Writing Engaging Content: Tips for Captivating Your Audience

I love to entertain. I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by people, chatting and joking away. What brings me absolute joy is when those people are also laughing and having a good time. It fills me up!

I’m the same way when it comes to content writing. I want to imagine anyone who reads our content laughing, sharing what they’re reading, and enjoying themselves. After all, there are too many options to expect people to read content that isn’t informative and entertaining.

When I write I have two goals: educate and entertain.

We all know we should write engaging content, but it’s more challenging to do than it sounds. In fact, 60% of content marketers say regularly writing engaging content is their biggest challenge. 

I want 100% of the content our team writes to engage our readers. And I selfishly want that for you too. After all, I read a lot of content myself. And I want the stuff I read to dazzle me. 

So how do we take our desire to write engaging content and turn it into actually writing content? Here’s what I know from experience.

Understand Your Audience

The first step to writing engaging content is to understand who you’re writing to. Research your digital target audience, then write everything directly to and for them. 

The best way to make sure your content is targeted is to create a target persona. A persona is a truth-based story about a member of your audience. Give the person a name, face, and details about how they use your product or services and why. Identify them as a person, then write to them. 

Your content will automatically be more engaging if it’s focused on the right audience and written directly to them.

Write an Amazing Headline

If the title isn’t good, people won’t click on it and read your content. You want to write click-worthy headlines for every post.

This does not mean, write spammy, click-bait headlines. Don’t do that. 

Your blog post’s headline should:

• Attract attention
• Summarize your post simply
• Depict the post’s tone
• Encourage the reader to click and read
• Use keywords

You really need to pack a punch in a few words, so it’s worth spending time on your blog’s title. Write and rewrite. 

Also, consider using a headline analyzer for headlines and subheads. I usually run all of mine through a headline analyzer and tweak them for improvement. 

One more tip, I always write my headline last. I get into my writing process first and see if something strikes me for the title. 

Sell It with Your Meta Description

Your blog post’s title attracts attention; then the meta description does the selling. The meta description is your post’s ad sales copy. People are unlikely to read if you can’t get the headline and meta description working together.

Tell a Story

We work in the nonfiction space, but people still want storytelling. Everyone connects to stories, even in content marketing. There’s a lot of competition online. Stories are what sets what we write apart from everyone else’s posts on the same topic. 

Think about your reader on the other side of the screen. You’re entertaining them, too, not just educating them. If people read your headline and click after seeing your meta description, they deserve for you to work to connect with them. 

Storytelling in content marketing often means getting your clients to tell you their stories or share their customers’ experiences. People love to read about humanity. And they love a story about someone encountering a problem and finding solutions. Is your product solving real people’s problems? Tell readers!

Address Pain Points

You know your audience, and you know why they buy your product or service. Clearly address the problems you know your brand solves. Spell them out clearly, so the reader knows you understand them and their needs.

Keep It Simple

Marketing writing is unlike any other type of writing. You want to keep your writing simple and easy to read. Remember that most people are coming to your content from their phones. As much as we hate to admit it, they’re more likely to scan than read. Make your content easy to browse.

Keep online content simple by:

• Writing in active voice
• Using simple words
• Using subheads to build on your headline (People should be able to read the title and subheads and get the gist of your post.)
• Writing in short paragraphs (A sentence can be a paragraph online.)
• Using graphics to explain concepts more simply

There are many ways to break up text online for readability — from using simple words to including screenshots. Think about your reader’s experience. Don’t just give them big blocks of text.

Say It Like No One Else

Use your authentic voice. It is a major differentiator between you and the rest of the internet. 

Writing in your voice is more challenging than it should be for a lot of people. Sometimes we try too hard to sound smart and show people we know our stuff. Instead, use your writing to relate to readers. Write to the ordinary person. 

People want to read in your voice, I promise.

Aspire to relate to them and for them to understand your writing. That’s so much more meaningful online than sounding super smart but failing to actually communicate. 

Write for People, Not Machines

I understand that you want your content to rank well for SEO. You want Google to love what you wrote so people can see it. Of course, you do! But you aren’t solving problems for Google. You aren’t in the business of helping them. Write for the people you serve. Tweak your writing in ways that make sense. 

We don’t have to lead with sales to end with sales. When we focus on educating and helping people, then the sales come naturally. 

Write Like You Speak

Write for a magazine, not for The New York Times. Writing in an approachable way is vital for blog writing. It’s not easy, but write in a conversational tone. It’s the way to create something people want to read. It helps people understand and relate to your brand.

Consider radical transparency. Talk to your audience in a natural, authentic way. People relate best to other people who they think are transparent and genuine when they talk to them. People won’t trust you if you put on a mask and pretend to be perfect. 

You don’t have to share every aspect of your life, but be human.

Use Thought-Provoking Questions and Examples

Have you ever talked to someone who you felt was more like talking at you? They go on and on without asking you anything or even giving you a chance to get a word in. You’re probably cringing just thinking about it.

Being talked at isn’t fun. It certainly isn’t engaging. Even though you’re using words on a screen instead of face-to-face conversation, you should still work to include your readers. That means asking thought-provoking questions throughout your content and providing examples they can relate to or find interesting.

Encourage Action

Excellent marketing makes someone want to do something after they’re exposed to it. It encourages the viewer to take action. Regardless of what you’re writing, give the reader an opportunity to participate by taking actions like clicking links or completing polls. Then, at the end of the piece, use a call-to-action to tell them what step to take next.

Let Content Journey Write Your Engaging Content

Not sure about this whole writing engaging content thing? Not sure you want to be in charge of writing content while building your business? It’s okay. SEO content writing isn’t for everyone, but it’s our business. 

Our team at Content Journey would love to lead your content marketing efforts and engage your audience. Book a call today to discuss how our team can help your business grow.