Dan Hartner
Remember getting yelled at by your parents? Personally, I can think back to multiple occasions of where I would have rather eaten lead chips than listen to another word they had to say. Their message is old, their words are meaningless and you simply want them to get to the point. If this has ever been you, congratulations, you understand a key step to writing for the internet.
Writing for the internet can be fun and limitless. Forget the research and statistical information, the objective is to keep the reader coming back not put them to sleep. In this brief article, I'll go over some of what I believe to be key points in having successful writing habits. But hey, I'm only a college kid.
STEP 1 - Catch my interest.
How do you grab your readers attention and keep it? I thought you'd never ask.
First and foremost, the page has to be appealing. Judging by the fact that the initial 12 years of education is stricken with paperback books and a color scheme of maybe three colors, this shouldn't be too hard. Notice how I bolded "Step 1" above? This keeps your eyes moving downward over my content. Bold your main points, titles or anything you deem to be important, this way the reader will likely do the same. Also, add pictures and relatable content. If I'm reading an article on the best food spots in New York State, you better believe I'm looking for a picture of pizza or you've lost my interest.
STEP 2 - Don't bore me to death.
As I stated above, growing up consists of a figure of authority telling you whats right and why thats the case. Any type of scholarly article is straight facts and nothing else. As an emerging participant of internet culture and society I can attest to the fact that I stay away from these type of readings. Add the satire and conversational tone. Readers are more likely to engage in your material if they feel they're being spoken to not spoken at.
STEP 3 - Promote your passion
Everyone has interests, capitalize on them. Passion is contagious. Odds are if your passion for a subject comes out through your writing the reader will be more intently focused.
And if you're writing about something that doesn't necessarily catch your eye?
Research. A couple of minutes on google for a foreign subject should be enough to figure out what really grinds your target audiences gears.
https://econsultancy.com/blog/
STEP 4 - Keep it simple
When writing content, it's important to keep things short and sweet. Getting wordy or repeating yourself is sure to get the reader to move onto their next interest. Also, it's been proven that short sentences create a more appealing site for readers. There you have it.
STEP 5 - Know when to stop
We all know you have the best ideas ever thought, but it isn't necessary to hear them all. Keep your writing concise and to the point. If you're lucky enough to grab attention from a reader, it probably won't last long. On that note, this is the end of my tips, good luck!
http://theblogpress.com/blog/6-tips
"6 Tips for Crafting an Awesome Name for Your Blog." 6 Tips for Crafting an Awesome Name for Your Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
"Blog." Digital Marketing. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
