Writing Content That Grabs Readers

With the growing number of blogs out there, it is important that you allow your blog to grab reader's attention and keep their attention. Once again, the author of Problogger has some great tips on how to grab and maintain your reader's attention. Along with those tips, here are some that I have found over the past semester that benefited me.

1. Writing somewhere between 100 and 500 words is a great place to start. You want to write enough to interest your reader, but not drag on and bore them.
2. Using picture also helps grab your reader's attention. It will help them to visualize what you are saying. It also adds credibility to your posts.
3. Lead your reader. Just like writing an article for a newspaper, you want to tell your reader what you will be talking about within the first 2 sentences of your post. This will allow them to see if what are writing about is what they are looking for.
4. Read your comments and comment on your comments. If a reader comments on one of your posts that mean that he or she felt a connection to what you had to say, whether it be good or bad. Always, always, always comment on the reader's reaction or e-mail the reader and let them know how you feel. That shows the reader that you care and will keep them coming back for more.
5. Post regularly. Its OK to skip a day or two, but no more than that. It will make the reader think you are uninterested and don't care enough to make time to post. Even if you just write a short post around 100 words, it will benefit you to keep a schedule and keep posting.
6. Double check your facts and use attributions. Always practice good journalism skills. Just because this is a blog doesn't mean that you can't be credible. If you get a quote from someone, link to their website or blog. Not only will t make you seem more professional, it can also help you build traffic.

Take these tips into consideration. Remember, this blog is supposed to help you practice your journalism skills so write just like you would if you worked for the New York Times. I have found that these tips really help you seem more professional and will really help build a strong base of readers.