18 Seductive Writing Tips That’ll Leave Your Readers Begging for More

by Henneke Duistermaat

on

Note from Jon: This is a guest post by Henneke from Enchanting Marketing. Her fabulous book Blog to Win Business – How to Enchant Readers and Woo Customers will make you smile, kick your ass, and massively improve your blog. Download your copy exclusively from Amazon. I highly recommend it.

You’re working hard. Bloody hard.

You share your best writing tips. You edit and polish your posts. You wrack your brain for the perfect headline.

But that’s not all.

You promote your posts on Facebook and Twitter. You build an email list. You stalk influencers and write guest posts.

But somehow you feel your efforts aren’t paying off.

You want more shares, more comments, more enthusiasm for your blog.

But you’re simply not getting the response you deserve.

It’s soooo frustrating.

Because you can’t work any harder.

Isn’t there a smarter way? A way to truly engage your existing audience instead of constantly fighting for new readers? A way to entice them to comment more? And tempt them to share your posts?

Yep, there is a way. And it all comes down to this:

Readers don’t want to be informed; they want to be seduced. (Click to tweet)

That’s right. You need to seduce your readers with each headline, each paragraph, each sentence.

You need to make your content so irresistible that your readers crave your next post.

How? It’s easier than you might think.

If you use the following 18 tips to become a master in the art of seduction, your readers will be hanging on your every word.

They won’t want more of your writing; they’ll beg for it.

Ready?

1. Be a Great Conversationalist

You know the feeling you get when you talk with your best friend?

He listens to you. He asks you questions. You’re laughing together.

Well, you can create that same feeling as a blogger.

To truly engage your readers, you need to start a conversation with them too.

How? It’s simple – use the word you and ask questions in your post.

Have you noticed that this is already the second question I’m asking you? That’s how I try to engage you.

By asking simple questions – such as Who is your romantic hero? – you make your readers pause briefly, pay attention, and look for your answer next. And when they quietly nod yes to a question you’re asking, they’re more likely to read on.

As soon as you start writing conversationally, you’ll notice your blog comments increasing. That’s because readers feel you’re inviting them for a cup of tea and a chat. Leaving a comment becomes a natural part of that friendly conversation.

2. Sneak Inside Your Reader’s Head

To have a meaningful chat, you need to join the conversation already going on in your reader’s head. And the best way is to use the same phrases he uses.

Don’t impress your readers with your extensive vocabulary. Replace difficult words with simple words. And skip jargon. Because it’s not sexy at all.

The magic words are those that chime with your reader, that make him feel you understand his struggles, fears, and frustrations, and make him feel you’re having a heart-to-heart.

In the opening paragraph of this post, for instance, I empathized with your blogging frustrations and with the feeling that your blogging efforts aren’t paying off.

When you empathize with your reader’s feelings, you make her feel that she’s your special one, that you’ve written the post especially for her.

3. Use Comforting Words

Blogging gurus tell you to build your authority.

But authority reminds me of dusty professors and boring text books. Devoid of personality. And utterly unsexy.

By stressing how much you know, you make readers feel like amateurs. You put yourself on a pedestal. You’re showing off.

Instead, put a virtual arm around your reader’s shoulder. Reassure him with simple phrases like, “We’ve all been there,” or, “It happens to the best of us,” because doing so stops him from feeling silly.

4. Paint a Picture of a Happy Future

Oh, that wonderful longing when you’re setting off on a well-deserved vacation.

Do you know the feeling?

You might imagine a white beach, sunshine, and delicious cocktails. Or you might picture an exhilarating trek across the jungle.

That wonderful holiday destination you’re picturing in your head helps you cope with all your travel troubles – the long queue at the airport, the yuck food during the flight, and the crying baby in the row behind you.

With a blog post it’s the same. Your readers don’t really want to make an effort to read your post. Reading takes time and they have so many other things to do.

To entice people to read your post, sketch a sunny destination in your blog opening. Tell them how your simple trick or easy formula will make them happier, healthier, or richer. Sketch a destination so wonderful that they crave reading your post.

5. Be Vulnerable

Are your friends perfect?

No, of course not.

We’re all imperfect.

Earlier this year I shared my biggest fears about blogging – this post generated more comments than any other post on my blog.

