Are good blog posts like drugs? Well, we’ve all experienced this before:

An interesting headline will catch our eye, and we can’t help but click. The content immediately hooks us in and keeps us there for the whole journey. And when it’s over, we see another post on the sidebar with a great headline – and the whole thing starts over again.

5 hours go by in a snap. And after the ride, we’re left thinking: “How in the heck did they just do that to me?”

Some businesses have mastered the art of the “addicting” blog post. No matter what the content is about, no matter how long, we can’t help but read the entire thing through twice. We’re hooked — they’re like the drug dealers of killer content.

But how do they do it?

Are they just “writing wizards”? Is there some black magic spell they cast on every post before hitting “publish”? Yes.

But the good news is: you don’t have to wear a pointed hat or recite any ancient scrolls to apply the same effects to your own content. All you have to do is follow a few simple rules.

1. Give special attention to the first sentence

Before you get your readers addicted, you have to get their attention.

According to Tribute Media, the average website visitor spends only seven seconds on a website page before they decide to continue scrolling or press the back button. That’s about the length of a sneeze — it’s pretty short.

That’s why it’s extremely important to keep your readers interested from the very first words they read. There are a few different ways you can do this:

• Keep it short

Short sentences are easy to read. And when you make things easy for your readers, they appreciate it and keep reading in return.

• Surprise your readers

One of the best ways to establish curiosity in writing is to catch your readers by surprise. So say something unexpected!

• Speak to the needs of your audience

Your readers strive for connection. And if you open your piece up with something they recognize, they’re going to feel a hell of a lot more comfortable continuing on.

2. Make use of every sentence

Great articles rely on more than just the first sentence

In fact, as legendary copywriter Joe Sugarman said in his book, The Adweek Copywriter’s Handbook, there’s only one purpose of the first sentence of your article:

“To get the reader to read the