After reading the first few sentences of a blog post you have probably made up in your mind whether or not you’re going to continue reading it or if you’re clicking the X. These days it takes so much more than an engaging title to keep a reader interested in what you have to say. It’s all about how you style and format blog content. That’s the secret to the success of the most successful blogs.
Focus on the Reader
Have you ever heard, “It’s not always about you”? Well in this case it’s somewhat true. Yes, the quality of your content is extremely important, but your target audience should be your main focus. The style of your blog should reflect the language and the voice of your audience and the format should make it easy for the audience to hear that voice in their heads as they read your content. Concentrate on embracing their voice taking into account tone and wording and you will have them coming back for more of your content.
Scanning is Fundamental
The attention span of readers is getting shorter and these days people are doing more scanning than reading. In order to keep their attention throughout your entire post you must find ways to keep them intrigued. Of course the title is the gateway into your blog, but your readers may check out as soon as they realize that your content just keeps going and going without any breaks or subheadings. Add subheadings with bold font to grab their attention and add relevant images, (pictures, videos or infographics) throughout your post to keep their focus. Your readers need to see more than just words.
Chatty Cathy
Have you ever watched a long-winded speech on TV? It probably didn’t take too long for you to grab the remote and change the channel. Keep that in mind when it comes to formatting your blog content. Shorten paragraphs to give readers a visual break. Don’t beat around the bush, get to the point and stay on topic. Also, scrolling from one side of the screen to the other isn’t fun and it would be enough to make your readers give up before they finish reading the first sentence. Keep the column width of your content narrow, at 80 characters or less.
More to consider
There are a few other things to take into account when it comes to styling and formatting your blog content. Keep in mind that the font and font size should be legible; as pretty as some cursive fonts may be, they can be somewhat hard to read. Think about how your content will read on a mobile device. Also, take into consideration the font color and background and layout. These things all play a part in setting the tone of your blog and with the right tone you can successfully engage and capture readers.
Need help with styling and formatting your blog content? Let us help you, contact Nao Media today!
