How to Hold Your Readers’ Attention

Most writers attempting to engage their readers with digital content get all the way up to about this point to throw a hook good enough to keep your audience on the line and interested in your content. Authors, marketers and journalists alike have troubled over the intricacies of this complex problem, but in the end, the question remains: How do you get your readers to stick with you to the end?

In reality, the question should sound more like: How do I foster interest in my readers and get them to understand my message?

How should you write content to address those goals? I’m (proactively) glad you asked.

Start Loud

A statistic, a metaphor, an off-shoot limerick – give your reader something to be curious about. This is key to activating engagement in your readership. Surprising your audience will give them something to look forward to and will make your content fresh and vibrant in comparison to the drab technical print that some readers slog through, brick by boring brick.

Connect to Your Audience

Share something creative and interesting with your readers – something that will evoke empathy. This is not possible unless you know your audience. Struggling writers often miss this bit of advice. I can hear it now – “But I already know this technique, I have no need for your reminder! Instantly writing down relevant, audience-oriented sentences comes as naturally to me as breathing,” said no writer ever.

As with any piece of entertainment, you need to be able to taper and build your content around concepts and themes that resonate with your target audience. Demographic information, geographic location, interests, pain points and more all factor into writing relevant content.

Break up the Content

You may have noticed that this blog post is segmented by topic and labeled with headers. Breaking your content up into readable sections like this ensures that your readers don’t get lost, start skimming or bounce from your page. A page of content sans paragraphs is a daunting task to even the most accomplished of readers.

In screenwriting lessons, you’re taught to introduce your audience to a scene as late as possible, and to leave the scene as early as possible without sacrificing the impact of the action or dialogue taking place. The same technique applies to writing entertaining copy. Only the pertinent, powerful information is necessary. Dissolving your writing into smaller, manageable bites makes them easier to swallow.

Build Rapport

Give your readers variety in your copy, but don’t say too much. As fiction author Patrick Rothfuss says, “Half of seeming clever is keeping your mouth shut at the right times.” In essence, the key to strong attention-gripping writing is saying what you need to say in a powerful way, and leaving it at that.

Consider a prototype SUV. If you weigh down the vehicle with accessories and tools that make it more “robust” and offer more to a potential buyer, it becomes clunky and loses efficiency – the fuel economy drops, its top speed is debilitated and the dashboard looks more like an airplane cockpit than a driver’s seat. A cleanly written blog post, whitepaper or essay will have streamlined elements revolving around its strongest points. It will be the fuel-efficient, responsive, slick-red sports car of writing pieces.

At this point, in the back of some readers’ minds, a small angry man is yelling, “What about the those of us who like the bells and whistles?!” This argument does bear some weight – it’s important to acknowledge that no piece of writing is perfect for every reader. Just as a true cure-all doesn’t exist for the most troublesome diseases, no writing works effectively for all recipients (again, research your audience to ensure you know who you’re writing for!).

Add Spice with Details

People naturally think in concrete details associated with experiences. This means when we hear a descriptive piece of information, we make an association with things we know well, and understand the new concept in greater detail. Using comparative language helps your reader accomplish quick affiliation to personal experience, and thereby relate more clearly to your content. Details paint a vibrant picture, where a simple sentence gives you only the frame.

Let’s take a look at two examples:

Mark was a college student who started a company to connect friends together online. His new idea started a movement in the social media realm. It started with a simple site he made himself, called “Facemash.”

or

In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg and a few Harvard roommates launched Facebook, the social media giant we know today. The idea came to fruition after Zuckerberg coded software for a site he coined “Facemash,” which compared two students side-by-side, rating them on attractiveness.

The details in the second example inform the reader with detail rather than simply conveying general fact. In other words, the top example is a blurry monochromatic photo, where the bottom would be the same image in crisp color. In detail, we achieve clarity.

Wrap it Up Nicely

When all is said, you’re not quite done. You’ve argued your point and appealed to your audience, but now it’s time to put the bright silver bow on your informative gift – provide your readers with a call-to-action. What’s the point of your content? What should your audience do after reading it?

Quick Tips

• Find Your Voice – Appeal to the curiosity of your readers and shape your points around the uniqueness of what you’re writing about to add a strong dynamic. Use humor and wit (to a point) to connect with your audience.

• Use Stronger Verbs – This doesn’t revolve around conceptual writing, but merely making your verbs more active and punchy.

For example: “Jack made a wooden figurine for his sister” is replaced by “Jack whittled a wooden figurine for his sister.” Or crafted, carved, pared, trimmed, shaped – any of these work more effectively and lend more weight and detail to the sentence.

• Pair with Imagery – The human eye naturally processes images faster than text, and as mentioned before, positive associations made in your writing will build rapport with your audience. Find an image to accompany your text to make it more inviting.

Tactics like this don’t come naturally to all writers – sometimes you need a bit more expertise. In the marketing realm, writing to accommodate your clients can be formidable, even to seasoned veterans. If you don’t fancy yourself a wordsmith, or simply don’t have the time to write strong content for your target audience, Pyxl can help get your demand generation off the ground and running with powerful, relevant content. Give us a call!

Updated: Apr 13, 2022