How do you get more people to read your articles?
How do you get them to stop scrolling their social media feeds for a second and click on your link?
And how do you get them to actually consume your content instead of just scanning it and hitting the back button?
One way you can get more people to read your articles is by paying attention to article structure.
The way you structure your article influences if, and how, people consume it.
If you structure your articles poorly, you’ll have a tough time getting people to read them, no matter how good the content is.
But if you structure your articles correctly, you’ll get more people clicking, reading and wanting more.
How do you structure your articles so more people read them?
Make A Promise With Your Headline
Your headline is the most important part of an article. If it doesn’t compel someone to click on it, the content in the article doesn’t matter.
Most writers think the best way to get a click is with curiosity.
And curiosity is powerful for sure. But while curiosity gets people to click, it doesn’t necessarily get them to read your article.
A better way to write headlines, so that people click AND read, is to make a promise instead.
For example, the headline for this article is “How To Structure Your Articles So People Actually Read Them”.
It makes the promise that reading this article will help you learn how to structure your articles so people read them.
By default, people who click on that headline want to learn how to structure their articles so people read them – the promise I made with the headline.
If I went with a curiosity headline like, “Use These 3 Tricks To Get People To Read Your Articles”, I’d attract very different readers.
Like people who are curious what the 3 tricks are, so they click the article, scan for the tricks, nod their head at how awesome they are, then leave.
That’s not the kind of people I want to attract. So I went with a headline that makes a promise instead of invoking a lot of curiosity.
Getting people to read your articles starts with attracting the right readers.
To do that, try making a promise with your headline instead of suckering people in with a click-bait headline.
Pay It Off With Your Sub-Heads
If you did a good job with your headline, you’ll get the right kinds of people clicking on your article.
The next step is to get them to actually read it.
This is where your sub-heads come in. Your headline drew the reader there with a promise, your sub-heads’ job is to pay off that promise.
Look at the sub-heads in this article.
The headline was “How To Structure Your Articles So People Actually Read Them”.
And the sub-heads suck you into the article by highlighting the information you’re looking for.
How Do You Get More People To Read Your Articles?
Make A Promise With Your Headline
Pay It Off With Your Sub-Heads
Then Tell Your Readers What To Do Next
Structure Your Articles In A Way That Practically Forces People To Read Them
They pay off the promise the headline made.
Structuring you sub-heads like this pulls the reader into your article and keeps them reading down the page.
It creates a “slide” effect where each sub-head nudges the reader a little deeper into the article until they end up reading the whole thing.
So make sure your sub-heads give the reader the information you promised them in the headline.
When you do that, it pulls readers in and keeps them reading all the way through to the end.
Then Tell Your Readers What To Do Next
Ok, so you got readers to your article with a great headline.
Then you pulled them all the way to the end of your article with your slippery sub-heads.
Now what?
You can’t just leave them hanging at the end of the article.
You have to tell them what to do next. You need a call to action.
Why? Because, when left to their own devices, your reader is just going to leave your article and forget all about you.
And that’s not good for business.
You did the hard part of gaining their attention and getting them to consume your content, now you have to get them to take the next step.
So point them to another one of your articles to read.
Or give them an opportunity to sign up for your email list.
Or offer one of your products or services.
The next step you choose depends on the goal of that piece of content.
But the important thing is that you include one.
Just don’t leave your reader hanging there at the end of your article with nothing to do. Tell them what to do next.
Structure Your Articles In A Way That Practically Forces People To Read Them
It doesn’t matter how good your content is if you don’t structure it in a way that makes people want to read it.
Start by making a promise with your headline to attract the right readers.
Use your sub-heads to pull readers into your article and keep them reading to the end.
Then tell them what to do next to learn more about you and your business.
When you do that you’ll get the right people clicking on your articles, consuming your content and going deeper into your business.
