How to Make Blogs More Interactive – 8 Ideas for Interactive Blogs
Do you feel like your blogs just aren’t getting the engagement that you want? Are you spending all this time making a comprehensive post, only to find people aren’t reading all the way through? You have to balance length, SEO, keywords – all of these things to have a successful blog.
Suffice it to say, you need some powerful strategies to create interactive blog posts that make your readers want to engage and come back for more. And, luckily, TrafficSoda has the info you need.
We won’t keep you waiting, today, we’ll go over how you can craft more interactive blogs.
Crafting an Interactive Blog Post
Creating an interactive blog post is informative and an excellent way to engage your target audience by offering something unique. It’s a great way to catch attention and keep people on the page longer. It also doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. There are several strategies you can implement to create interactive blogs.
Let’s explore some of those key strategies:
Add Clickable Elements to Your Blog
Adding a clickable table of contents to your interactive blog is a great way to increase a user-friendly experience. This element allows you to quickly jump to different areas of the blog that the reader may be most interested in. This also makes the blog easier to navigate.
You can create this clickable table of contents by using HTML anchor tags, or you can use a plugin. It’s essential, as well, to include elements such as a social sharing button to allow readers to share your content more easily. You can also add fun elements such as interactive quizzes, polls, surveys, videos, and even audio clips to keep your readers fully engaged.
Utilize Social Media Content
Social media is the perfect way to make more interactive blogs. It’s super easy to just embed content from several online platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or even Twitter (X). This is extremely useful for displaying additional elements such as success stories or even population data.
Embedding social links can also allow you to display videos, audio clips, and other multimedia content to make a much more interactive blog.
It’s also an essential way to engage with your audience. Displaying content from your various social channels can help rope readers in and allow them to share blogs they enjoy with their individual following, big or small. This boosts engagement and gets your blog in front of more eyes.
Besides, engaging with your audience is what keeps them invested! Incorporating social media into your blogging strategy, you can keep readers engaged and even encourage them to stick around longer.
Add Embedded Videos
Almost two-thirds of Canadians watch short-form videos on platforms such as YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. These days, men are shown to generally prefer YouTube Shorts, while women are much more inclined towards Instagram Reels and TikTok.
While this primarily refers to streaming versus short-form videos, other studies have shown that readers are quick to click away if written content doesn’t “hook them” or appears “too long”. This is why it’s important to add interactive elements and ensure you’re writing with a good flow to keep readers engaged.
Also, according to a 2024 study, readers typically spend an average of 96 seconds on a blog post, while approximately 43% of readers tend to skim through blog posts rather than reading them in their entirety.
The solution to getting readers to remain behind? Add a short-form video to your blog. Embedding videos into your written content is a great way to make it far more interactive and engaging to your readers. Videos provide a breath of air and break up long text, making the blog easier to digest.
Also, they can be used to make complex topics easier to understand while also highlighting any products or services you offer. You can embed videos through YouTube or Vimeo – or literally just paste a URL into the website’s editor and embed it into text.
Add Interesting Slideshows/Images
Images are great for making blogs more appealing. They’re great for breaking up long paragraphs and allow readers to easily navigate between sections. They also provide you with the opportunity to highlight your business’s products or services utilizing videos.
You can utilize easily accessible tools such as Google Slides to create a slideshow. It’s a free, web-based app supplied by Google. You can add transitions, animations, or popups to help visualize the point of the blog and catch your audience’s attention.
Once you create your slideshow, you can implement it into the blog, making navigation easier and bringing a visual element to capture attention.
Adding slideshows and imagery to your blog brings additional elements of interaction to your blog posts. By using the right tools, you can definitely capture your audience’s attention and keep them locked in.
Add Surveys and Polls
Surveys and polls are powerful tools for making your blog posts more interactive and engaging. They not only draw your readers’ attention but also help you gather valuable insights about your audience. By leveraging these tools, you can better understand your readers and tailor your content to meet their needs.
There are numerous platforms available to create surveys and polls, including Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Jotform, and Crowdsignal. WordPress users can also utilize form builder plugins like WPForms to easily integrate surveys and polls into their blog posts.
By incorporating surveys and polls, you can gain meaningful feedback, address your readers’ interests, and ensure your content remains engaging and relevant.
Craft Unique Quizzes
Quizzes are an excellent way to capture readers’ interest and encourage them to spend more time on your blog. You can use quizzes to test your knowledge on topics related to your niche, current trends, or other engaging subjects.
Quizzes not only boost engagement but can also provide valuable customer data, making them a versatile addition to any blog.
Utilize Gamification
Gamification introduces game-like elements, such as points, badges, and leaderboards, into your blog, making it more engaging and enjoyable for readers. Rewarding readers for completing tasks or meeting specific milestones encourages them to interact more with your content.
You can create leaderboards using tools like Google Sheets to rank readers based on their achievements, fostering a sense of competition and motivating them to revisit your blog.
By gamifying your content, you break away from the traditional blog experience, creating an interactive, fun, and rewarding environment. This not only boosts reader engagement but also encourages repeat visits and increased traffic.
Host a Giveaway
Hosting a giveaway is a fantastic way to drive traffic and engage your audience. Giveaways incentivize readers to take specific actions, such as joining your email list, sharing your content, or participating in surveys. They’re also a great way to reward loyal readers and promote your products or services.
You can offer a variety of prizes, such as physical items like gadgets or clothing, digital rewards like gift cards, or unique experiences such as virtual tours.