How to Address Your Readers Directly in Your Online Writing

Blogging isn’t only about getting traffic, pleasing a client or an editor or flaunting your English language skills. It’s more than that. It’s about connecting with your readers. It’s about building a loyal audience. It’s about forming a long-lasting friendship.

In order to create this unique connection, you need to engage your audience. You need to make them feel valued, a part of your inner circle and an important person in your life. You should make them feel like their opinions, suggestions and problems matter to you.

How can you do this? By addressing your readers directly. Even if your blog or article is aimed at reaching millions of readers, it should feel like it’s talking to them. Like only the author and the reader are having a conversation.

There are certain tips and tricks you can use to become a skilled online writer that addresses readers directly without fluff, pretense or deception. Here they are:

Use You as Often as Possible

No matter how large your target audience is, each one of them wants to feel like your address them directly. You want to sound friendly and conversational, not cold and distant. For example, “online writers must always proofread their blogs” sounds very unfriendly and factual compared to “as an expert online writer, you must always proofread your blogs.”

If your client or editor provides you a little more leeway, feel free to use both I and you. Readers love having face-to-face conversations.

Start a Conversation

Speaking of conversations, you need to sound human. You may be writing for a large conglomerate, but your blog needs to sound warm, friendly and conversational. The easiest way to do this is by using simple words (words that you’d use in a conversation), using short sentences, posing questions to readers and reducing adverbs and adjective in your content.

Share Your Story

Make yourself vulnerable. Tell them why this topic interests you or share your personal experience. When you personalize your online writing by adding personal information or anecdotes, you engage your readers. They feel like they’ve just learned a secret or something personal about you and, hence, know you. It humanizes your piece.

Your story or personal information doesn’t necessarily have to make readers cry or laugh. It should be something that will interest them. Think of it as a hook that keeps your audience engrossed in your blog.

Use Emotions and all Five Senses

Writers are at a perpetual disadvantage: They cannot use non-verbal cues, express emotions or use body language to entice readers. But there is a go-around to this challenge. You can use emotions and all five human senses to drive your point home.

Don’t be afraid to paint a picture. Don’t be afraid to describe emotions or feelings. Human are emotional beings.

Write in the Language Your Readers Speak

Do your readers understand what you’re saying? Are you communicating in their language? Don’t assume that the way you speak is the way that they speak. Do extensive research on your target audience before hammering on your keyboard.

Now that you have some tricks up your sleeve to address your readers directly, engage and connect with them, it’s time to put them to good use. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it will help you connect with your audience.