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Content writing is a mix of interest levels, picked up techniques, and innate writing skills. The first of these of course is entirely up to you, the writer, who has chosen to work in this field. The second aspect is something you can train yourself on, e.g. SEO tricks, and constantly improvise on. However, the third, and probably the most basic requirement to land a good content writing job is your ability to write well. Even if you have a good command over English and can write grammatically correct sentences, what gives a content writer the edge is how well he/she can translate thoughts into words.

An essential aspect of all forms of writing, quality is also intrinsic to the art of content writing. In this article, you will learn how to write content that can engage your readers and encourage more people to read your articles. This becomes even more challenging when writing content online as readers tend to have shorter attention span and do not spend too much time reading every line carefully. Online readers prefer to skim over the page and absorb the essence of the writing. Here are a few tips to make your online content more engaging from a reader's perspective:

- Grab the reader's attention with a catchy title: The headline or the title is the first thing a reader will notice about your article. Only if the title is interesting enough will the reader click on the link and scroll further down to read the entire content. So keep your article's title concise, relevant, and witty. It also helps if your title is in the form of a question directed at the reader, making him/her more curious to find out the answer by reading the rest of the article.

- Focus your energies on writing an effective introduction: You have managed to capture your reader's attention with the title and made him/her look up your article. The first bit of the body that the reader comes across is the introduction, and if this isn't interesting enough, he will simply stop reading and close the window. The introduction needs to contain the maximum amount of information that you wish to provide to the reader through your article, and keep him encouraged to find out more by moving further down. Depending on what you are writing about, one or more of these techniques can help:

o Try to connect with the reader on a personal level - write in a manner that makes the reader connect with the situation you are describing.

o Challenge what he/she already knows - this will generate greater curiosity within the reader and make him/her want to know more.

o Be humorous - writing in a lighthearted manner automatically encourages readers to connect with what you are trying to say and make them continue reading.

o Tell a story - add a little bit of suspense in your introduction and the readers will be intrigued enough to read through till the end of your article.

Keep these tips handy and you've got your reader hooked to your content. Additionally, you can use subheads to break down the paragraphs and organize your article better. You can even use bullet points instead of putting forth your ideas in an essay type format for a more interesting read. Giving ample examples also makes it easier for the reader to grasp the point you are trying to make and helps them connect with your content.