How Well Do Your Articles Convert?
It’s not easy to write an article.
You spend time brainstorming the topic. You outline the article. Then you have to write, edit, rewrite…
The whole process takes several hours.
And after you’ve invested all that time and energy into writing, you want to see a return on that effort. You want subscribers.
How’s that working out for you? Are you getting enough subscribers from your articles to make all that time and energy worth it?
If not, I might know why…
There are a few common mistakes that tank your conversion rates
They’re simple and innocent enough, but at the end of the day, these mistakes cost you subscribers.
Here are three of the most common mistakes I see marketers make with their articles and how to fix them to get more subscribers.
1. Lack Of Formatting
One of the biggest mistakes writers make is not taking the time to format their article correctly.
They just throw up an article and expect people to read it because of their earth shattering ideas and witty sense of humor.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. No matter how good your content is, you have to go the extra mile and format it.
Why? Because most people don’t read articles beginning to end.
Online reading isn’t like reading a book.
When people read online, they scan the page, looking for something to catch their eye before they start reading.
If the formatting of your article doesn’t make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for, they’ll hit the back button and go somewhere else.
You have to make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for.
Use subheads to let the reader know what each section is about.
Use white space to break up your text and make it look more consumable.
Use bold and italics to draw the reader’s eye to important parts of your article.
These small tweaks make your article much easier to read.
2. Trying To Say Too Much
Have you ever finished reading an article and realized you have no idea what you just read?
It’s probably because the author wasn’t clear on what they were trying to say.
Instead of focusing on a single point, writers try to cram everything they know about a topic into a single article.
The problem is, when an article tries to make too many points, it just leaves the reader confused.
They can’t digest and retain any of your “52 ways to X…” article.
And a confused reader won’t subscribe to your email list or buy your stuff.
So make it easy for your readers to get something out of your articles.
Keep your writing focused.
Don’t try to cram everything you know into a single article. Have a single point you’re trying to make, and make it.
Because when you try to say too much in a single article, you just dilute the main point and confuse readers.
3. No Next Step
Someone just took the time to read your article, start to finish, now what should they do?
Click the back button? Read another article? Subscribe to your email list? Check out your products and services?
You can’t leave the reader wondering what to do next.
You have to make it brutally obvious what you want them to do after they finish your article. You have to give them an explicit “next step”.
Because if you leave it up to them, they’ll say, “oh that was a great article… I guess I’ll just go back to Twitter now.”
And that’s the last thing you want.
If someone takes the time to read your article to the end, they’re obviously interested in what you have to say.
You have their attention, now you have to do something with it!
It’s the perfect time to make an offer.
Tell them how to subscribe to your email list.
Point them to another one of your articles they might be interested in.
Or promote one of your products or services that relate to the article.
Any call to action is better than nothing.
Just don’t leave your reader sitting there, wondering what to do next.
Avoid These Mistakes To Get More Subscribers From Your Articles
If you’re going to do the hard part of writing an article, it’s worth doing a few small things to make sure it actually converts readers to subscribers.
Format your article so it’s easy to read.
Don’t confuse the reader by trying to make too many points.
And tell the reader what you want them to do next.
These 3 easy fixes will help you convert more of your hard-earned readers into loyal subscribers.