When you share your own weaknesses, worries, and fears, you connect with your readers because you become human.

6. Fire Up Readers with Your Passion

When you talk with someone face-to-face, you use intonation and body language to show how you’re feeling.

You can shout to attract attention or whisper in a secretive way. You can use gestures to stress your words.

But in a blog post, you only have words to attract attention and convey emotion. That’s why you need to turn up your passion and choose more powerful words:

  • Instead of dull, use mind-numbingly dull.
  • Instead of pleased, use delighted.
  • Instead of beautiful, use gorgeous.

As Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

To make your readers feel something, you need to choose more passionate and more emotional words.

7. Let Your Readers Fill in the Gaps for Themselves

Your readers are independent thinkers.

They like to make up their own minds. So allow them to draw their own conclusions.

For instance, I could tell you I’m a rebel. But you’d probably think, yeah, yeah, that’s what she likes to think. I don’t believe her. That’s why it’s better to give you the facts and let you draw your own conclusions.

For instance:

  • My high-school teachers told me to study physics in college, but at 17 I left home to study Chinese.
  • Or: Rather than choose a safe color like blue for my website, I went for orange and purple – to be different and stand out.
  • Or: Boing, boing. Henneke arrived at the cocktail party wearing her wooden shoes.

Each of these statements paints a picture of who I am as a person – allowing you, as reader, to make up your own mind about me.

8. Appeal to All the Senses

A fragrant smell. A light touch on your arm. A song playing in the background.

A sensory experience is memorable, and sensory writing is the same.

Your brain processes sensory words as if those senses are actually being stimulated. As you would taste a sweet cake, witness a dazzling display of colors, or feel a rough texture.

Even abstract concepts can be made sensory. You can blow your audience away with a vibrant presentation; you can create a silky-smooth purchasing process; you can write scrumptious blog posts.

Sensory words are more powerful and memorable than ordinary words because they make your reader see, hear, smell, taste, or feel something.

9. Be Energetic

You know that your energy is contagious, don’t you?

A monotone voice lulls people to sleep.

Long and undulating sentences soothe your readers with a comfortable flow. Short sentences, however, are dynamic. They’re abrupt. They awaken readers.

Want to know how this works? Just read this section about being energetic aloud, and pay attention to how the rhythm changes when you read the two short sentences They’re abrupt and They awaken readers.

To make your writing more alluring, add a dynamic rhythm. Interrupt long, flowing sentences with short bursts of enthusiastic action.

10. Don’t Let Your Attention Wander

I’m sure you know the kind of person who always keeps blabbing on and on. They jump from one topic to the next. They don’t pause to give you a chance to say something.

Some blog posts have the same problem. They ramble on rather than focus on one idea, and nothing is more boring than a story that goes in twenty different directions.

While this post has 18 different points, they all support the idea that you should seduce your readers with your words. Check out any of the popular posts in the list at the right. Each post has one clear idea. Each argument, each story, and each example should support it.

Stay focused. Hold your reader’s gaze.

11. Be Playful

Having a sense of humor makes you more desirable – especially if you make yourself the butt of your jokes.

The wonderfully named The Middle Finger Project recently wrote The 75 (Curious) Steps Of Writing A Blog Post.

While including steps like Bop your foot to the tune and begin writing and Paint your nails, they finished with: Write a damn post about it, and hope that it comes off as endearingly self-aware, and not like you’re a total asshat incapable of ANY GOOD IDEAS.

Don’t be an arrogant asshole. Remember to make people smile. Be humble.

12. Be a Little Unpredictable

When you follow proven formulas, you become ploddingly predictable. You start boring your readers to death.

Try a different tone. Use a new template. Write about a fresh topic.

Experiment. Be bold. Say the things everyone thinks, but no one dares say.

A little recklessness is sexy.

13. Tell Interesting Stories

Think about your best friends or favorite colleagues. Why do you enjoy having a chat with them?

It’s the small stories you share. You might discuss a bad referee decision in Sunday’s match, the movie you went to yesterday, and where you can get the best steak.

Your friends can talk about more than their specialty subject.

If you started a blog only to discuss your topic of expertise, you show yourself as a one-dimensional expert. By sharing tidbits about your hobbies or personal life, you become a more interesting person.

