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How To Use Your Writing For Maximum Audience Engagement

How To Use Your Writing For Maximum Audience Engagement


How To Use Your Writing For Maximum Audience Engagement

Content marketing costs up to 41% less than paid search. In fact, a piece of content can generate over 300% more leads than paid search after three years. If you want to attract more people to your site, you need a strong content marketing strategy to do it.

It’s not enough to produce random content, though. You also need content that gets your audience engaged and excited over your business. Then, you can use that excitement to turn your readers into paying customers!

Here are the 10 tips and tricks you need to boost audience engagement with your content.

With these tips, you can get readers clicking around and contributing to your business! Start growing your content marketing strategy (and ROI) with these 10 tips. 

1. Break It Down

A giant paragraph can scare your readers off before they even start the first line. If you want to boost audience engagement, you need to make it easy for them to read your content.

First, make sure to break down large paragraphs into smaller chunks. Try restraining each paragraph to three or fewer sentences.

Mix up your paragraph lengths as well for variety.

Next, keep your sentences short! Shorter sentences are easier to read, which will encourage people further into your content. 

You can also break your content down using bullet points or lists.

To keep your ideas organized, try using headers and subheaders. Headers draw the reader’s attention to a focal point within your content. They’ll also keep your ideas on track.

Headers, bullet points, and lists are ideal for skim-readers, too. They can find the information they’re looking for before focusing on that piece of your content.

2. Add Graphics

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? In order to improve engagement with your writing, add imagery to your blog piece. These graphics can include:

  • Pictures
  • Illustrations
  • Videos
  • Charts
  • Graphs
  • Animations

These images will draw the reader’s eyes to a segment of your content. At the same time, they’ll increase engagement and hook the reader. 

Make sure to choose powerful, entertaining images. Low-quality images, on the other hand, will only make your brand look cheap as well. Make sure these images match your branding.

For example, if your brand is lighthearted and fun, try using caricatures and cute illustrations. If your brand is more on the serious side, use crisp photography instead. Images can enhance your content while reflecting your brand. 

3. Know Your Audience

Over 409 million people read over 23.7 billion blog pages every month. In order to appeal to your target audience, you need to know who they are, first. 

Start by separating your broader audience distinct buyer personas. Separate them based on their interests, buying behaviors, age, gender, and other demographics. Separating your audience into smaller groups will make it easier to develop content that appeals to their interests.

Next, determine what type of content your audience is already searching for. Develop a list of target keywords you can base your content on.

You can use tools such as SEMRush, Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and Ahrefs to get started. You can also check out this article for dental blog ideas.

The better you know your audience, the more likely you’ll create content that keeps them engaged. 

4. Tell a Story

Engaging content focuses on telling a story while keeping the reader guessing. Don’t put all your cards on the table at the beginning. Instead, spark their intrigue by teasing your content a little.

Then, tell stories about the company’s history, interactions for customers, or your products.

These stories will keep readers enamored as they continue reading. 

5. Remain Clear, Concise, and Consistent

Make sure your content is short, sweet, and to the point. Cut back on run-on sentences that might overwhelm your readers. 

Delete excess words that don’t add value to your content.

Otherwise, you risk boring the reader.

6. Ask Questions

Want to boost audience engagement? Start by asking your readers a question.

Questions can capture the reader’s attention and encourage them to continue reading for an answer. You can ask questions about the customer’s pain points or paint a picture. Some questions, like “Ready to get started?” work as a transition to speed up the flow.

Try adding a question within the content, where the reader’s attention will start to fade.

7. Let Your Passion Shine

When you’re passionate about a topic, it will show in your writing. When learning how to write to engage your audience, let your passion shine through. 

Tell readers why you love your business. Focus on your unique selling point instead of trying to sell them on an idea. Your readers will see that passion and want to learn more. 

If your customers are experiencing a specific pain point, relay empathy. Show them that you understand and want to help solve their problems.

Showing emotion within your writing will help you connect and engage with your audience.

8. Use SEO Tactics

Search engine optimization (SEO) ensures your blog posts appear on search engines like Google. The higher you rank on a search page, the more people will find your content.

Using SEO tactics can help you increase reader engagement. 

First, determine what your readers are searching for. Use your audience research to create a list of topics. Then, focus on one keyword per post. 

Make sure not to stuff your content with this keyword. Instead, the keyword should appear in the:

  • URL
  • Title
  • Opening paragraph
  • Header
  • Closing paragraph

Using a focus keyword within your content will keep readers focused and engaged. 

Make sure to link to relevant resources and internal pages, which will encourage readers to click around. When in doubt, check out what your competitors are doing.

