Monday 30 March 2015

4 Things That Make Me Click To Read Content


One of the misconceptions behind blogging is that just by putting your content out there, people will see it, and that's not true. If you want people to see your content you've been working on for hours, you need to do more than just press 'post' or 'publish', you need to promote it, because without promotion, you'll have no readers, and without readers, you'll have no views, and whether we like to admit it or not, views are important, they define you, they make you aware of what you're doing, how you're doing it, and allow yourself to ask questions. The most common of the questions I ask myself regularly is 'would I read this if somebody else wrote it?' It's what encourages me to strive for better content, it's what reminds me that I need to promote, that I need to make everything I write appealing to you, otherwise you'd never read it, and I'd have wasted my time entirely.

However, your content is just as important as mine. You've spent the same amount of hours putting together a post, and you're proud of it, it's exactly how you wanted it to be, it makes it's points, it's informative, hilarious, exciting, it's everything you wanted it to be and more, in fact, it's perfect for me, but you've got a problem. You need to somehow encourage me, to read your post, and so, because I'm a lovely person behind my rough exterior, I'm going to give you some tips on how to get me reading your content. You may want to get a pen and paper..

1) Big, Bright, Bold or Brash Titles

When I'm scrolling through the posts blogs I follow have published, one of the biggest features that will stand out to me are their titles. You can write up the most amazing blog post the world has ever seen, but I'm not going to give it a second of my attention if that post doesn't lure me by it's title first. I like big, I like bold, I like titles that either tell me exactly what I'm getting, sound snappy and straight forward, or have a slight sense of mystery about them - it's a preference I like to include within my own posts.

I like titles that stick with me - It Aint About The Money - a post I wrote about my lack of costs concerning blogging, that title stayed with me hours after I wrote it because it's one of my most memorable lines in a pretty memorable song, and whether you like it or not, Price Tag by Jessie J is pretty damn catchy. I like titles that say 'BAM! This is what this post about - you liiiiiiiike?' because then I know exactly what I'm getting. Charnell, Jeann, Kelley and Asti all use this method, and it's one of the reasons I will, nine times out of ten, find myself reading what they've written. They're bold and brash titles, titles that just say 'if you want it, come and get it' and it's titles like this that I cannot deny. Then you've got your funky titles, the titles that become a game, or are just really intriguing. Cait is my favourite when it comes to funky titles, she can turn any 'Top Ten Tuesday' prompt into a tongue twister of elaborate proportions, or she has a way of convincing you to read anything either by telling, blackmailing or offering food, and as taking-over-the-world plans go, offering food will get you places, and it'll get me reading your posts. Like I said, donkey to a carrot I am. The final type of title brings me onto the second method..

2) Ask Questions, Talk Weird Habits, Get Me Reacting!

The last kind of title that leads to me reading your content is more than just a title, it's an open door that either slowly pulls me in, or I launch myself through without even knocking, and it's the titles that ask a question, or create a reaction in me, the kind that have me going thinking about why I'd never considered that question before, or titles than make me go 'huh?' or 'OMG YES I DO THIS! *click* These titles, and the posts behind them, are the ones that intrigue me or make me feel less - well, weird. You might think that your habit of reading spoilers in reviews and searching for the juicy details is a solo adventure, but I'm telling you now, there are people like you (like me!) or you might have just sat there and gone 'holy mother of all things bookish, I've never thought of that before..' and then wondered whether it's an actual worthy topic, and I can promise you, even the most weird of questions catch my attention, everything from whether other bloggers are our competition, or whether we have an obligation as book 'reviewers', they're things that I may never have considered, but your title makes me react, and it makes me want to you read your content.

3) It's Relevant, It's Current, It's in-The-Moment

There's rarely a month that goes by these days where there isn't some sort dramallama event taking place in the community, and one of the biggest pieces of advice I see around is to 'stay out of it', and while I agree to an extent, have you ever wondered why the even some of the biggest a-holes in the business have views sky-rocketing? It's because even though their being douche-bag-like, they're creating content that's in the moment, whether it be factual, (or their attempt of) or personal, it's current, it's relevant to what's happening and it draws in moths (that's me) to the flame (that's the post). While I would definitely advise against being one of those annoying human beings, you can in fact act on these current events and make them into something so much more worth reading, something that will get me reading your content. You can easily turn a author-stalking-blogger piece of news into a post about protecting yourself online, or you can turn a very silly article about adults and young adult books into your reasons behind reading young adult, the unexpected benefits of reading young adult as an adult and how young adult is so much more than just a childrens book. You can turn anything negative into the community into something positive, I know you can, I've seen bloggers do it themselves, and I can promise you now, if you're ballsy, confident and willing to take a chance on a topic others might not, I'm going to be right there, reading and, hopefully, loving it.