Metaphors spice up your writing and help you include snippets about your personal life. On my blog I’ve shared personal stories about cycling, cooking, and traveling; and I use these stories as metaphors for blogging and content marketing.

When you draw analogies from personal experience, you give your readers a glimpse into your life. They start to feel they know you and that’s how you start to bond.

14. Don’t Be Too Professional

Would you rather open an email from one of your best friends, or an email announcing a blog update?

Well?

Easy isn’t it?

To get your blog updates opened, act like your subscriber’s best friend. Get rid of fancy logos at the top – add them to your footer instead – and make your email look like a personal email.

Vary your greeting – sometimes I write Best wishes and other times I end my emails with Warm wishes from sunny England. Occasionally I add a personal P.S. about what I’ve done over the weekend or what I’m up to next.

Don’t be a slick marketer. Email your readers like you would email a friend.

15. Be a Rebel!

Don’t you think rebels are more attractive than goody two-shoes?

A rebellious streak can increase your seductive aura.

So don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo once in a while. Say the complete opposite of what everyone else is writing and justify your dissent with persuasive reasons. No one is attracted to a sheep who simply follows everyone else.

And it’s not just what you say, but how you say it too. Writers that follow high-school rules sound like a textbook. Bland and drab.

So come on. Don’t be so freaking boring. Break a few rules:

  • Use everyday expressions. Hell yes!
  • Write a one-word sentence. Yay!
  • Start a sentence with Or, And, or But. Yippee!
  • Write incomplete sentences. Woohoo!

Textbooks are faceless. They lack a clear voice.

To let your personality shine through and seduce your readers, you have to break the rules and develop your own distinctive voice. The more rules you break, the more distinctive you become.

16. Bring Unexpected Gifts

You listen well, you ask questions, and you give your readers space to breathe.

But sometimes seduction requires a little more, doesn’t it?

Where are your red roses? Your chocolates? Or your bottle of Rioja Reserva?

Readers like to know you care about them, and there’s no better way to show you care than by bringing a gift. With no strings attached.

When did you last give away a free cheat sheet or ebook that’s seriously useful to your readers? Without an opt-in?

17. Give Desire Time to Grow

Would you ask for someone’s phone number without having a chat?

No, of course not.

You chat. You wink. You flirt. And then you try to arrange a date.

It’s the same with blogging. Show you’re interested. Share a little about yourself. Allow desire to grow before pitching your affiliate products, make money or asking for help.

18. Make Your Parting Words Linger

What are the lines you can recite by heart?

Most people remember a few song lines, a couple of poems or nursery rhymes, some sayings and advertising slogans.

These phrases have one thing in common – they all use poetic techniques like repetition and rhyme. These techniques make your words smoother, and that makes them easier to remember.

If you’d like your readers to remember your words, you need to borrow from poets too. For instance, last year I finished a Copyblogger guest post with the words:

Write less. Read more.
Talk less. Listen more.
These words linger in your mind because of their staccato-like rhythm, the contrast between less and more, and the repetition of words. These eight words communicate the essence of the post.

Which words do you want your readers to remember?

The truth about seducing your blog readers

Blogging isn’t about hitting the publish button.

Blogging isn’t one-way communication.

You’re starting a conversation with your readers. To have a good chat, you need to listen more than you talk.

You need to learn who your readers are. Understand their struggles. Know their frustrations.

Treat your readers even better than you would treat a friend. Help them overcome their doubts and their fears. Encourage them to realize their dreams.

Captivate them. Seduce them. Enchant them.

Sweep them off their feet.

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Henneke Duistermaat

Henneke Duistermaat is an irreverent copywriter and business writing coach. She's on a mission to stamp out gobbledygook and to make boring business blogs sparkle. Get her free 16-Part Snackable Writing Course for Busy People and learn how to enchant your readers and win more business.

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Written by Henneke Duistermaat

Henneke Duistermaat is an irreverent copywriter and business writing coach. She's on a mission to stamp out gobbledygook and to make boring business blogs sparkle. Get her free 16-Part Snackable Writing Course for Busy People and learn how to enchant your readers and win more business.

