There’s something you need to know, and I’m afraid you’re not going to like it.
Your blog is putting me to sleep.
I gave it about three seconds of my attention…
Nothing grabbed my eye. No headline inspired me to read. No images drew me in.
And here’s the thing: it was easy for me to rid myself of your insipid writing, your bland blog. Closed my Internet Browser and that was it.
It doesn’t have to be that way. A few tweaks here, a little more effort there, and your website will stop me in my tracks.
Here’s four ways not to be boring for you to try out this week. This will not be boring…
1. Never forget it’s about me. So speak to me!
If it’s me you’re trying to reach, let me know by tailoring your writing and design so it connects with me.
Find out what angers me, and write about how to fix my problems. Find out what I’m passionate about, and share everything you know about the topic.
Learn what keeps me up at night, and figure out how you can restore my slumber.
If you’ll do that, I won’t be able to resist reading. I’ll become a frequent visitor, and I’ll know you’re speaking directly to me when you write.
2. Use a bit of color
Why’s everyone so afraid of color?
If we had to print our blogs instead of displaying them on screen, I could understand the hesitation. In print, color costs money.
But this is the web. We have millions of colors available to choose from.
So pick two.
Why only two? Using two main colors (not including black or dark grey text) is a great way to visually brand a website.
It’s easier for visitors to remember two colors. That’s one reason sports teams use two colors.
Don’t be afraid to use colors to establish your personality as a blogger.
3. Break it down
You may have a lot to say on your topic. There’s nothing wrong with that, but please, please do it in a way that I can effortlessly read it.
It’s frustrating to arrive at a website only to be greeted by walls of text with no line breaks, no subheads, and a scrollbar that gets progressively smaller as the page loads. Reading sites like that feels like a chore.
The solution is easy. Stick to one idea per paragraph. Keep them short: three to four sentences at the most.
Spend time writing good subheads, too, because many readers will scan your subheads to decide whether or not to invest time reading your blog post.
4. Do not be afraid to be a bit bossy
You’ve drawn me in, you’ve held my interest, and I made it all the way to the end of your post. Now what should I do?
Tell me what you’d like me to do next. Should I share your post? Do you want me to sign up for your newsletter? Or perhaps you’d like to hear from me in the comments?
End your posts with a clear call to action. I can’t read your mind.
Undoubtedly some of you are going to be like, “I just want to write. I don’t want to market my blog. I don’t care if anyone reads my blog.”
These techniques don’t take a lot of effort.
The first one takes some thought.
The second is a one-time decision.
Numbers three and four are simple habits you can adopt.
From zero to hero is all about changing one lousy letter.
Ouch that hurt… ha ha but really great points! I need to fix the call to action part myself. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am going to have to come back and read this one more than once. 🙂
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“Zero to Hero” – I love that! And even though it is not a matter of numbers, of course I want readers to read my blog Of course, I relish the “likes” and covet the comments. Of course I want to constantly learn and improve. So, thank you for your instruction, your encouragement, and your honesty. No, I do not want my blog to put you to sleep!! ❤
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Check, check, check, and check!
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I know the post you are thinking of Cristian… I knew I shouldn’t have rushed to post it!!! I’ll try harder next time I sware! ;-P
Great post as usual!
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Thank you – this was a really good post. I hope my blog has a handle on 1 and 2. I’m always working at number three. (Yes, I do tend to talk on and on…) And four – I hadn’t even thought about! Love the encouragement to be bossy! 🙂
As always, thank you for your thoughts and advice!
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Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.
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Great read 👌
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Thank you.
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Great blog. I like your direct approach. Lots of good tips to think about. Thanks.
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Sounds like a workable plan! Thank you!
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Thank you for reading.
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Very useful post, makes me think about my writting)
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Thank you.
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I actually read it. Great post!👍
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My biggest fear so thank you 😊
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Great post, Cristian. Thanks for sharing.
