I’ve polled my own readers and over 48% said that the photograph was the most important aspect of a post that draws their attention. It seems to go without saying, but the amount of bloggers that skimp on the accompanying photograph is staggering. Look at the photograph as the single most important part in drawing people to your work – it’s a make or break.
2. The title
A good title gives the reader a small taste of what to expect, but also draws them in because they want to know more. Nearly 20% of my readers polled said this was the 2nd most important part of drawing their attention. Writing the perfect title is an art – you don’t want to overload the title by making it too long, plus you want to avoid giving away too much about the upcoming content.
3. The subject matter
It seems to most writers that the actual content should be king, and of course I agree, but unfortunately humans are fickle and have extremely short attention spans – especially in the digital age. A study on the attention span of internet visitors said that the average span was less than 8 seconds before a viewer moves on to their next destination. To sum up the importance of the photograph and the title, you must grab their attention in less than 8 seconds – after that, it’s up to your content to sell itself.
4. The first sentence
Last, but not least is the importance of the opening sentence of a literary piece. To turn a viewer to a reader, you must win the battle of the first 8 seconds and then suck them in to commit for the long haul. Gripping questions and whimsical statements work wonders to snag the attention of a prospective reader.
This can be learned and mastered (along with much more) with my guidance and help of my Coaching services. Click here to learn more about what I can do for you, as well as information on my packages and prices. My packages start at as little as $99. Cheers, and thanks for reading!