95 thoughts on “18 Seductive Writing Tips That’ll Leave Your Readers Begging for More”

  1. I got & read an advanced copy of ‘Blog to Win Business’ – – it really broke down how Henneke (and other great bloggers) found their voice, draw readers into posts, keep their attention, & get readers to take action.

    Highly recommended.

    Nice post here by the way!

    – Steve

    Reply
  2. Nice to “meet” you, Henneke! I especially like tip #14, “Don’t be too professional.” It’s hard for new bloggers to find their authentic voice, especially when, like me, they’ve been writing for a corporation or organization for years. When I began to write for me, boy, was it tough to shake off the business-speak. Reading other people’s blogs certainly helped, as did pretending I was merely writing a letter to a dear friend.

    Reply
    • Yep, unlearning the business-speak can be really tough. I struggled with this in the beginning, too. My sentences were too long, and the words I used never sounded quite right.

      Nice to meet you, too, Alexis 🙂

      Reply
  3. “you need to join the conversation already going on in your reader’s head. And the best way is to use the same phrases he uses.”

    This is just what I say too, especially when people talk about Writer’s Voice and which voice to write in when talking about fiction, I’ve always advocated writing in your character’s voice. It’s their story after all. I’ve advocated borrowing this technique with non-fiction writing too, including blog writing: write the way your readers talk (or think), e.g. look for how they talk about things, the phrases they use, etc and reflect it back to them in your writing.

    Great to see I’m not alone in advocating this.

    Letting readers fill in gaps for themselves – another great tip. It’s what all advertisers (and copywriters) do. It’s what jingles and slogans are for: creating association in people’s minds so they fill in the gaps, e.g. a soft drink’s slogan is: “Drink ….”

    Fab post!

    Reply
    • Yep, you’re right. A lot of tips are not just true for blogging, but for other types of writing, too.

      Thank you for stopping by, Tom 🙂

      Reply
  4. We are both having a chocolate cake and talking how good it is. I have read it and the colourful, sensory words made me finish it. Normally I would look at the scroll bar on the right to see how lengthy it goes, but it’s… I am not trying to flatter you, but I didn’t look right. The post is memorable, can’t wait for the book. Yum, the choco cake. Out of the 18, let me recall the one that stands on my mind, it’s…. Be energetic, vulnerable, get into readers head, ok, let me have an another read…

    Reply
    • That’s a great compliment, that you didn’t even bother to check the scroll bar.

      Can I now have a piece of your cake? 😉

      Reply
  5. Thanks for the seduction tips. All good and necessary stuff as we work to get our customers to love us. Its an evolutionary process, but as we work through it with seduction in mind – we’ll certainly get there.

    Congrats on the book! Looking forward to reading 🙂

    Reply
  6. Nice, Henneke! I think it’s so valuable to think of blogging as building relationships with our audience – dating them essentially. Have two-way conversations, listen, allow things to develop, keep it interesting.

    I picked up your book because I consult with creative entrepreneurs and other small businesses and encourage them to blog. It’s great to have a guide I can recommend to them.

    Reply
    • Yes, I agree – there’s so much focus on numbers – web visitors, subscribers, page views, … But for me what really matters is the quality of the relationships you’re building and how meaningful the conversations are.

      I’d love to hear you thoughts once you’ve read the book!

      Reply
  7. Hey Henneke,
    I really love the idea of rhythm. You have mentioned it a number of time during the post and I think it’s beginning to click.
    I have to say that you have really made me think of a few things strongly
    I used to be in a band during my college days and I am beginning to realize the possibilities that rhythm has! I guess being a corporate rat and then a Leadership trainer has kinda made me a little too stiff!
    I should really loosen up a little bit when I am writing.
    Considering that my competition is simply trying to prove how smart they are, what if I make my website copy lighter…more human.

    Being Jon’s student is an amazing experience. I can see that I have loads to learn from you too! Have already downloaded your book!
    Lovely post! Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Rhythm is far more important than many bloggers realize. Paying attention to the rhythm of your content will really help you find your voice.

      I never (well… perhaps hardly ever) publish a post without reading it aloud. And there are always parts that I find that need improvement.

      Thank you for downloading my book. I hope you enjoy the rhythm in it 😉

      Reply
  8. I stumbled upon your site yesterday and glad I did. My target audience is engineers. Do you think this technique can be effective in most industries?