Don’t forget to add social media share buttons to your content, too. The more readers you attract, the higher you’ll rank. 

9. Include a Call-to-Action

Encourage your readers to take action to boost audience engagement. Use strong, action-oriented verbs such as:

  • Explore
  • Grow
  • Drive
  • Launch

Close your post with a specific call-to-action. Do you want readers to subscribe to your email list or contact you? Let them know at the end of your post!

10. Always Edit

Finally, make sure to edit your content thoroughly before posting it online. Blaringly obvious mistakes will only distract your readers. It could also make you appear less credible.

Instead, check for mistakes and show readers you’re an authoritative resource in your industry. 

Get Them Hooked: 10 Writing Tricks to Boost Audience Engagement

Get your readers hooked on every line! With these 10 writing tricks, you can boost audience engagement and turn those readers into customers.

Searching for more copywriting tips? Explore the Writing section of the blog for more helpful guides!

Business

Attract Major Crowds! How to Promote an Event and Grow Your Audience

Attract Major Crowds! How to Promote an Event and Grow


Attract Major Crowds! How to Promote an Event and Grow Your Audience

Are you in the process of creating the next big event in your area?

If this is the case, you want to attract the biggest audience possible. Although it might seem like you need to have a lot of contacts to make this happen, it’s not always the case. 

In this article, we’ll show you how to promote an event and grow your audience with only a few simple steps. 

1. Create a Multifaceted Marketing Plan

The first step if you want to attract more people to your event and grow your audience is to create a multifaceted marketing plan. 

You will not achieve the results you want unless you focus your efforts on more than one platform. The marketing plan should include diversification such as email marketing, social media, and a website for the event.

2. Partner Up With Other Organizers

Although it might seem like other organizers are your competition, it’s very unlikely they will be promoting an event like yours. 

If other event organizers in your area cover different topics but have similar audiences, you might benefit from a partnership with them.

Partnering with other organizers is a two-way street and you can make excellent connections.

3. Use an Event Hashtag 

It’s no secret we now live in a world with hashtags. If you want to promote your event and see results, it’s important you create a hashtag for your event. 

Encourage your event-goers to use the hashtag whenever they post a photo or share your event on social media. This will create more buzz around your event and increase the chances of it going viral. 

4. Use SEO to Your Advantage

Many people use Google to find events around them and see what’s going on in their city. Since this is the case, you need to make sure you use SEO to your advantage.

You need to make sure your event’s page is optimized and you use the right keywords. For example, if your event is a wine tasting in Chicago, your keyword “Chicago wine tasting” should appear a few times on the page. 

5. Create Signage to Complement Your Online Campaign

You’re more likely to attract people to your even if you make the signage visually appealing. Having a graphic designer to take care of your event brochures will ensure people will notice.

Check out these brochure templates from Adobe Spark if you want your next event brochure to be top quality.

6. Think About Paid Ads

Those who want to give their event a little extra boost can also consider paid ads. Choose the platform that most resonates with your audience and choose a paid ad option.

Many social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat offer paid ad services. They make it easy for you to target your audience. 

How to Promote an Event: The Bottom Line

Now that you know how to promote an event and grow your audience, it’s time you put those skills to the test. 

Start by creating a multifaceted marketing strategy, optimize your page, create an event hashtag, and partner with other organizers. Try these tips and watch your audience grow. For more great advice, head over to our business section. 

Business

How to Promote a Podcast and Grow Your Audience

How to Promote a Podcast and Grow Your Audience


No More Podcasts: How to Promote Your Podcast and Grow Your Audience

About 68 million Americans listen to podcasts on a monthly basis. This form of data sharing is particularly popular among millennials who hold college degrees.

If you’re starting a new podcast, creating and marketing it can feel a bit overwhelming. But with our 10 tricks, you’ll successfully spread the word about your new podcast and recruit new followers.

Want to know how?

Here, we’ll share the best tips about how to promote a podcast.

How to Promote a Podcast in 10 Easy Steps

Maybe you’ve already aired a few episodes. Maybe you’re just tossing the idea around. Either way, following these guidelines will spread the word about your upcoming or available podcast.

1. Create a Website

If you haven’t created a website for your podcast yet, do it.

Websites are an easy way for listeners to access the recording itself, view upcoming news and topics and find out more information.

Additionally, you’ll find as you create episodes there’s more information you would like to share with the audience. Perhaps you interviewed an author and would like to share a link to his or her book. Whatever the case is, for these frequent occurrences, your website will come in handy.

