Have you ever started writing an article or a post and suddenly wondered if anyone will ever read it? Content creators working in trendy businesses (tourism, travel, food, culture) don’t need to dig too deep to write something interesting. Here are 10 tips for creating content for your site! In 2021, Chartbeat did a study indicating that most readers read only 60% of the content they see. So why do people only read a little over half of the content they click on? I don’t think authors can blame their increasingly distracted audience entirely. They also need to take some responsibility if they publish extremely boring stuff.
1. Useful things are rarely boring
Be ingeniously useful. This is trite advice that can be abused: “boring” content will never actually be boring to the person who needs it. In other words, if you write educational content, then that content will be interesting to those whose questions you answer. For example, if someone needs an answer to a mundane question like “How do I cut out the toilet?” or “How do I reduce my cable bill?” or “How do I resell my house?” then the content that will answer that question is incredibly useful – or at least not actively boring. If you’re worried that you don’t have the writing skills to turn a boring topic into an interesting one, then stick to producing the most educational content you can.
2. Eliminate professional language and write as you speak
You demonstrate your professionalism by providing solid advice, not by looking like you’ve been hit in the face with a briefcase. Write naturally, avoiding overly professional language that makes the content harder for your readers to understand.
3. Write with precision
Being helpful and eliminating overly professional language goes hand in hand with writing accurately. Your content will be much more useful if you’ve taken the time to think about the specific details, scenarios, and examples that resonate with your reader. You’ll be able to do this more easily if you’ve defined your potential readers. What is the difference between general content and specific, detailed content? It all comes down to the subject matter. Overly broad, generic content applies to everyone and no one at the same time.
4. Show your sense of humor
Adding a light, humorous tone to your content can help inject life into a traditionally boring topic. Plus, it can be more fun for you to write too. Don’t be afraid to make a joke, be a little colloquial, or insert a few pop culture references. If it’s natural and doesn’t detract from the meaning of your content, a lighthearted tone can keep your audience’s attention for longer.
5. Use analogies to explain complex concepts
If you work in an industry that may seem boring, consider that “boring” only means “confusing. If you must work with people who are not experts in your company’s subject matter, then introduce new concepts to your readers through analogies that explain things in terms they can understand. For example, some companies are still unclear about how inbound marketing works. To make it more digestible, look for little analogies like “Blogging it’s like jogging: you have to do it regularly and for a long time if you expect to see results.”
6. Keep it short
If your topic is not interesting, people will be less likely to spend time on it. Invest in an editor who can translate into 20 words what most people would say in 100. The less time spent on a paragraph, the less likely your readers will drop out. This becomes even more important if you consider the increase in mobile readers. Your readers spend 60% of their time online on mobile devices; content that makes sense but is difficult to read is more likely to be abandoned. Mobile-friendly content doesn’t just include responsive design: content that requires less scrolling on the part of the visitor is important too.
7. Give your readers a little intellectual break
One way to avoid boring your audience is to simply not make them feel overworked. This means that every piece of written content should look easy to read, even if it is fascinating and well written. Break up your text into smaller, more digestible chunks, so that readers will feel able to tackle a larger piece. This is especially important if, even after editing your content briefly, you still have a necessarily long piece. For example, use big, bold headings to let your readers skim over each section and read only the ones that are relevant to them. You can also use bullets, numbered lists, images, and other formatting tools to help make dense content less overwhelming. I agree with you: in an ideal world, none of these formatting tools is necessary because the author has made the text so compelling and well-executed that readers can read it quickly and effortlessly, regardless of the complexity of the topic. However, we know that the real world is not always ideal. In this case, rely on formatting.
8. Tell your story visually or via different media
Instead of words, many content creators rely on visuals to tell an inherently boring story. Sometimes a picture is worth a hundred words, which is why some content creators publish infographics instead of long texts. Keep in mind that you can also share media outside of your post, such as videos, interactive content, GIFs etc. that help communicate concepts in the least boring and most accessible way possible.
9. Interview real people of interest
Bring in an authority figure or celebrity who can speak on a particular topic and you’ll get more eyes and ears than if you took on the topic yourself. We get better at blogging over time, and we get better at our podcasts every week – not only because we know our readers like to listen to people other than us, but because others know things we don’t. So, does the industry you work in have a “celebrity” that your audience might be interested in? Contact them, or quote them, so they can help you spice up your content. A quick tip: Chances are, your readers are experts on your topic and will be willing to comment or interview you from time to time. You can solicit their opinions to fuel your content and show that you value their presence in your community. (And also, because people like to see their names in the headlines.) The easiest way to do this is to take advantage of your social networks and appeal to their user communities to answer questions you’d like to include in your content. Be sure to publish your content once it’s written and let your contributors know when their answers are published.
10. Amaze your readers
Do you know what’s not very interesting (unless you’re a marketing enthusiast, in which case it will seem very exciting)? Generating leads through social networks. Do you know what’s much more interesting? Knowing that LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than any other social network. If you can take a relatively mundane topic and find a rather surprising twist around which to center your content, your audience will be hooked. You don’t have to rely on data alone to wow people either. If you feel brave enough, you can also talk about controversial topics from time to time. Are you a marketer in a “boring” industry? How do you make your content interesting?
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