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My one tip for not being boring is just to be yourself. Everyone is unique in their own way and just remember to celebrate what’s unique about you 🙂
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Great advice. A plan of action is what I need to establish, thanks for the tips.
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Thank you.
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Really helpful post! Will be putting these tips into action 🙂
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Thank you, Dominique.
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One lousy letter? What is it? Love this! I don’t even remember how I started following this page but it’s so useful. I also love that you have no call to action and people are still commenting. What a dream.
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Great post! I’ve seen many times we become appreciators rather than critique of our own content. Its important to think as your own intended audience. The challenge comes in penning down the thoughts. I am beginning to read more about it and apply the learnings.
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As a relatively new blogger this is great! Gave me points to think about… thank you x
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Thank you for reading. I am glad you enjoyed this post.
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Great post! A lot of people seem to forget how their blog is perceived by their readers. You aren’t the one reading, you’re the one writing! So read it back to yourself like you’re the reader. What would interest you about your post?
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Oh this is great advice thanks for sharing this!!❤️
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Lots of great points here, thanks!
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Oh great, Babe! Now I have a freaking complex! Lol.
Very informative. No, seriously.
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Great tips for me, thank you so much
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Very motivational and informative.. Anand Bose from Kerala
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Spoke straight to me. I need to go back to my blog now and work on some things!
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I’m new to blogging, this has been a great help. Many thanks…..
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Reblogged this on Julia's Journal and commented:
These are great tips about keeping your readers interested; just takes a bit of thought and effort
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Thank you for the reblog, Julia!
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You’re welcome, it’s good to learn from fellow bloggers
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You’ve given me a lot to work with in this post. Thank you sir. and its back to the drawing board for me
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You’re welcome, Jinkai.
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I’ll even write a new post!
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Thanks Cristian! The tools made perfect sense. I needed this!
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My pleasure, Katherine.
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Ha, bossy is easy for me, now just must add to my site and diet, lol
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These are truly some great advice. Thank you
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Thank you
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Great tips I’ll definitely start applying them
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I’m definitely trying this
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I’ve tried coloured text from time to time, but for whatever reason, the posts gained less viewers than the regular black – though it does work quite well with book excerpts.
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That shouldn’t affect views that much. It’s maybe about the type of content. Or the headline you used. Or the introduction.
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Probably the title: I’m not too good at those.
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I’ve got a free tutorial and a few posts on headlines. Do check them out. Might be of help.
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I shall. Thank you
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All good tips, as usual. But Cristian, tell me, what are your thoughts about blogs that only vent about their problems; those blogs get lots of engagement. But I don’t see how reading those types of blogs are solving any of “my” problems.
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What’s your definition of lots of engagement? I never found such a blog. They rarely get a few comments, and mostly from folks who want to feel some pity for someone else (while also feeling better about their own lives.)
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I define engagement as lots of likes and comments. (20 or more per post). I guess you’re right, some people engage with those posts to feel better about themselves. I just feel like the writers of such posts gain more (attention, engagement, ego boost?) than what they are giving, which is what you suggest good bloggers need to do: provide value, answers, and solutions to readers’ questions and problems. I realize I sound like I’m venting, I’m really not. Merely sharing an observation and wanted to hear your take on it. Your posts motivate me! Enjoy your day!!
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Well, you never know what goes on behind the scenes, so they may be investing a lot of time interacting with other bloggers, commenting on their posts, etc, and that’s why they get a lot of comments in return.
20 comments per post is not that difficult to get, regardless of the type of content you share. All it takes is to spend an insane amount of time networking.
Now, the idea is that in the long run (and getting to a hundred thousand followers, etc.) you must provide some kind of value to others. The more valuable the posts, the more influential you are.
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You’ve given me much to think about and work on…I want to say I don’t have an “insane amount of time” to network, but that would only sound like a lame excuse, so I need to make the time
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I’m a person who fears people reading or listening to my blog posts:)
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Why?
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I love the call to action tip. I believe that’s really the only way to get people to interact with your work. How can they engage with you if you don’t give them anything to engage with?
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