Reaching out and grabbing your audiences’ attention can be tough, especially when there is so much great content out there these days. Readers are more critical and they expect great quality of content, and why shouldn’t they?
Though it may seem a bit harder to reel in the crowd, I have found there to be 3 kinds of truly captivating forms of content that really reel in my audience and keep them coming back for more.
So let’s get into it, shall we!
A Top Notch ‘How-To’ Post
I don’t think I’ve met one person who didn’t appreciate the value of a high quality ‘how-to’ post. Have you?
The genius behind how-to’s is that they are hand crafted to deliver actionable information that teaches the reader something. Not only that, but the information is presented in bite sized chunks that make following along as easy as 1, 2, 3.
While it may seem that titling your post “How To …” is all it takes to grab the internet’s attention, it’s not. Try and be creative – just not too creative. You want people to know what the post is going to be about, after all.
The No-Nonsense List Post
Just like How-To Posts, list posts are genius in their simplicity. This may have something to do with the fact that the post is easily digestible with a functional title that allows you to skip over material you have no interest in reading.
You may have noticed that list posts have a tendency to go viral. If you take a look at these posts, it’s likely because of the design. Each list post is designed to pack a powerful punch of information without the reader having to scour hundreds of internet pages to gain the same information.
Don’t think that just because you’ve put in the effort to find the information, that your list post will be shared all over the web. There is in fact, an art to creating a catchy list post, and it’s all in the title.
When it comes to creating a title, you are going to want to do some serious brainstorming so you can come up with something interesting. For example, it’s easy to come up with a lack luster title like “10 Healthy Foods to Eat.” Sure, it gets the point across that you’ll be listing 10 healthy food options, but it doesn’t induce excitement.
Rather than bore your readers at the title, why not go with something that has a little more personality like “10 Foods That Are So Delicious You Won’t Believe They’re Healthy For You.” Informative, yet interesting.
Good Ol’ Fashioned Storytelling
I want you to think for a moment. When was the last time you felt truly captivated by a piece of content? What was it about that particular piece that kept you wanting more?
I bet you 50 bucks it had something to do with how well the story was told.
Storytelling is a great way to elicit emotional responses from your audience and the more emotion they feel, the more attached they will be to you and whatever it is you’re saying. A compelling story can be the difference between a skim-over and a read-to-the-very-last-word sort of post.
A lot of people fail to recognize the opportunity for story telling because they’re niche is maybe not the most exciting. Heck, I felt the same way when I first started writing on my affiliate marketing site. What I quickly learned was that turning a tale of failed affiliate site sales into a story of roller coaster emotions and a lesson well learned, really resonated with my audience. That’s right, even affiliate marketing can harness the powers of storytelling!
Next time you put your fingers to your keyboard, think about these 3 kinds of captivating content and really wow your audience.
10 Jul 2014
3 Captivating Kinds of Content Worth Creating
Reaching out and grabbing your audiences’ attention can be tough, especially when there is so much great content out there these days. Readers are more critical and they expect great quality of content, and why shouldn’t they?
Though it may seem a bit harder to reel in the crowd, I have found there to be 3 kinds of truly captivating forms of content that really reel in my audience and keep them coming back for more.
So let’s get into it, shall we!
A Top Notch ‘How-To’ Post
I don’t think I’ve met one person who didn’t appreciate the value of a high quality ‘how-to’ post. Have you?
The genius behind how-to’s is that they are hand crafted to deliver actionable information that teaches the reader something. Not only that, but the information is presented in bite sized chunks that make following along as easy as 1, 2, 3.
While it may seem that titling your post “How To …” is all it takes to grab the internet’s attention, it’s not. Try and be creative – just not too creative. You want people to know what the post is going to be about, after all.
The No-Nonsense List Post
Just like How-To Posts, list posts are genius in their simplicity. This may have something to do with the fact that the post is easily digestible with a functional title that allows you to skip over material you have no interest in reading.
You may have noticed that list posts have a tendency to go viral. If you take a look at these posts, it’s likely because of the design. Each list post is designed to pack a powerful punch of information without the reader having to scour hundreds of internet pages to gain the same information.
Don’t think that just because you’ve put in the effort to find the information, that your list post will be shared all over the web. There is in fact, an art to creating a catchy list post, and it’s all in the title.
When it comes to creating a title, you are going to want to do some serious brainstorming so you can come up with something interesting. For example, it’s easy to come up with a lack luster title like “10 Healthy Foods to Eat.” Sure, it gets the point across that you’ll be listing 10 healthy food options, but it doesn’t induce excitement.
Rather than bore your readers at the title, why not go with something that has a little more personality like “10 Foods That Are So Delicious You Won’t Believe They’re Healthy For You.” Informative, yet interesting.
Good Ol’ Fashioned Storytelling
I want you to think for a moment. When was the last time you felt truly captivated by a piece of content? What was it about that particular piece that kept you wanting more?
I bet you 50 bucks it had something to do with how well the story was told.
Storytelling is a great way to elicit emotional responses from your audience and the more emotion they feel, the more attached they will be to you and whatever it is you’re saying. A compelling story can be the difference between a skim-over and a read-to-the-very-last-word sort of post.
A lot of people fail to recognize the opportunity for story telling because they’re niche is maybe not the most exciting. Heck, I felt the same way when I first started writing on my affiliate marketing site. What I quickly learned was that turning a tale of failed affiliate site sales into a story of roller coaster emotions and a lesson well learned, really resonated with my audience. That’s right, even affiliate marketing can harness the powers of storytelling!
Next time you put your fingers to your keyboard, think about these 3 kinds of captivating content and really wow your audience.