You needed to enthrall the reader’s attention, but all you heard was crickets. How can you hook your readers with what you write? Crafting a great content that convinces a reader that what you write is worth reading.
I could recall how I loved writing but couldn’t give captivating content. It was frustrating, and I almost lost interest. Fortunately for me, I read a book that put me on track. It said, “as a writer, you need to read.” It’s the basic way to writing a great hook content and try to eschew procrastination.
However, before we learn the 4 easy ways to hook your readers with a great content, let us see how we can improve ourselves by learning how to become an exciting writer.
Table of Contents
How to Become an Exciting Writer
Reading
Reading is one of the ways to become a writer who captivates the reader’s attention. It’s a vital secret to well-tailored writing. I lucidly remember, I hated reading. I was told here and there that I couldn’t be a writer if I didn’t read. Truly, it isn’t possible to write without reading, especially if you intend to captivate the reader’s attention. Reading changes your writing skill psychologically, which exposes you to writing that’s better than yours. The more you read, the more ideas, hypotheses, and arguments you encounter. If you are an active reader engaging with a text, you will have to say more opinions and thoughts about those encounters.
Read also: Beginner’s guide to content writing in Nigeria.
Eschew procrastination
Procrastination is derived from the Latin word “Procrastinare,” which means “till next day.” According to the London School of Economics, an American study in 2004 claims no less than 70% of college students are chronic procrastinators. One who procrastinates will find it difficult to achieve anything anon. If you are one who waits for a particular date or time to make changes in his/her life just because you procrastinate, then there are limitations to what you can achieve. Overcoming procrastination is difficult but one of the best ways to attain what you want.
Imagine how these two things became a life changer to me in my writing career. It doesn’t end here. In this post, I’m going to move down to steps to craft a great hook.
4 Easy Ways to Hook Your Readers
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Title
A quick scenario of how to define a title. Imagine yourself walking in an area; then you saw a well-beautified mansion. The beauty of the sight will hook you. You would wish you could have a sight of how the interior looks. That’s how a title should be to hook your reader. The urge to know what your title entails.
Remember you have one opportunity to hook your reader before they click on your article: your title. I believe I shouldn’t be the only one who goes through a bookstore and picks a book with an intriguing title and cover design. To make your writing stand out, you have got to have an attention-grabbing title. A title that offers value to the reader in exchange for their time. There’s what they call “4 U’s formula”. As you think of a title, keep the 4 U’s formula in mind. 4 U’s formula says that content should be urgent, unique, useful, and ultra-specific. You won’t be able to cover all four of those U’s; at least include one or two to come up with a great title. Note that your title has to be ultra-specific and useful to have a great hook for the readers. The formula works wonders for titles.
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Introduction
Once you hook your readers’ attention with your title. Does your article entail what your title has promised?
In the first paragraph, this is where you lay out what the reader should expect in the rest of the article. It will want your reader to read more. There are three elements I make use of when I intend to give a powerful introduction in my articles:
- The Hook
- The Transformation Section
- The Composition Statement
The hook, you should get your reader’s attention with a fact or question. Setting up a problem to face the reader and addressing the reader directly with a question will put them in suspense, which will get the reader hooked. For example, why does today have to end?
Next, I will transform it into a story of myself or a story of a famous person. In the transformation section, Dig a little deeper into the damaging effects of the problem. Then, explain a way to solve the problem.
Ultimately, the composition statement is the part where you help the reader solve the problem you initially set up to get them hooked.
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Make your article effortless to read
People might still not stay to read your enthralling and incredible article. Readers won’t want to invest their time on articles that won’t benefit them; that’s why they glance over the content to see how long it is.
Guides to make your article more convincing to read:
- Your article should be in a short section with a subheading. Short sections make long articles much easier to read, and subheading gives an outline to follow.
- The use of short paragraphs and sentences. No need to be verbose in your article. Keep it short and simple (KISS).
- Always examine your post readability. I will highly recommend Grammarly to correct any grammatical errors in your content.
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Conclusion
After an incredible effort invested in the title, the conclusion shouldn’t be weak either. You have managed to hook your reader through the introduction down to the body. Now, what should they do with that information they have just learned?
Give a reader a lucid call to follow. You tell them to apply the guide they have read about in your article. With this, you can build a relationship with your readers, and if you own a blog, you will love it more.
Do you know we have a digital academy that teaches online skills, including writing? Join our whatsapp community to learn how to benefit from these resources.
Now you may be thinking about employing these techniques in your content to hook your readers. Before that, you should consider the quality of your content. To create a great content, you must master the skill of content writing. Fortunately, Insight.ng is giving an unfair boost to kick start and improve your content writing career through our Grow With Insight.ng internship program. Click here to Grow With Insight.
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About Author
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5 comments
I needed this.
Thank you so much Sir, for sharing.
I’m glad you could catch one or two. That’s the goal. 🤝
An amazing detailed article there, learnt a lot from it already😍
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how can we communicate?
Glad you it was helpful. You can dm on Twitter @yusuf_oyeyiola.