{"id":976,"date":"2020-04-22T15:22:09","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T19:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.seankirbycopy.com\/?p=976"},"modified":"2023-02-16T15:20:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T20:20:00","slug":"why-nobody-is-reading-your-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seankirbycopy.com\/why-nobody-is-reading-your-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Nobody is Actually Reading Your Content \u2014 And What You Can Do About It"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s pretty insulting if you think about it.<\/p>\n

You spend hours or even days pouring your soul into a blog post. And your \u201creaders\u201d move on with hardly a second glance.<\/p>\n

Imagine something like that happening in the offline world. How would you feel if you spent all that time putting together a detailed report, and your boss flipped though a few pages before tossing it in the waste basket?<\/p>\n

Now imagine that it\u2019s not just your boss doing that, but hundreds of people. That\u2019s what\u2019s happening when your time on page analytics look like this:<\/p>\n

\"low<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not entirely your fault. You\u2019ve been following bad advice. In this article, I\u2019m going to let you know what you\u2019re doing wrong and what you should do instead.<\/p>\n

Why you\u2019re practically begging people to leave quickly<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve probably been told to make your content scannable. This is about the worst thing you can do if you want people to spend time on your page. Think about it. How long does it take you to scan an article?<\/p>\n

Instead you want to give the perception<\/em> that your content is scannable. Let me explain.<\/p>\n

Most readers try to skim marketing content rather than investing the time to read it. They look for the points that stand out, such as subheads, callouts and images to get the gist of your article. If your reader can successfully do this, then there\u2019s no reason to actually read it. You obviously don\u2019t want that.<\/p>\n

But if your article is a wall of text, it will look like too much work, and people won\u2019t read that either.<\/p>\n

What you need to do is give your content the appearance that it is scannable and use those elements to draw readers in.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take subheads as an example. Most articles use them to introduce a new point or section of the article. They are informational. Instead, try to treat them like headlines of their own. The goal is to get people reading the copy that follows.<\/p>\n

When I wrote this article about ways to get more mileage out of existing content<\/a>, I could have used subheads like:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Syndicate articles on other websites<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Repurpose content for other formats<\/strong><\/p>\n

Instead, I crafted these messages that tease a benefit:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Get published on multiple sites without guest blogging<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Double your content creation in half the time (or less)<\/strong><\/p>\n

See the difference? The first set of subheads gives the story away. The second set piques your interest and you can\u2019t help but read on.<\/p>\n

Take a similar approach with your images, captions and callouts. The job of each is to get people to start reading. Don\u2019t you want to dive into the article to find out how Brian Dean accomplished the results shown in these charts?<\/p>\n

\"impressive<\/a><\/p>\n

The opportunity most blogs miss<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Your content can be like a magnet. If it\u2019s compelling and valuable, it attracts readers and makes them stick. But magnets have another side that repels objects with the same magnetic pole. That\u2019s the side most blog posts start with.<\/p>\n

How often have you seen an article that begins like this?<\/p>\n

\"boring<\/a><\/p>\n

Or this one?<\/p>\n

\"boring<\/a><\/p>\n

These examples push readers away before they even have a chance to get into the article. People\u2019s attention spans are minuscule these days, and you only have a few seconds to grab them.<\/p>\n

But when you do, you can suck them in before they realize what\u2019s happening. That\u2019s why I often spend more time on the introduction than any other area, even the headline.<\/p>\n

Here are a few ways to make your opening magnetic:<\/p>\n

Make an emotional connection.<\/strong> Take a look at the intro to this article you\u2019re reading now. Can\u2019t you just feel the frustration, and perhaps a little bit of anger, build? Didn\u2019t that emotional investment make you want to continue on? You don\u2019t want to walk away feeling like that.<\/p>\n

Anger and frustration aren\u2019t the only powerful emotions you can use. Fear, greed, envy, guilt, pride, love and hope can all be used to engage readers from the get-go.<\/p>\n

Tell a story.<\/strong> Facts and figures are boring. They are easily forgotten. But stories can bring information to life. We can visualize them in our minds\u2019 eye. We can relate to them. We feel empathy for the people in them.<\/p>\n

Tell me you don\u2019t get sucked into Alex Turnbull\u2019s story<\/a> on how his first business almost failed before it even got started in this article:<\/p>\n

\"Storytelling<\/a><\/p>\n

Build curiosity.<\/strong> Remember, your objective is keep people reading. Adding a little mystery or suspense is one of the best ways to this. I\u2019ll share some specific tactics and examples for this a little later because it applies to more than just the intro.<\/p>\n

Make your first paragraph short.<\/strong> Your introduction is the main entry point to your article. It\u2019s vital to eliminate barriers at this point, including long text.<\/p>\n

Which of these would you rather read?<\/p>\n


\n<\/a>\"long<\/a>or…<\/p>\n

\"punchy<\/a><\/p>\n

How the world\u2019s best blog writers keep people reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The intro isn\u2019t the only place you can lose readers. You need to keep their attention throughout the article. Bad advice causes problems here, too.<\/p>\n

You see the data that long-form content performs better than shorter content. And it makes sense. More content takes longer to read, so your time on page should go up. But that\u2019s only true if people read the whole thing.<\/p>\n

By focusing on length rather than value, you increase your risk of pushing readers away. So what you leave out is as important as what you put in. Take this article for instance.<\/p>\n

Many writers would have included a section in the beginning about the benefits of keeping people reading your article. But you already know the benefits. Otherwise you wouldn\u2019t have started reading this article in the first place.<\/p>\n

What you want is to learn how<\/em> to do it. You want strategies and tactics you can put to use. So instead of telling you things you already know, I delve right into the good stuff and don\u2019t let up until you reach the end.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, providing helpful information is not enough to hold attention today. You have to build intrigue. That\u2019s where these tactics come in.<\/p>\n

Grease Slide Copy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The end of a paragraph. The conclusion of a thought or message. A definitive statement. There are several natural stopping points throughout every article. These call for grease slide copy.<\/p>\n

These phrases go by several names. Brian Dean calls them bucket brigades. Joseph Sugarman refers to them as seeds of curiosity. No matter what you call them, they are a great way to move readers through your content.<\/p>\n

They do two things:<\/p>\n

First, they build anticipation by delaying the information ever so slightly. In fact, the sentence above is a good example. You want to know what those two things are, so you are compelled to keep reading.<\/p>\n

Second, they provide a bridge from one paragraph or message to another. Look at these examples from one of my articles<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"grease<\/a><\/p>\n

Notice how you slide effortlessly to the next paragraph?<\/p>\n

Here are a few other words and phrases to try:<\/p>\n