People don’t read every post. They land on our site via searching, by referral, because they’re checking it out regularly, or through a link from the Advisor email newsletter.
Here’s how to catch the attention of busy readers.
1. Write catchy titles that say something.
Blog titles that seem to garner the most page views are those with active verbs, brand names, specificity, and strong opinions. An active verb often forces you to say something in your title. Be intriguing and provocative—but not too provocative.
Is It Worth It? doesn’t work as well as other titles because the reader doesn’t know what the “it” is. The whole point of the title is to help readers decide whether to click. It’s usually easier to write an effective title after you’ve written the post.
Examples of effective post titles
- Six Ding Dongs and a Golden Nugget: My Troubles With Verizon
It’s got a funny beginning, and people always want to read about other people’s bad experiences with companies, particularly cellular companies. - “Microsoft, Say It Loud: “I’m Hosted and I’m Proud!”
Again, it’s funny; it talks about the largest software company in the world and it talks about hosted systems. - Bank of America—a Break From Milking Customers?
Although you don’t want to go too far toward defamation; the combination here of the charged verb, “milking,” with the brand-name bank is great. - Firing Customers: Is It Ever a Good Idea?
This would be good even without the question mark. - Pat Sullivan Is Back to Shake Up Small Business CRM
Tells a story in the title. - Surviving IKEA’s Check-Out Catastrophe
Every single word has a meaning, and we’ve got a brand name.
Examples of post titles that could be improved
- The Value of Customer Service
It’s a label. - More on Virgin America
It’s got a brand name, but it doesn’t say much about it. If I didn’t read the first blog, I’m not going to read this one. - The Psychology of Customer Service
This label, like the first one, is way too generic. Get specific. - Pharma and Life Science Companies Learn To Cure Compliance Ailments With MDM Prospecting Tips
This is way too long and sounds like a press release. - Ed Tech and Ed Schlesinger
What about them? - Looking at Business … From All Sides
The ellipsis should provide a kick, but doesn’t everyone think s/he is viewing business from all sides? And “business” is a really big term. - A Refreshing Approach
A refreshing approach to what?
2. Direct your post to a single person.
Write in the “first person” as though talking to someone. Consider how “Those of you who manage people” differs from “When you manage people.” “Those of you” tells every reader that he or she is not the only reader. It makes the blog less personal and therefore less engaging.
3. Don’t do long tutorials.
Instead, break it up and use a real example to make your points. Many people are grabbing time to read blogs amid the rest of their hectic lives. It’s great to have all this knowledge to share, but break it up into manageable chunks. Give people a chance to process a single notion, and let them comment on it. If you’re planning a book, this is a great way to sound out each idea.
4. Don’t play link-a-rama.
If you link out to another blog or article, keep in mind that clicking on links takes time. Use links to give credit for originating thoughts and as a way to give people more to read when they have more time.
5. Pace yourself.
Each day, we try to give as many bloggers as possible their “day in the sun.” If you blog more often than once a day, readers may miss some of your messages. Remember, too, that people don’t stay at CustomerThink all day. If you spread out your blogs, there’s a better chance that they’ll notice a new blog from you each time they visit.
6. Make people want to respond.
Some bloggers end their posts with a plea for a response, something along the lines of “what do you think?” But begging for responses doesn’t seem to help. Most discussions seem to start when a blogger puts out a strong opinion or hits on a universal truth in customer interactions. That compels readers to agree or disagree, and can generate great discussion threads.
7. Get featured!
“Featured” posts are my Editor’s Picks, which appear on the CustomerThink home page. Generally these posts are more in-depth, comment on current news, or tackle important topics for our community. Also, we feature the top 10 editor’s picks in our weekly Advisor email newsletter, which goes to 35,000 subscribers worldwide. Both help to more than double readership versus the average blog post.
Need help? Write to me at [email protected]. Happy blogging!
Bob Thompson
CustomerThink Founder