How to impress your readers?

What is that one thing that keeps buzzing in your mind when you write an article?

I want to impress my reader.

Well, I could be wrong, as there might be other things that matters to you but I don’t think anyone can neglect this factor.

We all want to impress our readers, and mind you you would want to do it the very first time, in the least time, and every single time. (Bad rhyming eh?)

So how can you impress your readers?

• You got to know very clearly who’s reading your article
  Analytics experts may call it target segmentation or customer profiling whatever whatever, beyond the jargons it just means that you got to know who your subscriber is.

  Two possibilities here -
  If he is your friend/well wisher, you are safe. You can go on writing about things that you are not sure of and he’ll probably excuse you and encourage you to study more on the subject.
  If it’s not your friend, you are still safe. You can go around writing about things that you are sure of and he’ll poke his nose into it, just because he is irritated. He’ll do it anyway!

• You got to know what you are talking about
  You don’t have to write about something just because someone else is writing. Write about only the things that you are comfortable with, and it will show through whether you are faking it or not. Remember readers are good judges.
• You need to have a firm stand on your decision
  It’s easy for anyone to go confused, because there are lot of opinions about a single matter. And you don’t know whom to stand with. Follow your heart and stick to what you think is right. People disagree with you because they think they can make you feel guilty, but you know you never will.
• Get opinion form your friends before you make a statement
  When you are unsure about something, say a topic like “iPhone is better than Windows mobile or not”..ask your friends. Non geeky friends can sometimes give you excellent pointers to something that you have missed. Brainstorming is the key.
• Give your readers something to take home
  Why should someone read your blog? Shouldn’t they benefit from it? Give them something to take home, like a unique information, a unique perspective about something normal.
  Though they’ll not let you know, they’ll take it home and come back often.
• Be creative and think out of the box
  Like this paragraph, where I’m writing nothing but just blah-blah about nothing just to fill the 4-5 lines of this paragraph so that it looks like the other paragraphs which may have some information. Now this paragraph sits right along with those paragraphs( repeated 5 times now) and most of the readers who skims through articles doesn’t even notice it, except you. They would’ve read the title though.
• Be friendly, if all were gurus where are the listeners?
  Think about it, are you a guru or a listener? If everyone talked like they were gurus in their own niche (which they might be), then who would care to listen? Everyone would have their own “10 principles of success” to preach about. So cool down, there’s nothing wrong in being a listener, be a friend and talk in modesty to your readers and they’ll reciprocate it.
• Be Honest
  I like Darren because he is honest.I know you like Darren because he is honest.  Millions like Darren because he is honest. See how a small virtue can affect many in exactly the same way? Practice honesty. Even if it gives you small set-backs every now and then it pays in the long run.
• Laugh at your mistakes
  I end up laughing every other hour or so. Damn!

Having said all that, it’s true that you cannot impress everyone. If you are set out to please everyone and get them smiling to whatever you say, you are in the wrong gear. Leave space for some criticism,it will give you room for growth.
Photo courtesy - Mudcat

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