    Reply
  9. Absolutely fabulous post! Thank you, it’s bookmarked and I’ll return to it again and again.
    And huge gratitude for the free e-book which is downloading onto my kindle and shall be read with relish!

    Reply
  10. Hi Henneke,

    Thanks for a great post! I’ll copy and paste it into my Evernote.

    I like what you said about Authority. I’m getting tired of hearing and reading the term. It’s a “buzz word” that’s tossed around like socks in a dryer. Then again. I’m a part of the content writing and marketing community and have read about it thousands of times. Perhaps it’s a new concept to someone, somewhere. 🙂 As you said, “Instead, put a virtual arm around your reader’s shoulder. Reassure him with simple phrases like, “We’ve all been there,” or, “It happens to the best of us,” because doing so stops him from feeling silly.” Connect with readers on a human level.

    Reply
    • Yes, I hear exactly what you’re saying. I get tired of the same buzz words going around, too. The problem seems to be that some terms (like authority) get so much attention, that people forget the most important thing – connecting with people.

      Thanks for stopping by Amandah. Always good to see you 🙂

      Reply
  11. Nice tips Henneke. It’s took me a long time to shake habits that were drummed into me through education. Be objective, don’t state an opinion, write in a passive voice. YAWN!

    Reply
  12. Henneke, great post, thank you, I read it twice. You offer ‘freeing’ themes here, I’d say, and that’s refreshing to read. Like, it’s not about being professional and full of authority, it’s about being real and having a conversation and eating shelled peanuts together.

    Reply
  13. Hey Henneke

    Great article. I like points 5, 8 and 16.

    I like your point about firing up readers with your passion. Another thing that helps with generating your passion (which you can then transfer to your readers) is attending events like the one I attended a couple of weeks ago. Really LIT ME UP!

    So much so that I even wrote a post about it : http://productiveinsights.com/motivation/2014/02/10/66-rock-your-purpose-live-your-legend-get-paid-change-world/

    Also I think being unexpected is a big drawcard when it comes to engaging readers. That’s what has me scrambling to read Jon’s posts (and now yours!)

    You write really well. Congratulations on all the success you’ve received and no doubt will receive in the future. Clearly you deserve it.

    Reply
    • Thank you, Ash. 🙂

      #8 (appeal to the senses) is one of my faves, too. And you’re absolutely right about live events.

      Reply
  14. Epic post. The best one I read in a long while, and among the best I’ve read on blog writing ever.
    You put into words some things I already do, but wouldn’t know how to explain.

    This one’s definitely evernoted for future reference.

    Thanks a lot, Henneke.

    Reply
    • Yep, it’s taken me quite a long time to figure these things out and find a way to describe them.

      Thank you, Robert 🙂

      Reply
  15. Very useful! I particularly like the idea of writing short sentences or using fragments. I’ve recently been implementing this technique and my friend who worked as an online reporter mentioned he noticed an improvement in my writing. When it comes to online writing, shorter is always better because the screen plays a role vs. reading from a book. Well done!

    Reply
    • Yep, and it’s not just shorter sentences, but shorter paragraphs, too. It’s important to create a lot of white space to guide your readers through your posts.

      Reply
  16. Holy Gemolians!!

    The first 200 or so drafts of my writing are as warm and welcoming as a medicine label. You’ve created some valuable insight into how to keep it real.

    Thank you.

    Howard Rosenberg

    Reply
  17. Hi Henneke,

    You’re just awesome. To be very honest, I’m so tired off reading those so-called professional posts from the gurus!

    I don’t remember whether you remember our little email conversation or not, but be sure that I am extremely happy with whatever you produce. And this is the time to go for another ebook from Amazon 😉

    Reply
  18. Henneke,

    Thank you for writing this post. I have been putting off starting my blog for a while now. I’ll be better prepared now.

    Cheers,
    Hemendra

    Reply
  19. Yeah! An author I can relate to! Love your writing style, just downloaded your book, will jump in on it this weekend. Also like you don’t ask for email till the bonus chapter. Are you finding the majority opt in?

    Reply
    • Nice to meet, Kate 🙂

      It’s too early to say how many are opting in to my list to download the bonus chapter. But for my first book about 1 in 6 people who downloaded the book for free also opted in to the list. For the people who bought the book since then (rather than downloading a free copy), the figure has gone up to 1 in 2 people.

