As writers, we have a mission to engage our readers, but it’s not always a walk in the park. A recent study from Microsoft revealed that the human attention span is now only eight seconds. Plus, the competition out there is stiff, so it’s important to use any advice, tips, and tricks available to ensure that your readers connect with what you write. Trends are changing consistently, and as writers, we must always be at the top of our game to engage and get responses from our audience.
With years of experience, here are my top tips that work in engaging your readers.
Entice your readers with action
With your readers' very short attention span, it’s important to immediately grab their attention and entice them with a compelling statement. This could be anything from statistics, shocking facts, or current events that will interest them and keep them reading. You can also target their emotions by creating feelings or sympathy in your introduction. Whatever you're writing, you must hook your readers right at the first few lines of your articles.
Let them feel your enthusiasm
No matter how amazing your introduction is, your readers will still leave if the rest of what you’ve written is boring. While it’s true that it’s harder to interpret one’s tone on written materials, your readers are smart. They will know if you really are enthusiastic about your topic, or if you’re just filling up space and publishing meaningless, uninteresting or irrelevant content. The best practice here is to write about your favourite niches so that you can convey your enthusiasm naturally. Your audience will feel it and get engaged.
Use the power of storytelling
Yes, you will see this tip from all professional writers because it does work. Storytelling has always been humanity’s most powerful way to pass knowledge, advice, wisdom, and even culture. Successful authors, leaders, and even motivational speakers use it to spread their messages. Create stories and write in a conversational tone that will immerse your readers in what is that you have to say.
Be accurate
No one wants to read anything with inaccurate information, and that’s doubly important for technical writing. The most compelling story in the world won’t engage your audience if it’s full of conflicting information and errors. This tip also involves error-free grammar. It doesn’t matter if your readers don’t have perfect grammar themselves - they aren’t the writers. It’s you, so proofread and edit it, once or twice, or as many times as you need to until you’re satisfied that all the information is accurate and that it’s entirely error-free.
Add a personal touch
Another excellent technique in engaging your readers is to add a personal touch to your writing. Be bold and daring by sharing some personal experiences related to your topic and why you like that topic personally. This doesn’t mean telling your whole life’s story, but just share some personal information related to the topic that will catch their interest. For example, you’re writing about tenders. Perhaps you’d like to add how you’ve helped companies win. That doesn’t only engage readers, but it also adds to your credibility as a tender writer.
Ask questions
Did you know that asking questions invites a response? There, I just asked you a question. If you ask questions in your content, your readers will mentally respond, becoming engaged in what you have to say even if they don’t realise it. Have you noticed that most keynote speakers pause and ask questions to their audience while delivering their piece? The same goes for writing. Questions always draw people to join the conversation through commenting on your post.
Use easy to understand words
No one wants to get lost while reading because they can’t understand the words you’ve written. Unless you’re writing scientific research or an academic journal, where your audience is equally knowledgeable about the topic, use only simple words that are easy to understand. Even if your topic is complex, make it as clear and as straightforward as possible to engage your audience.
Be conversational
Your readers are humans; thus, they expect to engage with human writers, too. How do you do that? By being conversational. Let your writing talk to them in a manner that they can relate to your subject. Use languages that your readers use. If they use contractions or slang language, then use them, too. Keep your tone in a way that your readers can relate to what you’re saying. Crafting your story that people can relate to and identify with are critical elements for engaging them.
Final thoughts
There you have it! These are just some of my proven techniques in writing to engage my readers. Getting people to read your content and keep them on it is always challenging for writers like me. But by using these tips and being consistent about them can make it a little easier for you. An don’t forget - if you need a hand I’m always here to help - just give me a call on 0400 514 579 or shoot me an email to pauline@worddynamics.com.au.
Happy writing!