#1 The Power Of A First And Last Sentence
Your first sentence and your last sentence are generally your most meaningful moments in your post. The first sentence identifies a topic and usually pulls your reader in. Striking interest from the get-go is a great way to ensure your readers are hooked in. Take that opportunity to make a statement and be bold.
For example, “We spent Sunday at the zoo since it was such a beautiful day.” versus “I took my kids to the zoo this weekend and I thought about leaving half of them there.” See how the second sentence makes you want to read more? That’s what we’re going for!
Your last sentence will give your readers closure. Like a good book, you want them feeling glad they took the time to finish reading your post. If they leave your blog feeling satisfied then chances are, they’ll come back.
#2 Create Interest
Interest is in the details…look for them. Think about what you’re writing about: does it have a smell, a feeling, a memory attached to it? Words on a page are just words on a page unless you can find a way to breathe some life into them. Get people to relate to them. Make yourself vulnerable. All of this makes for good reading.
#3 Get To The Point
You don’t want to spend too much time prepping your story with a drawn out introduction. Sometimes a brief back story is necessary, but we tend to spend too much time working our way to the main point. Always re-read your post and cut out excess information (ie rambling sentences, off topic remarks, too much detail, etc).
#4 Keep It Concise
It is up to you to determine how long you’d like your post to be but a good rule of thumb is to not write more than you prefer to read when you visit other blogs. If you have a long story to tell, consider breaking it into parts and encourage readers to come back the following day for the resolution.