      For the first book I didn’t offer a bonus chapter, but free worksheets.

      I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book. I hope you enjoy reading it!

      Reply
  20. Hello Henneke!

    I visited boostblogtraffic today before starting to write an article on my blog.

    To get some inspiration I always visit Jon Morrow’s blog.

    Now I stumbled upon this post and just the starting paragraphs began to grow on me.

    I kept absorbing your views about seductive writing. Before I could lose inspiration I got from this blog post; started writing article on my blog. (so couldn’t comment)

    I’m totally impressed by these tips. Will read this post again and again before writing any article on my blog (till I totally absorb it).

    Thanks for contributing an epic article writing post. Now my comments does shows how much I’m impressed by this article.

    Have a nice day.

    Reply
  21. Excellent Henneke!!

    I typically agree with #18. Make Your Parting Words Linger

    Many of us focus too much on the start and do not pay much attention to how should the article end.

    Great tips, love your writing!

    Reply
    • Yes, that’s true. By the time we write our article ending, we’re often a little tried. That’s why I changed my writing habits – I write the final paragraphs usually the next day when I’m fresh.

      Reply
  22. Henneke thanks for sharing this thoughtful article. Sign up for newsletter.
    So useful tips to ponder and utilise in my writing.

    At least have started breaking the mass of text while writing and becoming a better conversationalist

    Reply
  23. Henneke,

    Great reminders about asking questions in the middle of posts.

    I just had 3 blogs posts accepted by LifeHack.org and I did ask questions. Your article reinforced that I was doing the right thing and will continue to do it in future posts.

    Reply
  24. Hi Henneke,

    Just wanted to thank for the great ebook you created ‘Blog to Win Business’… couldn’t put it down! You have a new follower 🙂

    Ash P.

    Reply
  25. Number 18, linger. I skimmed this post two days ago. It lingered. And it prompted too. It asked me, where are you going to stash that post? It’s good you know. I knew I had to review it, remember it. It lingered, not in a lyrical way, tho I remembered your,
    “Write less. Read more.
    Talk less. Listen more.”
    That lingered too. And that’s why I came back. Glad I did. Thanks for your post Henneke. It’s a gift, a no-strings-attached-gift.

    Reply
  26. Fantastic article! I love what you had to say about not being too professional. As a perfectionist, I’m definitely guilty of this, but I find when I let the little things go, relax and be myself, the end result is much better. Thanks for sharing this!

    Reply
  27. Henneke, you deliver another awesome post. Your book is the bomb by the way (told you this on Google+). The thing that I admire the most about your writing is the conversationalist tone. You really make me feel apart of your blog post and you keep a lovely rhythm throughout. Thank you for sharing your gift here.

    Reply
    • Hey, thank you so much, Patrick. 🙂

      Glad you like the rhythm of my writing – I pay a lot of attention to it and read most of my stuff aloud before publishing or submitting.

      Reply
  28. Excellent stuff – I’ve been struggling with engagement, and these ideas are all so easy to integrate into my writing. I think this is much of what I what I need – to move beyond the information alone (no how useful it may be) to a style of writing that compels the reader to keep reading (to find all that great info). Thanks for an excellent post – I just grabbed a copy of your book from Amazon. Can’t wait to read it!

    Reply
    • Like you, I used to think that I only needed to share uber-useful tips and I’d build a raving audience. But everyone is sharing tips (and probably the same tips as you and I share), so we have to work much harder to engage and inspire our audience before we can build meaningful relationships.

      I hope you enjoy reading the book!

      Reply
  29. I have to bookmark this post right now.Some of the things i need to transform my writing and engage my audience. I guess my writing has been inclined more to getting traffic than having a conversation.The next blog post i write will borrow from your tips.Hell i don’t mind breaking some rules to drive the message home.Thank you

    Reply
    • Yes, many bloggers try to seduce Google rather than their readers. But readers don’t like being treated like robots 😉

      Reply
  30. Knowing your readers is one of the most important part of writing, if you energetic, unique and upto date in the writing then there is a good chance that you will get more and more attention of your readers.

    Reply
    • Yep, knowing your readers is the foundation for good writing – whether it’s blogging, writing a novel, or sales copy. Well said, Lucy!