4) Make It Worth The Wait - Quality, Trust and Consistency

This could sound like an awful lot for one simple point, but trust me, I find they all link together very well. Main point of call is that if you're not a post-everyday-blogger, which I know a lot of the blogs I follow aren't, then that's wonderful, honestly, you have a better, more exciting life than I lead, and that is more than great, but I need consistency. I need to know how often you will post, I need to trust that you will, and I need to know that the post you're writing has been worth the wait. What can I say, I'm like a clingy girlfriend that wants to know when I'll see you next, but it's only because I love and miss you.. Allie and Jess are brilliant bloggers, seriously, I love their content and they always make their content worth reading, especially consider they don't post every day. In fact, these ladies post twice, maybe three times in a week long period, and more often than not, that's what makes me appreciate, enjoy and what encourages me to read their content, because it's a rarer than somebody that posts a Waiting on Wednesday to fill a gap, or a Top Ten Tuesday with just images. They work hard, they are dedicated, and when their content is published, it's always of a high quality, and I always trust that it will be, because they're consistent in that they don't post everyday, but make what they do post worth the wait. I've developed a level of private trust with these ladies - they might not know it, but they encourage me to read their posts by making me aware that when there's a post there, it's always worth a read.

Providing quality posts regularly creates a level of trust between what you might call the supplier or service provider (the blogger) and the consumer (the reader) and it's this level of trust that can encourage a reader to read your post, even if the subject isn't of high interest to them. I've been known to stumble upon reviews of books that have completely different opinions to me, or habit and hobby posts that I have not a single idea about, but the relationship and the bond of trust I've created with the blogger, whether they know it or not, can be the make or break between reading your content, and eventually, unfollowing you completely. If you provide me with a good service, then I'll keep coming to make use of it, you've just got to create a good bride with the previous points to get me crossing.

I like to think I'm pretty easy to bribe encourage when it comes to reading content. I can be swayed if I know you, whether that's been from a few retweets or a quick conversation on Twitter. If you've left a pretty interesting comment and I've taken a liking to you and your voice, I'll probably come a check you out (looking good gurl..) God damn, I've found my way to people's post just because other people have had a conversation about it on social media, seriously, if I see something and it looks good, I'll read it. If you're going to get me, or anyone else reading your content, it's got to either benefit the person your aiming for or prove to be worthy way to spend time. You've got to promote your content by pulling people towards it in a way people find appealing and enjoyable - ranting about Sunday Dinner won't work.

How do you get people to read your content?

How can people encourage you to read their content? What's the biggest way I succeed in getting you to read my content? Pot luck, or is my offer of cake better than expected?

20 comments:

  1. This post is like marketing in general. You need to catch the reader's attention, primarily.

    For me, I always struggle with discussion titles more than anything else. Because for reviews and memes, the title's pretty standard. Even my STS posts have a title like "Oh the Woes of TV Shows" but I know that I have to think real hard on them.

    For content, I try to leave a question at the bottom so people have an extra push to get involved!

    Awesome post.

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    1. Definitely, if you don't put the hard work in, you're not going to get results, easy as that isn't it? Sometimes the simple titles can do all the work, if you can easily just title a Weekly Recap 'when Nova fell for ___ and did ___' you know what I mean? Simple titles work just as good as stand outs, means you know what's going on, and I'm always leaving questions, as you can see! Thanks for stopping by Nova!<3

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  2. I agree with all these. I now only follow blogs with content that help me get to know the blogger behind the reviews, etc. I love discussions and personal stories - basically anything that will get me engaged.

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    1. It's these blogs that do something else and put themselves in their posts, makes you come doesn't it Jillian, I'm pretty much the same. Thanks for stopping by lovely!<3

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  3. You made some awesome points! I agree with a lot of what you said.

    Sadly I'm kind of rubbish at coming up with good post titles. Most of my titles are very practical, like, "How to do x" or "5 ways to do y" or "Do x with y to increase your z". But that probably doesn't make them very interesting. Hopefully this is something I can improve!

