Creating content is a must-do task for brands large and small that want to attract audiences. Even online retailers expend energy to create content that highlights products, reviews useful items and otherwise informs their target audiences of key points and questions they need or appreciate. As such, blogs and articles alike serve a fundamental purpose: to attract people, get them to read, and keep them engaged.

Yet many brands can struggle with keeping readers on page and engaged with their content. Ultimately, content that doesn’t ensure that readers are in fact reading is fundamentally useless. To figure out why this problem may be happening to you, let’s look at a few reasons why your readers may be ditching your blog instead of absorbing its content.

You’re Talking Down to the Audience

There is a fine line between conveying authority and reveling in it. For those who are pinging servers with the latest information and recommendations on a topic, crossing into seemingly elitist territory can be quite seamless and unnoticeable at first.

People expect you to know about the topics you’re discussing: after all, why would they bother coming to you in the first place unless you had authority on the matter? Your authority and position of privilege is already implied, so it is vital to avoid contributing to a sense of snobbery.

Some recommendations include minimizing fancy or eloquent language, speak conversationally (though there are some exceptions), and exude some semblance of humanity when discussing emotional or personal topics. If you’re able to effectively convey these elements and avoid the pitfalls of elitism, then more people may stick around to read your content.

You’re Speaking to the Wrong People

While it is easy to understand that your audience is your audience, it is possible that you’re completely misinterpreting what it is they desire. Whether the disconnect is due to your marketing and SEO efforts attracting the wrong type of people or your content simply being wrong for the audiences you’re aiming for, irrelevance is a common driver of bounce rates and neglect.

Ultimately, knowing who exactly you either want to target or who is part of your existing audience is crucial. With this information, you can uncover their main priorities and sensitivities. This can be leveraged into great, relevant content that they’ll be happy to read. It also doesn’t hurt to create a meaningful character that’s present in your writing style and that connects with audiences.

You’re Not Creating a Unique Identity

There are many blogs and content offerings that people could be reading: why should they pick yours? If you’re pinging servers with the same overall content as others within your niche, what makes your content alluring?

This is why it is a great idea to cultivate a unique identity within a particular niche. Whether this be through a unique form of opinion expression, a knack for story-telling or a no-nonsense approach to difficult topics, the choice is yours – but make it work in such a way that you’re offering what no one else is offering.

If your blog content is falling flat, don’t worry: it likely just means that a couple of elements need to be addressed in your approach. With these three tips, you can cover the bases and help improve the appeal of your content going forward.