Recently, I found myself reading eBay’s “Best Practices” tips for sellers when I was struck by the wisdom and simplicity of this line:
“Delight your buyer.”
I think this is great advice and it immediately made me think of Squidoo’s best lenses and how they’re able to inform, entertain and bring people together. In short, they delight.
Great lensmasters know this – that’s why they take the time to create lenses designed and written for readers, not robots. A great lens is something to be proud of and your extra effort will be appreciated and valued by your audience.With all that in mind, today I say to lensmasters:
“Delight your reader.”
Here’s 5 simple ideas to get you started:
1. Make them laugh
Humor is always a reliable way to delight your reader. Letting your writing be funny or adding a joke or two can lighten the mood of your lens no matter what the subject. Even serious lenses can benefit from a casual, lighthearted tone if it’s used well. If you’re starting with a funny topic, delight will be even easier!
Showing your sense of humor helps to humanize your writing and connect you with your reader and that’s what making a lens is all about. Whether you write puns, tell a satirical story or add an amusing video, getting your reader to laugh is always delightful.
2. Be unique
Have you ever been reunited with a long lost treasure or stumbled upon a long out of print book you’ve always hoped to find? A well written, original and truly unique lens can offer a similar kind of delight for your readers. When you’re creating lenses, try to target a specific audience and give them a lens that’s concise, accurate and written with their needs in mind.
Don’t hesitate to write a lens because you think the topic has a small audience – when you offer great content and keep it up to date, visitors old and new are sure to be delighted by your uniqueness and before long you may find yourself with more visitors than you could have ever imagined.
3. Start with a delightful topic
Choose a topic that’s inherently delightful is an easy way to make a great lens and have some fun while you’re at it. As the preponderance of cat videos on the Internet proves, many, many people go online specifically hoping to be delighted!
Next time you’re in a creative slump or fighting a case of lensmaster’s block, why not try crowd-pleasing lens that’s fun, entertaining and unique?
Take some of the pressure off yourself and have fun researching, writing and curating delightful content. Leave room for expansion and you’ll always have something to work on when you need a creative boost. Now doesn’t that sound delightful?
4. Reach out to your readers
Readers love to see an active, recently updated lens where they can interact with the author. If you have many lenses, it can seem daunting or even downright impossible to respond to every comment that you get. Even if you aren’t able to reply to every comment you receive, it’s always a good idea to answer any questions left in your guestbook. Not only will you connect with the asker, you’ll be sending a signal to future visitors that you’re a real person who cares about their content and the people who enjoy it.
When the opportunity to delight presents itself, go for it – you’ll put a smile on someone else’s face and your own!
5. Create a lens for people like you
It’s not always so easy to find something to write about. Don’t be discouraged if another website, book or even lens covers a topic that you wanted to write about. With so many choices online, many readers are looking for content creators they can relate to. (Did you know that we even tend to make friends with people similar to us?)
Create your lens and try to let it reflect your unique viewpoint. Make it your own by sharing your experiences, thoughts and ideas alongside high quality, original, unique content. Being yourself will bring like-minded readers who’re sure to be delighted by your lens.
Photo Credit: Ashley Campbell Photography via Compfight cc