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    1. Thanks Ashley, that means a lot. I love that your titles just say it as it is though, means I know exactly what I'm getting, and I'm sure people love that too, not to mention it helps with SEO too right? If it works for you right now, stick with it, makes sense! Thanks for stopping by Ashley!<3

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  4. What a fantastic, helpful post Amanda! This is part of the reason why discussion posts will always draw in readers, especially if they're relatable, current or a little bit quirky. I always add a title in my review titles as well so at a glance people know what I'm talking about.

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    1. Thanks Jeann! I love that you had titles in your reviews too, gives me a quick look at whether you liked it or not or something about it, it's a great idea and it works! :)

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  5. So many bloggers neglect headlines! It's really quite astounding that they get any readers at all. I hate headlines that basically are just the title of the meme (who cares?) and especially ones that also include twitter hashtags because they are too lazy to promote each post on different social networks. I don't even read those posts anymore. Really, if you can catch me with a headline and keep your post short and sweet, I'll come back time and again.

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    1. It does surprise me just how bloggers don't think a title is that important, it's a vital part of your content, like a book title! Thank you for reading lovely! :)

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  6. This is a really great post Amanda, our blog mostly features reviews, but when we do feature other posts, we do try and keep them short to and to the point, I know myself that I can't sit there forever scrolling through an interview then a long review. I've also always enjoyed some of the discussion posts that a lot of bloggers seem to put together, especially if they're ones I have strong feelings about.

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    1. Thanks Jasprit! It's always great to be able to relate to another person's content, it's what makes you read!<3

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  7. Very interesting. I never thought about the effect of titles, but thinking of it, if it's interesting sounding I'm more likely to click on it too. I only wish I was more creative, because most of the times I like to take the more practical road (just show immediately what the post is about) "I am a clingy girlfriend" *snickers*

    Great post, it made me think!

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    1. I do think that titles that tell me exactly what I'm getting work too, but only really if it's something I'm interested in you know? If it's 'how to ____' then there's a chance I'll click, if not, it's a pot-luck really.. Thank you for checking it out though Mel!<3

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  8. What a read, Amanda! Definitely a favourite for me this week. You're spot on, especially for me personally. I love a brash title! I have a short attention span, I want to be drawn in pronto, you know? I'm with you on the quality front. Which I think was something that I struggled with in many aspects of my life. It took me a while but I finally learnt why the mothers always bang on about quality over quantity. Yes, I managed to stop impulse buying, but this realisation took a lot longer with blogging for me. I've finally learnt to accept that if I put effort into something that I'm much more proud off, something that I want out there on the internet, then it'll sit better with me, and it'll be a little more worth the read as opposed to a filler.

    And your cake amazing. Like fudge on a saturday night. The best kind.

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    1. Thanks Jess! It's always that quality over quantity, and even though you don't post often, when you do it's amazing, that's why I love you and your blog like I do!<3

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  9. Awesome post Amanda, these are some great tips for all bloggers out there. A catchy title definitely intrigues me right away, and I'll be ten times more inclined to click on a post if it pops out at me just from that - a little word play never goes astray! I've been trying to think of some good names with that little bit of extra pizzazz, but it does take work. Posting regularly is a goal, but I know when the school workload fluctuates that can be hard - though scheduling in advance does help.

    In all, loved this post! :)

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    1. Thanks Eugenia! I do think titles sort of come to you, and if they don't, the blunt and honest route is best, but following the crowd is something I wouldn't always do, even if it's a meme, just changing it slightly might work.. When you have great content, a little change in posting is okay, as long as we're aware of the change, going poof for tow months without explanation is a little confusing for a reader :)<3

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  10. Great post! I have to say that for the first couple years blogging I did not realize this. It seems so obvious but it's really not. I started to put a little something extra in the titles after I changed my theme a few months ago. Unfortunately I am really bad at checking pageviews and other such stats so I have no idea if it has even helped >.< I know that's bad (and embarrassing to admit). But I know that I would be more likely to read my own posts now so, like you said, that's a good indicator. I will try to improve more upon this and your post just gave me a little extra push! Thanks :)

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    1. Thanks lovely! I like checking out Google Analytics and other stats you have your blog is something you get the hang of eventually, it's always worth having a quick look at what people like from you and don't you know? I'm glad I could inspire you! :)<3

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