In order to create engaging content, you must know who your target audience is and the best ways to connect with them. Think about it, holding a conversation with a seven year old is a whole different ball game than speaking to a room full of your peers for a work meeting.
Your day to day conversations require the adaptation of both your words and tone to ensure both understanding and engagement are achieved and maintained throughout. Consequently, when you create written content, such adaptation is also necessary to ensure your readers’ attention remains on the page.
Research
Any good piece of content will begin armed with a variety of research behind it. Research must be conducted, not only in to the topic you wish to write about, but also in to the demographic you wish your content to appeal to.
By fully understanding your chosen topic you will be able add in your own primary research, should you wish to do so, and provide your readers with interesting facts they are unable to get anywhere else. It is the unique appeal you can bring to your writing that will set you apart from a variety of other writers. Furthermore, the more primary research you can bring to your piece of writing, the longer your target audience is likely to spend on your page, revelling in the content they’d struggle to find elsewhere.
Writing Style
If you already have an established audience, the chances are you are fully versed in how to engage with them. However, if you are finding that your engagements are dropping, or you are new to the world of digital writing and haven’t yet found your niche, now is the time to refine your individual writing style and start getting your engagements up.
Before you put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard in this case) it is vital that you consider the tone of your piece, in relation to the information it will deliver. Of course, writing an article on a breaking news story will considerably differ in tone than if writing a recipe or a “how to” tutorial.
Next, think about who you are aiming your piece of writing at, how old are they, what other blogs, magazines, or newspapers do they read? Further to this, think about why your audience will be visiting your page, what have they come for, a light hearted read, or an informative article with a variety of facts and figures?
By understanding all of these elements you can tailor your writing style to your target audience, and ensure they take away the intended message of your article after the first read, avoiding the disengagement that can arise from poorly constructed sentences.
Layout and Style
Cast your mind back to when you were in school. How many times did you look at a textbook full of prose in the same size and font and immediately want to replace it with a more engaging comic?
The content of your articles will of course entirely depend on the nature of your targeted market sector, but this should never mean you shy away from engaging page layouts and images that will support your content.
Changes in front size or style (such as boldening or italics) can work as great separators within content that refers to a wide variety of issues, and these changes may also act as signifiers to your reader that you are about to take a new angle within your piece. Writing signals are a great way to ensure that your reader consistently follows your intended message, vital for avoiding the confusion that can occur through lack of understanding.
In order to create engaging content, you will first need to be motivated to write about your chosen subject matter, and then be able to deliver your opinions and facts clearly, in a tone that reflects your brand. Remember, proof reading is a golden tool! If your attention wanes half way down the page, the likelihood is that so will your readers’.
