On a roller coaster there comes a time, as you’re heading up the hill, slowly cranking further away from the ground, that you may want off. At this point, if it was up to you, the ride would stop right then and let you out. And even if you end up having a great time, it may not stop you from having that moment of hesitation the next time you head up the first hill on another coaster.

What does a fear of heights have to do with blogging? Blog readers aren’t strapped into their seats. They don’t have to stay and many won’t. It doesn’t matter what great advice you have to share, if a reader doesn’t like the view from that first hill, the introduction, they may not continue. Through those first few vital sentences, it’s up to you to hook them so that they read to the end and then perhaps go through the archives and read some more.

So how do you hold your audience? Keep them in mind when writing. Somewhere in the beginning, tell them what they will be able to get out of reading. Will it have tips that they can use or an interesting perspective that they may not hear elsewhere? By being up front, some will realize it’s not for them and go elsewhere, but your target audience should at least be intrigued. That’s the main part. From there, if you deliver what you’ve promised, your audience should stay with you.

Of course, there are other elements that can lead to a better blog posts and more readers. For more tips and advice on how to keep your readers’ interest, check out some of the articles below which have delved further into this topic.

How to Keep Your Readers Reading

Keeping Readers Happy

What Blog Readers Want