      Reply
  31. Got you now on Evernote AND purchased the kindle version. Something tells me if I can remember only these 18 points, I’ll be much better in no time. Thanks Henneke. You’ve done it again!

    Reply
  32. Hi Henneke,

    Love the tips, and your examples helped clarify things 🙂

    I loved #4 in particular. Sketching an appealing destination in the beginning of your post for your reader so they’ll crave reading your post is a great strategy and one I’ll remember to use. I love it!

    Unfortunately I have trouble with #9 and #10. My energy doesn’t always come through in my writing but you made me see how short, abrupt sentences can emit energy. Didn’t really think about it like that.

    #10 I’m getting better at.

    All good stuff.
    Liz

    Reply
    • Hi Liz

      My first drafts never have sufficient energy. They always sound kind of drab. I need to edit them to remove the drabness (usually cutting long sentences and killing excess words) and injecting energy (stronger words and abrupt sentences).

      Thank you for stopping by 🙂

      Reply
  33. This is a sure way of seducing your bloggers to beg for more – I personally I prefer asking questions on my blog post and being less professional – this has worked magic for me

    Reply
  34. This is what I like to see – long, entertaining copy. Too often bloggers get caught up trying to do the SEO thing to the detriment of their prose and forget about engaging their audience. If you write good and useful stuff, people will come back, they may even bookmark your page or sign up for e-mail updates. I might have to buy the book!

    Reply
  35. First I would like to thank you for the wealth of information, it added to my overwhelm!!! ;o) I am REALLY new to blogging and have been blogging for only a year or so… I write okay but I seem to get weighed down with the thought of WHAT I am suppose to be doing to get PAID, AND narrowing my focus… I LOVE to write and wake up with awesome thoughts to write down and I ACTUALLY get up and write them… But I am unsure where to spend my time, and what to give away and what to charge for and how much to charge for my membership site and on and on!!! So, with that said, thanks for some more guidance in the right direction….

    Ed

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  36. Hi Henneke, I only just discovered your post today. On top of it being excellent and a pleasure to read (if flows nicely), it made me smile. Because just a few days ago I guest posted “7 Simple Techniques To Grow Your List Of Subscribers” myself, and found the numbers are different but the message is the same – hence the smile, reflection of the fact it made me feel good.

    I guess when it comes to leaving your readers begging for more, is the same as to lose weight or to gain fortune – there are a gazillion ways – some sounding better than others.

    The key is to choose or create ONE (even if distilled from several), then keep choosing until you find the one that works, for you – because there are ‘only’ 24 hours in a day, and two might be one too many.

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  37. Funny how all of a sudden writing in a conversational skill seemed easy and not that hard as I had always thought.

    Thank you very much Henneke for making that possible. Very inspiring and right to the point article.

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  38. Your posts are awesome! I’ve been reading through many of them and figured it was about time to comment … I’m just starting a food blog in Brazil and wanted to let you know that I am finding your posts very helpful in breaking the ice to start writing!! THANK YOU!

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  39. Hi… so glad I hit upon your ‘seductive’ suggestions! I love how personable you are. I think that’s a tough challenge – knowing what to share and what not. I’m a newbie blogger (9 months) and write to women, for women, about women AND the amazing males who support them. I write about very sensitive traumatic and passionate subjects… divorce, prodigals, cancer. How to make yourself vulnerable … yet not sentimental, trite or inauthentic is always a hard call. Your tips on balancing tone, appeal, risk and ‘enchanting’ readers may work for my audience too! Thanks so much and don’t ever stop being absolutely irreverent, crazy and endearing:-) PS I can just see you in your wooden shoes!!! Adeline

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  40. You’re absolutely right – it’s very difficult to know what to share and what not.

    My key rule is: Is this post teaching or inspiring my readers? Even if I write about myself, it’s not about me, but about my readers. And when I edit, I take out all the details that aren’t really relevant for my readers – this can sometimes be tough as I often cross out the sentences that were my favorites.

    I think that especially when you write about sensitive topics, it’s important to be personable without being overbearing, to be vulnerable without being sentimental. Trying to read your posts through the eyes of your readers should help.

    Thank you so much for you lovely comment, Adeline.

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