You’ve probably seen a million by now–teasers on social media outlets for various blog types. Some of them have made you want to click through and others were easy to ignore, right?
How do they do that? How do they know which titles and bits of information will increase blog traffic?
Create the buzz
The idea is to create enough buzz that the reader simply can’t help but click through. The other option is to answer a burning question for them and guarantee they will click through.
If you can do either of these two things, then your titles and information clips will start working for you much more effectively. So do you have to be a copywriter to accomplish this?
What would you ask?
Nope! Just look in the mirror. You’re clearly writing about a topic you’re passionate about and interested in already.
Now take that knowledge and look at it from the perspective of a first-timer. What questions do you have?
Are you talking to experienced hobbyists or crafters for example? Then, you’d look at topics that were past beginner level and focus on issues they would be reading about.
Evaluating your audience and understanding what they want is half the battle.
Once you sit in their chair for a minute, then you can use that knowledge to share on social media.
Sharing just enough
All right, so now you understand what pieces of information they want, so you know what to write about. But how do you know how much of that information to share on social media sites?
You know how you get those free offers that offer you “amazing tips” to solve your problem, but they don’t deliver unless you pay up? This is not the right method to use in your social media marketing!
Deliver as promised
Remember how annoying it is for you and understand that is going to be the reaction of your social media visitors as well. If you really want to attract quality traffic through these teaser posts, you have to give them quality first.
The teasers you share really should answer a burning question. The effect on your readers will be, “Wow, if they are sharing this in a little space here, imagine what I could find on their blog!”
You’ve practically guaranteed the sharing of your site already before they even get there and made the most of your social media site. Of course, you need to back that up when they get to your blog, but you’ve accomplished your first goal: getting them there.
Are cliffhangers ever acceptable?
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever use cliffhanger teasers–they can be fun and exciting for your readers. However, you should probably wait until you’ve established an audience.
Only after previous experience will they know for a fact that you’re actually going to back that up on your blog and not require additional steps from them. These can also be a fun break from your typical format so it stays interesting for them.
When you get some more practice and experience using these techniques, you’ll start to get a feel for how it works. Then, you’ll be the one giving advice to fellow bloggers on how they can increase traffic to their own pages.
Be true, follow through and your teasers will become something your readers look forward to!
Please share any experiences or stories you have in this area as well-we’d love to hear them!
Image via Creative Commons, bnorthern’s Flickr photostream. (source)
