One of the primary goals a writer should aim for when developing a piece of content is to keep the reader interested and engaged the entire time. Achieving this isn’t always easy, especially when you’re discussing complicated topics that inherently lack entertainment value. Fortunately, with enough creativity, the right approach, and the techniques listed below, it’s possible to keep most of your readers glued to the page until the very end:

1. Use Storytelling

People like to read content that has a narrative. This phenomenon is most likely due to the fact that we form thoughts and memories in a way that more closely resembles stories than essays. Plus, you can go anywhere to get rehashed info, but when there’s personality included it’s harder to turn away.

2. Write from the Reader’s Perspective

Forget about trying to inform or entertain the reader from a third-party standpoint and start thinking as if you are the reader. Think to yourself: “if I was reading this page, what would I want to learn from it and how could it fulfil my expectations?” Many writers create an obvious disconnect between their point of view and the reader’s, which drives a wedge between the resonance you’re trying to create.

3. Incorporate Emotions

Studies have shown that emotions actually have addictive qualities, particularly the stronger types. If you can invoke humour, curiosity, or joy within a sentence, there’s a good chance that the reader will hang on for the next paragraph. Even negative emotions like anger and sadness keep readers tuned in because they’re hoping to find a resolution for those emotions as they continue reading.

4. Touch Trending Topics

Relating the topic to current world affairs and events is a great way to not only generate more traffic but also entice readers to share and talk about your piece on social media. Marketing reports have also revealed that people are more likely to comment on a story or article that is related to a trending topic.

5. Think About the Reader’s Needs

What other topics are readers likely to be interested in? Understanding your target audience will help you better accommodate their wants and needs in a manner that provides unique value.

6. Use Research to Make it Informative

People are drawn to informational resources, not only for reading purposes but also when choosing pages to link to within their own content pieces. Compile as much useful data as you can about the topic and outdo any similar pages on the web and you’ll be practically guaranteed to see visitors sticking around and sharing.

7. Pose Questions

Finally, one of the best ways to engage readers is to involve them in the discussion and force them to do some critical thinking. It’s good to pose a combination of rhetorical and literal questions throughout the content, not only to strengthen your points but also to encourage readers to leave their comments.

Keep it Short and Sweet

In closing, while some pieces will require a more lengthy word count, in general it’s best to keep the content as digestible as possible. That means using sub headers to split up the content and keeping the page succinct enough to hold the attention of today’s impatient web surfers.