6 Red-Hot Hacks for Writing Attention-Grabbing Articles

Do you dread having to write articles? Does the effort feel like it’s too much work that all goes to waste if no one looks at them? Reading articles may seem like a heavy burden, also, especially if they are bland and boring.

You want your articles to be noticed, since their purpose is to impart your message, but if they are not, then writing them was a waste of time and effort.

So how can you make sure yours keep your readers’ attention?

The Solution

Make your information creative and interesting. What do your clients or customers want to know or need to know? Are there questions you get asked over and over? Each one could be the subject of a terrific article.

When you write about these topics, you won’t have a hard time because you already know what the content should be.

Here are six red-hot hacks to make your articles more readable and enjoyable.

The Six Hacks

1)   Provide a good attention-grabbing title. If it can provoke the readers’ curiosity, you’re already halfway there. Your title should contain keywords your readers are seeking and describe the content. At the same time, it should also be short and concise; for example, “The Insider’s Guide to Investing in California Real Estate.”

Using numbers also helps: “9 Hacks to a Website that Attracts Traffic.” An odd number, rather than an even one, is preferable because advertisers have learned that, for psychological reasons, it piques interest and triggers a higher level of engagement.

You can also use titles that command people; for example, “Make Money in Real Estate in Six Easy Ways.” Titles like these reach out to the readers’ emotions and attract them to want to know more.

2) Keep their attention throughout. From your opening paragraph, use real-life scenarios with which the reader can identify. Including graphic metaphors and similes (but don’t overdo it) will make it easy for them to imagine what you’re talking about and create an enjoyable reading experience.

3) Use short paragraphs. When the paragraphs are long, the words get jumbled in the reader’s mind. When the text appears dense and overwhelming, readers may conclude that it’s too much hard work to read.

They will disregard your article and move on to much easier-reading ones that are visually appealing. Paragraphs for online articles can be a single sentence, sometimes even a single word! But they should be no more than two or three sentences, and try to keep them short.

4) Use sub-headings to sub-divide your paragraphs. Doing this will break up the information. It will be easy for the readers to move on from one to another as the transition will be smooth and easy. You’ll never lose your readers’ attention.

5) Use indented numbers or bullets (as shown in this section) to stress points. This makes them easy to remember and digest. This adds “white space” to your article, creating the perception that the material is easy to read.

6) Be authoritative. Add specific facts and figures and cite any sources. Include graphs and charts to make difficult-to-explain information easily understandable.

The Bottom Line

With a little practice, writing articles can be fun as well as profitable. People will recognize you as an expert in your field and you’ll no doubt be asked to speak at association meetings and conferences.

The result? More and higher-paying clients. Who doesn’t want that?

Carol J. Amato is a nonfiction book coach and the author of 29 books and over 200 articles in national trade magazines. Her latest book is Maximize Your Competitive Edge: 17 Secrets to Make Your Small Business Look Like a Fortune 500 Company. She lives in Southern California and can be reached at carol@topwritingcoach.com.