Get Your Readers Glued To Your Content Using Bucket Brigade Technique
Have you ever bounced out of a website?
Was it because the content wasn’t helpful? Or something else?
Think about those interesting pieces of content that kept you glued till you got to the comment section and got you feeling like; “Phew” I need more “What a piece of content!”.
Well, I have been there too.
Let me ask you…
Did you enjoy the article because of the degree of relevancy and expertise shown in the content? Or is there more to it?
“There should be more to it than just the content.” you are wondering, right?
The simple truth is, there is more!
Great content writers have found this and have mastered the art of using it to keep their readers glued to their articles.
The fact is that these experts don’t just write they “CONNECT”
You will agree with me that once you find unique content that you can connect with easily, It encourages you to read till the end
Bloggers use these bridge-phrases to add conversational value that not only grabs your attention but makes the article more like you are having a conversation!
This technique is so magnetic hence, you become so attached to the page that it becomes your go-to website for that topic of interest.
If your readers can connect, they will certainly come back for more and this, in turn, will attract more people -And of course, this is great for SEO (Thanks to google). You get ORGANIC TRAFFIC.
So what’s this technique?
It is called the “BUCKET BRIGADE”.
Huh!
Yes, I know you are wondering what this is, hold on, permit me to walk you through.
What does the term Bucket Brigade mean?
Bucket Brigades are intentional bridge words or phrases used by writers to hook the reader to keep reading. It encourages you to go on and on till the end of the article.
Let me ask you a question.
Have you ever come across these words in any content you read recently?
- Think about it for a minute
- I know the feeling
- Ok, I know what you are thinking.
- Now, look, this is crazy!
- Want to know the best part?
- What’s the bottom line?
- Here’s the deal
- Let’s jump right at it!
- It doesn’t stop there,
- Here is why
- Nevertheless
- Can you imagine?
- No problem!
- Let me show you how……
These words are called bucket brigades. They are used to smoothen the flow of content and to add conversational value. This writing technique is also known as the grease slide techniques
Like superglue, bloggers use these words as often as they write. They have mastered this act of using them strategically to keep you stuck to their pieces of content.
That’s why knowing how to apply these techniques is the most important part. These will help you keep the flow when you write content and keep the reader sliding through till the end of your article.
Let me explain.
Professional content writers use these connectors in 3 stages:
1. The Introduction
2. The Body
3. The Conclusion.
THE INTRODUCTION
It says (ATTENTION EVERYONE – Can I have your attention?)
Words used at this stage consists of both the (capture word/ phrase and question Phrase).
For me, I like to call it the imagining stage, a stage where you get into your reader’s mind and create a mental picture with an emotional experience.
It means – Using attention-grabbing questions and phrases like;
- Have you ever wondered?
- Have you ever found yourself?
- Are you a content writer looking to improve your writing skills?
- Have you noticed?
- Do you want to know how?
- Do you hate?
- Can you imagine?
- Do you know?
- You can also start with these;
- Check this out! Good news, Listen, Look, Hey! The fact has shown that.
In the IMAGINING STAGE, Phrases like (Picture this, imagine, I know the feeling, I can imagine, I know what you are thinking, I have been there too), are used to connect emotionally with the reader.
Once you have gotten their attention and created a mental image that connects with their emotions, you transit to the Body.
THE BODY – WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?
Yes, you now have my attention. What do you have to say?
At this stage, two things happen- THEY STAY OR THEY LEAVE.
If you want the first, Get down to business, answer your question, ask more questions, make sure to keep them hooked. (The relevance of our content matters a lot here)
- Use Phrases like
- Let’s get started,
- Let’s jump in!
- Let’s dig a little deeper.
- Let me show you how
- Let me explain
- First, let’s
- Let’s go
- Let’s dive in
- Here is how it works
- Do you want to know how it works?
Conjuncts like; besides, moreover, to begin with, that’s not all, in other cases, most of all, or even better, for instance, nevertheless, works magic.
Using disjunct like; honestly, obviously, clearly, quite simply, make no mistake about it, believe it or not, usually, believe it or not, personally, can add conversational value to your content.
Pausing for a moment will keep your reader in suspense. At this point, you could ask another question.
Now stop right there! Think for a moment, think about it like this, how is that, why? Consider this…
To add supporting information, make use of phrases like: Before we go any further, But first let’s, Before we go into that, back to what I was saying, Look at these examples, let’s see how this works, here are the details, ask yourself these details.
To share your points and offer solutions, use lines like:- the point here is, Here’s the big thing, my point is, want to know the best part? Here’s the clue, The key to, this great secret/tip/technique, Here is how you go about this, the answer is.
Don’t forget to make it look simple- people have a lot on their minds already. Use words like; Sounds easy enough yeah? It is simple, this is so simple,
Let’s move to the final part – The Conclusion.
CONCLUSION
Congratulations! You have been able to retain them, so what now? We move!
Let’s conclude what we started, so at this stage, you want to give them a parting gift or let’s call it a Final impression which will determine if you will get a standing ovation. So, you will need to wind up with a lasting impression.
Please note that more than the body, your Introduction, and your endings must be HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE because they have a significant impact on your reader.
What you will be doing here is simple – SUMMARIZE, LEAVE THEM THINKING, CALL TO ACTION.
Here are some phrases for a perfect finish:
TO SUMMARIZE, use (To sum up, to conclude, Let’s have a recap, In a nutshell, In essence)
TO LEAVE THEM THINKING, use (It is up to you, what are you waiting for, Do you want it? Don’t take my word for it, this choice is yours, it is your call, this is the point where you decide, don’t miss out on this, over to you, it is worth it?)
FOR CALL TO ACTION, use (give it a try, I’d like to know your thought, comment below, what do you think, share if this was helpful)
You may still be wondering why you should use a bucket brigade technique?
Here’s why.
1. It keeps your reader focused on your content, and this will increase the time your audience spends on your website (High Dwell-time). Do you know what this means? It means you get organic traffic and a low bounce rate.
Like I explained above, two things happen when someone lands on your website from a search engine. It is either “THEY EITHER STAY OR LEAVE”.
When Google notices that people spend time on your site, they believe it has something good and will give it a rank boosting.
When people leave (High bounce rate.) Google drops you down like trash!
2. It helps you connect emotionally with your audience.
3. If your readers enjoyed it and can connect with your content, they will come back and/or will refer someone. Do you know what this means? You get an above-average click-through rate and Lots of social shares and comments.
Sounds interesting, yeah?
Well, there are a lot more connector words available out there, so be on the lookout for more of these phrases in articles, papers, blog and emails.
Now that you understand what bucket brigades are and how they work, you should succeed when applying them.
Don’t forget that using grease-slide phrases will have no impact on IRRELEVANT CONTENT. Yes! Your content is essential.
And by the way, do you know that you can create your bucket brigade?
Now you know, Over to you!
Don’t forget to drop a comment below.
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