Content Writing Tips
Reasons Why Nobody Is Reading Your Content
The lowdown on where you could be going wrong
By Abhishek Shridhar, Co-Founder of Not Your Idea
There’s no doubt the digital space today is overcrowded and cluttered with an incessant amount of content being created every day. But the fact that content marketing is a powerful tool to reach out to your target audience and see your business grow can also not be denied.
As a content creator, you have to come up with topics that will interest your audience, write engaging copy, and design eye-catching visuals. And if you want people to actually read your content, you have to promote it effectively too. Unfortunately, even if you do all of those things, there’s no guarantee that people will read your content. That’s when you know your content marketing strategy isn’t going in the desired direction.
Here are six possible explanations for why nobody is reading your content. If you feel you’re doing things right but not getting the expected results, chances are you’re going wrong in some of these aspects.
Your Content Lacks Engagement And Reliability
If you’re pumping out content without a strategy, you’re in for a world of hurt. Your audience will quickly catch on to the fact that your content is all over the place, and they’ll be turned off by the lack of focus.
Instead, you need to focus on making your content reliable and engaging. That means creating a strategy that outlines what kind of content you’ll create, how often you’ll create it, and where you’ll distribute it. Without a proper content strategy, you run the risk of producing content that no one cares about or that doesn’t align with your business goals. To avoid this, take the time to develop a plan for your content before you start creating it.
Once you have a plan in place, you can start cranking out high-quality content that your audience will love. Also, don’t forget to keep an eye on your analytics so you can see what’s working and what isn’t. If something isn’t performing well, ditch it and try something new.
Your Headlines Aren’t Getting The Attention They Deserve
It’s no secret that people are more likely to read something if it has an attention-grabbing headline. But what you may not know is just how big of an impact headlines can make on the overall readability of your content.
A study by Content Marketing Institute found that 8 out of 10 people will read a headline, but only 2 out of 10 will actually click through to read the article. That means your headline has to be really good if you want people to stick around and read what you have to say. You’re bound to lose the interest of your readers if your headlines are too wordy, complicated, or bland.
An effective headline is one that is short and sweet. It needs to be easy to read and understand and should focus on the benefits of reading your article. What will the reader get out of it? How will they be better off after reading it? Answering these questions will help you write a headline that packs a punch. An interesting tip is to also include numbers in your headline — it’ll make it more eye-catching and readable.
You Are Yet To Identify And Understand Your Target Audience
Your target audience is the group of people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to say. They’re the ones who will be most impressed by your knowledge and expertise, and they’re also the ones who are most likely to share your content with others. Your first and foremost step has to be to identify your target audience if you haven’t already done so. You need to know if you’re trying to appeal to a general audience, or you’re targeting a specific group of people.
Once you know who your target audience is, it’s time to find out what they want to read. The best way to do this is to research your target audience and find out what their interests are. You can use social media, forums, and even Google to find out what people in your target audience are talking about. Remember the golden rule here — you need to create content just for your audience. Have conversations with them and explore different avenues like Quora and Reddit to refine your content as per their preferences.
Creating Content Without Planning And Consistency
Most people feel it’s enough to just write a few blog posts or articles every now and then. Unfortunately, that’s where they’re already going wrong. In today’s day and age, it’s simply not enough to just sporadically publish content and hope for the best. If you want your content to be seen by as many people as possible, you need to be consistent.
Think about it this way: if you only published one blog post per month, do you think people would really take notice? Probably not. But if you published one blog post per day, or even multiple times per day, people would start to sit up and take notice.
It’s all about being consistent. The more consistent you are, the more likely people are to see your content and actually read it. Publishing relevant content on a regular basis ensures that your audience will always have something new to read, and it also helps to build up your credibility as an expert in your field. To get this right, what you need is to start with an organized calendar. Plan and schedule your content in a way that there’s a balance between quantity and quality.
Being Overly Self-Promotional
If you’re like most people, you probably think that the more self-promotional your content is, the better. After all, isn’t that what marketing is all about? Getting your name and your product out there as much as possible? This could be bursting your bubble, but that’s not how content marketing works.
Sure, self-promotion is important, but if you’re constantly shoving your product down people’s throats, they’re going to get sick of it pretty quickly. And when they’re sick of it, they’re not going to buy it.
Now the question arises — what’s the secret to successful content marketing? Finding a balance between promoting yourself and providing value to your audience. If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to creating content that people actually want to read. You need to make sure you’re using an appropriate tone of voice. No one wants to read a dry, boring commercial. Be personable, be relatable, and most importantly, be yourself. In addition to this, make sure your content is well-written and free of errors. No one wants to read something that’s full of typos and grammatical errors.
You know you’re on the right track when the focus of your content is to provide value to your audience and not just drive sales. The tricky part here might still be not holding back to promote your content. You do need to put the effort into your promotion strategy and explore avenues like social media, influencer marketing, email marketing, etc if you want your content to make a difference.
Your SEO Efforts Aren’t Enough
If you’re not familiar with search engine optimization, it can seem like a complex and daunting task. But there are some simple things you can do to make your content more visible and accessible. One of the main things that you should definitely keep in mind when creating your content is to use the right keywords throughout. When you’re writing, think about what terms people might use when they’re searching for information on your topic. Then, use those keywords throughout your content, organically.
Apart from this, you also need to make sure to tag your content appropriately. When you publish your content, be sure to include tags that describe what it’s about. This helps search engines categorize your content, and it makes it easier for people to find when they’re looking for something specific. In addition, your website needs to be easy to navigate. This means having a clear menu, using descriptive titles, and providing links to related content.
Just as important as making your content visible is making sure it’s readable. You should stick to short, simple sentences that are easy to read and understand. Another tip can be to break up your text with bullet points to highlight key information. You should also definitely make use of headings and subheadings as it helps readers find the information they’re looking for and adds SEO value too. Lastly, making use of images and infographics can be a great way to explain complex concepts and make your content more engaging.
All of this ensures that when people are searching for information on the internet, they’re more likely to come across your content. And if your content is relevant and useful, they’re more likely to stick around and read it.
Closing Thoughts
The bottom line is that if you want your content to be successful, you need to treat it like a business. That means having a clear strategy in place from the start. Otherwise, you’ll just be flailing around in the dark, and that’s not a recipe for success! By taking the time to understand your target audience and produce relevant, interesting content, you can build a loyal following that will help take your business to the next level. Isn’t that what we are all aiming for?
