How to Write the Next Blog Post With Reader in Mind

Approximately 2 out of 10 page visitors will read your entire article.

1 out of 10 people who land on your post will only read the headlines.

In your next blog post, keep these psychology ideas in mind to ensure that more people read your entire article.

Are Your Headlines and Subheadings Interesting?

If you’re writing an article about rescue horses in your area:

“Rescue Horses Near Atlanta, Georgia”

That is not an interesting headline.

The first question readers ask when seeing something like this is, “So what?” They’re not likely to even click through your link if this is the only bait.

What makes readers want to continue is a desire to learn more. Your blog title and subtitles should be interesting and leave questions unanswered.

• how-tos
• numbered “tips”
• direct questions
• surprises
• referencing your audience
• negatives
• curiosity triggers
• using specific quantifiable facts

These are great ways to make readers want more and move on to read your body text.

A better headline for a blog post about horses would be

”738 Horses in Need Could be Finding Refuge in One of the Most Unlikely Places.”

In this example, there are quantifiable facts and a curiosity trigger. Immediately posed are the questions, “Which horses are these? Do they have a story?” and, “Where will these horses be finding refuge?”

Readers interested in this subject will want to read more to find answers to the questions created with this headline.

You’ve Probably Been Obsessing Too Much Over Keywords

Unfortunately, keyword targeting is a slippery slope. You do want to utilize SEO if you ever want your website to show up in search engines.

But, if you’ve been planning your posts around specific search terms, it’s likely that there is too much stress on the keywords than creating engaging content.

It’s like this: you should be answering your reader’s questions and providing value above all else. When readers like your content, they will share it.

If you’re clear about the areas you honestly have authority in, your SEO rank will follow. Now, this isn’t to say that you should avoid search targeting all together, but you certainly need to prioritize this second to your blog’s reader experience.

3 Ways to Easily Adapt Posts for Mobile Readers

Upwards of 17% of adults, as of 2012, may be using mobile phones to access content more than they use their computers.

That statistic doesn’t include those who use tablets and other devices; neither does it tell us what percentage of them uses devices other than computers to read blog posts at all.

The number of people using smartphones and tablets is ever-increasing.

As a blogger, you need to keep your reader in mind when writing your articles, and this means considering the mobile user experience (UX).

• What looks good on your laptop may be completely different on an iOS or Android device. Responsive web theme
  s adapt to the user’s device.
• Breaking up your content into sections makes it more likely that mobile users will stay engaged.
• By prioritizing design, using responsive themes, and setting up your posts as a series of micro-interactions rather than thinking of your posts as one unit, you can appeal to today’s reader.

You Need Images That Help You Deliver Your Message

90% of the information that our brains receive is visual. Additionally, visual information is processed 60,000 times faster than text.  If you want full reader engagement, separate sections of your body text with the images that best help you tell your story.

Some images work better than others for effectively delivering different types of information. Use these eight kinds of images in your content, depending on what you are trying to say.

1. Comics – Use these when your message is intended to be emotional and entertaining.
2. Custom Art – If what you’re looking for doesn’t exist, create it. Can’t illustrate? Hire a designer.
3. Infographics – These are useful for making large amounts of data more comprehensive.
4. Still Frames from Film – Are you trying to recreate an emotion you saw in a movie or tv show? The easiest way to do it is to take a still frame from that video into your post.
5. Personal Photos – When telling a personal story, your own photos will help the message evoke deeper levels of emotions from readers.
6. Graphs and Charts – use graphs and charts to express statistical data in an appealing way.
7. Screenshots – If you want to show rather than tell, screenshots are a great way to share your online experiences.
8. Stock Photos – Professional photographers give you access to the entire spectrum of emotional impact through stock photos. You can pay for these or make use of the ones available on free stock photo websites.

Have Your Wheels Started Turning?

After reading about a hand full of the easiest psychological tools to tie your next blog post together, you should be ready to go out and rock this.

Pay close attention to your headings and the questions they elicit. Stop obsessing over SEO. Optimize your page design for mobile users, and use images that are helpful for communicating with your viewers. Go try out this advice today and see what happens.

Megan Hicks is a content marketing manager at WriteThisEssay writing company. She provides online marketing advice to aspiring bloggers and web specialists.