Try to pick a domain that involves the name of your podcast to encourage brand recognition and use a responsive web design. Writer Mike Taylor recommends using WordPress because it automatically creates the proper RSS feed for your audio. Furthermore, it’s easy to use.

2. Compile an Email List

Many entrepreneurs and podcast creators assume email lists are an ancient method of communication. Quite the opposite is true: these lists remain a valuable marketing asset.

Email lists have several advantages, the most pronounced being they are a convenient way to keep in touch with listeners and reach out to new audiences. But their convenience also lies in the fact that they are not social media.

Social media sites are owned by other companies, who change their algorithms regularly. That means for any podcast creator attempting to get word of their new show out there, they have to change everything about their social media profiles and comments frequently.

Furthermore, emails allow you to reach up to 85% of the world’s population.

3. Use Social Media

It’s true social media can be a bit of a hassle, but it’s an invaluable marketing tool.

First off, it’s mostly free. Small podcasts can squeeze in their information to attract new listeners.

But it also reaches about 62% of the world’s population. In fact, 75% of marketers report social media exposure increased traffic for their company. It can do the same for your podcast.

Using social media correctly takes more than a quick post. Comments should be brief, contain images and be posted regularly. Always pay attention to posting times, as each site has optimal days and hours where your comment, tweet or post will get the most exposure.

Facebook, for example, has the highest click-through rate between 1 and 4 p.m. on Wednesdays.

4. Make It Accessible

Make your podcast easy to listen to on all devices, convenient to download and available for individuals with a disability.

On your website, use a plugin that will detect the device being used. These software programs reconfigure your site to fit whatever device it’s being viewed on.

For the audio, utilize a media player that uses Javascript and HTML5. If it has fallbacks, even better; this will offer greater compatibility.

Finally, don’t forget about individuals who may not be able to hear your podcast or individuals who might not have earbuds handy. Include professional closed captioning to reach a wider audience.

5. Choose a Good Podcast Hosting Platform

Your hosting platform makes a huge difference in the quality of your podcast. Let’s face it: no one wants to listen to shoddy audio. If you have a professional, high-quality podcast, you’re more likely to engage and retain listeners.

Platforms can offer easy editing methods, data information and storage options. They also allow you to distribute your podcast and share it on social media. Always try out free platforms before committing to paid ones to make sure you like the interface and options.

If you aren’t the greatest with technology, don’t sweat it. Companies offering podcast production services can do all the work for you to make your audio sound professional.

6. Incorporate SEO

You don’t have to be a pro to increase your search engine optimization (SEO). Research common keywords and phrases associated with your podcast’s subject and integrate them into your website and podcast.

Use a podcast title that appeals to your subject and audience to further increase ranking. Episode names, titles and tags should also incorporate keywords.

Simply ensuring your recordings can be downloaded is another great way to boost ranking, as experts suspect episode plays and downloads factor into podcast SEO.

Don’t forget your reviews. Periodically ask listeners to review your podcast to get ranked higher than the competition.

7. Add to Directories

If you’ve followed the previous steps, you’re well on your way to attracting more listeners.

But this is a big step: add your podcast to directories everywhere you can. Doing so will get your podcast’s name out there when individuals search for your subject.

Add your podcast to at least the following:

  • iTunes
  • Google Play
  • Spotify
  • SoundCloud
  • TuneIn
  • iHeartRadio
  • Podtail

8. Reformat Your Podcast

Blogs are an excellent addition to a website and a podcast. They provide the information you share in your show in another format, increasing the likelihood of being noticed.

But blogs aren’t the only thing to consider. Add some YouTube videos or infographics. Keep things spicy to engage all types of audience members and encourage them to hit that “play” button.

9. Remind Audiences to Subscribe

In every episode, ask your listeners to subscribe to the podcast so they can conveniently enjoy your show. Doing so lets listeners automatically download your latest episode or connects them directly to it.

This is an easy way to keep a solid audience base.

10. Team Up with Podcast Pals

Do you know anyone else in the business? If so, ask them to mention your podcast and do the same for their company, site or show.

This is an excellent way to promote your show and help our others in a similar circumstance. While some companies or podcasts offer this with a fee, chances are you know someone out there who has a website, podcast, blog or some other format that reaches audiences.

Make Your Podcast Pop

These ten steps offer several ways you can increase the audience base for your podcast and encourage listeners to flock to your show.

Knowing how to promote a podcast is the first step to success, but with the fierce competition in the market, it’s not easy. Instead, join 40,000 other marketers to learn the ins and outs of promoting your content at our website.

Whether you’re into podcasts or blogs, the information you find will push your shows and sites to greater heights.