Three Ways to Engage Readers
Have you ever devoured an article and wondered, What kind of sorcery enticed me to read this entire thing without even noticing? Great content isn’t enough to keep readers engaged. You need to structure your work carefully and spruce it up with the kind of prose that makes reading feel like you’re sledding downhill. Follow these three tips to get started.
Use active voice.
Active voice refers to your subject acting directly on its verb. Though passive voice has its uses, active voice improves flow and clarity because it erases filler words and creates a sense of confidence.
Passive voice: The Beatles are adored worldwide by their fans.
Active voice: Fans worldwide adore The Beatles.
Passive voice: At its core, sports massage is centered around maintaining a patient’s active lifestyle while providing lasting relief, improved recovery periods, and injury prevention.
Active voice: At its core, sports massage maintains a patient’s active lifestyle while providing lasting relief, improved recovery periods, and injury prevention.
Present information from most to least important.
This sacred rule of journalism applies to any article or blog post worth reading (so if you’re in the business of writing clickbait… Well, why are you even reading this?) Don’t make your reader scroll around to find the information they’re looking for. They’re more likely to scroll right past your point, get frustrated, and hit the back button.
Whether you’re writing an informative or fluffy piece, get to the point immediately after your hook. Follow up with details, with the most important (or interesting) information first.
Write short, digestible paragraphs.
How many times have you scrolled through the comments on Reddit and skated right past that 20-line wall of text because who has the time or patience to squint through that?
Line breaks allow the brain a brief respite, like it’s chewing on information between bites. Keep your paragraphs to a similar length. On average I recommend no more than four sentences for each one, depending on your style, audience, and density of your content.
I hope this has been helpful! Are there any particular snags you’ve run into your writing? Are there any mysteries of the writing universe upon which I can shed light? Contact me!