of content you can’t even understand? Exactly!Your readers want to get tons of information in as little time as possible. Don’t bother them with digressions and irrelevant details.
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Add visual content
You cannot hook your reader with plain text. Images, infographics, videos, and other types of visual content are necessary for a successful blog post. Find relevant images and don’t hold back on paying for a publication license if you can’t find what you need from creative commons.Infographics are an especially cool and effective way to get the attention of your audience. You can use some of these tools to create such content:
– Piktochart
– Canva
– Venngage
– Infogr.am
Now that you know how you can hook your readers with a blog post, it’s time to take action and write that cool
Linda Craig is an editor at AssignmentMasters. She is also pursuing a scientific career and currently writing a dissertation on Problems of Post Graduate transition to career life.
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