No, you don’t have to wash your hands when you get done writing a sticky article. It’s not sugar or honey or blood or sweat that makes an article sticky. Although, those things certainly might go into the creation process!
A ‘Sticky’ article makes an impression on the reader, an article that he bookmarks and comes back to time and again because it’s such a great article. A ‘Sticky’ article is one that ‘Sticks’ in the reader’s mind because the content was Just. That. Great.
Anybody can write a sticky article. You don’t have to be an award-winning novelist, and you don’t have to be one of the big blogging gurus. Being a writer at Trend rays, I can say that you don’t even have to be the National Spelling Bee winner or the star of your 8th Grade Grammar class.
After reading this article, you’ll see just how easy it is to make your articles stand out from the crowd and stick in the minds of your readers. There is no such thing as an over-saturated niche. It’s all in how you present your material.
Shhh… Want to Hear A Secret?
Try this experiment – Stay seated and quietly ask ‘Hey. Want to hear a secret?’ Watch what happened
If you’re in an office with other people around, the people who heard you will all come closer. If you’re at home with your spouse, they’ll look up from the paper and give you their undivided attention. Even if you’re alone at your desk, your dog or cat will look up to see what you’re going to say next. It’s a natural, human reaction. When someone volunteers to share a secret with you, you automatically lean in a little closer and give that person your complete, undivided attention.
Create great sticky articles by sharing your secrets! Not only will people lean in and pay closer attention, but you’ll move up a few notches on the trust and credibility meter.
You’ll also increase the bond you have with your readers by making them feel special. We all feel special when someone lets us into their confidence. You feel ‘Hey! This person trusts me enough to share a secret with me! I feel special!”
Write One-On-One Articles
When you’re writing a blog post or article, you know it’s going to be read by potentially millions of people. But write it as if you’re speaking with only one person. Avoid using phrases like “All of you should.” or “You guys can all… “
It’s hard enough to develop a relationship on the Internet. You can’t see your readers, and they can’t see you. Plus, they’re distracted by email and socializing. And who knows what’s going on around them in the physical world.
When you bring to your readers’ attention that other people are reading your article or blog post – possibly even at the same time! – then you create yet another distraction.
Talking to your readers one-on-one makes them feel like everything you’re telling them is for their eyes only. Again, you’re making them feel special!
Give Them More Than They Bargained For
In Internet Marketing terms, it’s called over-delivering, but you see examples of it everywhere. When you give someone more than they ask for, they start spreading the word!
To create great sticky articles, give your readers more information than they can find anywhere else on the Web. Study your competitors to see what they’re providing – not in terms of products, but in terms of their actual web content. What can you do to make your articles better than theirs?
Maybe all you’ll need to do is go into greater detail in your How-To articles. Or maybe there is some type of ‘Secret’ that nobody else talks about. You’re the expert, remember?
If you want to get their attention, though…
Give them the information that everyone else is making them pay for.
That’s right – give it to them FREE! Too many webmasters think if they give away their secrets for free, they won’t have anything left to sell. But look at what happens in the offline world when you give something away for free. You go to your grocery store intending only to get the free item they’re giving away that week, and you walk out with a whole basket full of groceries!
If you’re going to give your reader a free tip or some free information, then give them the whole story. Don’t give them half the story and then make them ante up for the rest of it.
Rock Their World, Baby!
“Controversy Sells” is a phrase you often hear in the article marketing world. Everybody loves a good fight. But if you want that article to make an impact and be ‘Sticky’ you have to know how and when to choose your battles. Otherwise, you could end up sitting on the loser’s bench.
It’s never a good idea to write a controversial article for the sole purpose of attracting attention. But thought-provoking articles that make your reader sit back and reconsider his position on the argument you’re presenting quickly become ‘Sticky’ articles that get shared all over the Web.
Choose your battles wisely, though, and make sure you’re armed. Remember, your readers can’t respond to your arguments, so you need to present both sides in your article to let your readers know that you understand their position. For example:
“XYZ Dog Food is the most popular brand on the market because it’s made with all-natural ingredients and packed with vitamins and minerals. However, I discovered a few things after digging into the ingredient label. Let me tell you why I wouldn’t even feed this food to my neighbor’s cat! I understand that your dog has a shinier coat and a waggier tail after eating this dog food. But you also need to consider his need for tastier food. Did you know this dog food contains…?”
Going against popular opinion can be scary sometimes. And sometimes it doesn’t seem like it would be in your best interest. But, chances are, if YOU have an adverse opinion about something, someone else out there does, too. It’s kind of like that story about the emperor’s new clothes. When you finally do speak up, you might just be surprised at how many people support your position. And now that all of those people know how you feel, they’ll follow your blog for life!
Controversy makes for great sticky articles. But too many and you’re just an old grouch – whether your opinion is valid or not.
Mingle With The Crowd
Generally, when writing informative articles, you want to write in the third person and avoid any mention of ‘I’ or ‘Me’. Adding in personal pronouns makes your article sound like more of an opinion piece than a fact-filled read.
But sometimes you can make more of an impact when you let your readers know you’re a real person and that you have likes, dislikes, and feelings, too. They don’t necessarily want to know what you had for breakfast, but there are plenty of ways you can let them know you’re one of them and you understand:
“If you’re like me, you hate writing resource boxes. But…”
“We all understand the importance of keyword research. But let’s talk about…”
“I’ve read a lot of articles in my time and this one was the best! Let me tell you why…”
These types of articles used sparingly make great sticky articles, too. They let a bit of ‘You’ shine through and make you seem like one of the crowd. Don’t get too personal, though. There are millions of personal blogs on the World Wide Web. Your readers can get personal opinions anywhere. They’re coming to you for information!
These types of openers let your readers know that you’re expressing an educated opinion. And, like controversy, opinion articles are very popular.