Everyone has told you that great content is key for your brand’s online success. So you regularly post great content on all of your social media, your website, your blog, etc…now what? Having online content is not enough to build your brand; you also want to attract the attention of your audience in a way that generates click-throughs. Here are five tips on how to get more clicks on your content.
#1 Create Catchy Headlines
Whenever you are creating a headline, you want to make sure that it does two things: grabs attention and peaks interest to find out more. There’s an overwhelming amount of content online, so your headline has to first make someone scrolling stop in their tracks. Then, it has to make them want to follow through by clicking on the content. One good method of achieving this is to leverage the “curiosity gap.” Headlines that use the “curiosity gap” are specific enough to intrigue the reader but not so specific that they satisfy the reader’s curiosity.
#2 Promise Value
Have you ever seen something online and questioned why it mattered? Your audience is more likely to click on content when they know exactly what value the piece is offering them. Many advertising copywriters suggest using the phrase “how to” in your content to provide a specific direction and what to expect. Your content should speak for itself as to why your audience should pay attention. It should be simple and straightforward so there is less thinking involved and more clicking!
#3 Clearly Address Your Audience
Part of creating great content in the first place is having a clearly defined audience. Do not be afraid to directly shout them out to direct them to your content. This lets the reader know that this material is right for them, and they should continue paying attention. You can grab attention by stating who the content is for or asking the reader if they fit a certain profile, such as “Beginner’s Guide For Small Business Startups” or “Are You an Independent Writer Seeking Work?”
#4 Include Visuals
No matter what device or platform your audience is using, images and videos attract more attention than plain text. Social media posts should always include visuals whenever possible to draw attention and stand out amongst a flood of other posts. Blog posts can use visuals to help the reader immediately understand what they are about to read and engage them to continue. Websites should use visuals, whether images or graphics, to direct the viewer as to what actions they should take. Visuals provide cues for your audience that help generate clicks.
#5 Place Links at Beginning of Posts
Social media is a great place to promote links and generate click-through traffic to websites and blogs. Generally, more people click on links provided in social media posts that are placed a quarter way in from the start. Although placing links at the very end can be more convenient, it is proven that the positioning does not lead to as many interactions.
These five tips on how to get more clicks on your content can make your posts more valuable for your business. Always keep in mind who your audience is and what action you want them to take.
