Ten Ideas To Get People To Click On Your Posts

Some of us write for ourselves, family and friends. Some of us write for a wider audience, of whom we hope will click on our posts when we share and promote it on social media, like our Facebook profiles, pages and groups. That's where this list comes in. If you're posting about your daily lives or reviews, what would catch a reader's attention for that 0.5s, as she scrolls through her feed, to click on your link? With that, I present to you:

Ten Ideas To Get People To Click On Your Posts And Be A Fan

1. Headlines. I've seen countless headlines going "Check out my loot today. Check out my Japan trip. Check out what I ate today. Check out what brands we carry." As a reader, the question is, why should I click on your link? What does and should your headline say to grab my attention? Your headline is like the foot that stops the door from closing within one second. That foot should be the one that helps keep that door open. 

2. Listen. Imagine listening to your readers, imagine what they'd want to hear. Imagine what you'd want to hear as a reader. Talk less about yourself. Talk more about what you and your post/article/newsletter can do for them. This is what I advise too for relationships and when you're dating someone. Partners have to be wooed, so do readers. 

3. Offer something of value. Put it in your headline. Put it in your content. Put yourself in your readers' shoes. Think what would make you click and read someone else's post, then put it in your contents. Which would grab your attention more?

• A) Check out my loot from so-and-so country!

• B) Find out how to buy things cheap with free shipping from so-and-so country!

4. Discounts and Freebies. Offer a discount off whatever you're promoting. People love discounts, and they also love freebies. Who doesn't? It doesn't have to be monetary, but it can be of educational value, like sharing something which you know but others may not. Also, as an example, you can look at your letterbox. You'd probably throw out real estate agent flyers, but you're more likely to keep those Burger King or KFC coupons, right?  Extra reading, if you're going to ask a company to sponsor stuff for you yourself, or for stuff to give away to increase your blog's readership, please check out and read James Huang aka Angry Asian's very informative and eye-opening article, "Sponsorship Is Not About You."

5. The free and discounted stuff you could offer don't and can't happen all the time, so what's next? Your personality. Be likeable. If people like you, naturally, they're more liable to continue lapping up whatever you have to offer, and also to share bits of you with their friends. It also helps if you're funny.

6. Be honest. People don't like being taken for a ride, right? I know I don't. Treat readers like you would customers. Check out Don Peppers' books; Extreme Trust and Customer Relationship Management, to know more. He's one of the best, if not the best, in this business and in promoting honesty when dealing with your customers.

7. Improve your writing. It doesn't mean you have to use and string together sibei cheem three-or-more syllable words. Please don't write like that, especially when much shorter words will do. It hurts your readers brains, not because they're dumb, and it also makes you sound like an a-hole. Personally, I lose interest in reading the rest of a sentence like that by the first 5 words or so. Think for a moment, do you even talk like that to your friends or to people? Keep it simple. If you use too many big words, it can sound as though you're trying to overcompensate for something you lack. Don't let people wonder what you're lacking in. You can sound smart without trying to use bigggggggg words. To read and know how to improve your writing, go to the local Kinokuniya bookstore or Amazon and grab Strunk's "The Elements Of Style."

Here's how I typically look like while having to read trying-too-hard-to-sound-clever-with-big-words sentences and wondering why the writer wants to sound like an a-hole.

8. Observe popular blogs, or newsletters where you don't automatically hit the Delete key on. Or even people you like. What is it about them that grabs your attention? Personally, I like and follow people like Smith of Smithankyou, Carrie of The Cambelles and Michelle of Michelleagy, just to name a few. Why do I like them? Because I feel that they are honest, open, very passionate about what they do and how they do it. Plus, they regularly champion better and more honest blogging. I like them, despite me only knowing and having them on Facebook and maybe having met them just once or twice, or even not at all.

9. Ask for advice. Rome, like popular blogs or companies, wasn't built in a day for sure, but you could always ask their architects for advice on what they did that made them and their work great. Not everyone may share it with you, but you'll probably find some who will. 

10. Share. If you share bits of yourself, like your experience, your feelings, your thoughts, it makes you a more approachable and trustable person. Which reminds me of Michelle's post, "Behind The Mask," where she bravely shared a photo of her without makeup on. Incredibly brave of her, and very honest. I liked that. Instant Honesty Points awarded, and I trust her and her recommendations even more. How many would dare to show a photo of themselves like that?

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If you'd like to read further, this is what led to my list above. After viewing the many newsletter-like linked posts in Facebook groups for bloggers, I felt that it also opens up my eyes to the newsletter which my shop sends out. 

What would make people click on it? Why should they click on my newsletter if it just talks about the brands and products we carry? 

Why then should I care about or click on a link that says, for example, here's what I ate at so-and-so, here's what I bought from Japan, here's my haircut from so-and-so. 

Why, indeed, should a potential reader click on the link if it does nothing for him or her? Nothing that increases knowledge, or value, or makes the fella's life better, or maybe even a offered freebie for the reader. Maybe if the post/newsletter was funny, I'll click on it. But yes, a big fat "SO WHAT?" springs to my mind when I see "here's another post/newsletter about me or my shop."

Which made me remember my relationship advice, as mentioned earlier; Listen first, and talk less about myself. Perhaps it's also an opportunity to further improve my newsletter content?

We have sponsored athletes under us. Surely people would want to know how they train. We have, as staff, bird and street photographers, horologists of sorts (aka satki watch lovers), bike fitters, pro business folks in top level management, and people who fish as a hobby. 

Surely more people would click and read our stuff if we increased value for them and shared more of what we know. I'd want to know. Wouldn't you?