Blog posts are getting boring. 

There, we said it. 

People now rarely have the patience to sit still while reading articles online. 

Especially articles with thesis-like intros.

They’d rather just skim through the important bits of a blog. 

And then jump on their FYP to cool off from a stressful five seconds of skimming. 

Could short attention spans be the cause? 

But it seems this ‘span’ only pops up when articles are involved. Switch to Instagram Reels or cool graphics and it goes on holiday. 

GIF Source: Giphy

So, here’s the million-dollar question: 

How do you change the face of blogs and articles so that ‘span’ is no longer a thing?

Three words: add interactive features.

That has been the game changer for social media platforms. So, how about we give it a try in content writing?

Wondering how to pull this off? We got you.

You’re going to learn all you need to know about interactive articles. Including examples and how to create one. Without further ado, let’s get started. 

What is an interactive article?

An interactive article combines good ol’ plain text with interactive elements like animations, micro-interactions, or eye-catching visuals.

It’s doing something different with text than you’re used to on your site.  

For instance, imagine we say “To see why this is important, scroll up once”. 

Your curious mind is alerted. You want to see if it’s true. 

If it does, chances are you’ll stick around to see what other tricks we’ve got up our sleeves. 

And you’ll be more than happy to read future articles from us. 

That’s the idea behind an interactive article. 

Adding actions to your blog that will keep readers hooked. Just like you are now. 😉 

Still unconvinced? Okay, scroll once to see how an interactive article keeps users engaged.

How do interactive articles enhance reader engagement?

It’s magical, to say the least. 

Different from the passive way people read traditional articles. 

Here, the text comes alive. And engages the reader. Making them feel like the static content is talking right back at them. 

So by publishing interactive articles, here’s what you get:

Increased participation

Traditional articles are boring because they’re passive. The readers' job there is just to absorb information and be on their merry way. And sure, some people love that, but many others will easily get bored and leave your site. 

Interactive articles, on the flip side, get readers involved in the text. It’s like the article has started having conversations with them. Asking them to respond to a poll, answer quizzes, etc.

So readers are far more involved with interactive articles than with traditional ones. And, you, my friend, as the creator of such interactive blog posts will get increased engagement. 

Improved comprehension and memory

Remember those looong journals you had to read when writing your final year paper?

Imagine they had enjoyable games, 360-degree images, data visualizations, or simulations. Or even infused storytelling in them.

Chances are, your learning process would probably have been faster than Einstein's. 

That’s how effective interactive articles can be. 

They’ll help readers understand the content better and remember it. In the same way you won’t forget this piece for a long time. 

Engagement rates that are through the roof 

Interactive articles are the equivalent of TikTok videos or IG reels. 

They’re fun, memorable, and delightful.

Now, what do you do when you find social media posts like that?

You hit the like button and share. 

Same thing applies if your content is fun. Readers will waste no time sharing it with their network. 

Now this interactive article we’ve been throwing around, how do you create one?  

Hold your horses, you’re about to find out.

How can you create an interactive article?

It’s a journey, really. 

Rocky, if you don’t have the right gear for the trip. 

But with a tool like Ceros in your corner, you’re in for a smooth ride. 

Ceros Studio is the tour guide on this interactive journey, showing you where to turn at each step.

With it, you can add animations and interactivity to your piece. Making it a sight to see for readers. 

First, you’ll need to create your article. Raw without any interaction. Next, identify what triggers you want in the piece to evoke interaction. Do you want it to be when users hover, click, or view a hotspot?

Then, decide what actions you want to be triggered. 

Those actions make the article interactive.  

We’ve put together some ideas for you below. Try any one of them to give your article the spark it needs.

Wondering how these techniques will work for your copy? Don’t worry, let’s unpack them together.

1. Include a show/hide toggle

You’ve seen those FAQ sections in blogs, yeah? When you click a question, more information is revealed. Like this:

GIF Source: HubSpot 

That’s an example of what a show/hide toggle looks like. 

Adding this interaction lets your readers digest a piece of content at their own pace. 

The aim is to get them curious about what is hidden. Kind of like a mystery box where no one knows what’s on the other side. 

Now, what’s on the other side doesn’t have to be text. It could be images, videos, or some other element. 

By including a show/hide toggle in your piece, you’re making sure the article looks concise and has a solid design. 

Also, this feature doesn’t have to be restricted to the FAQ section. You can use it anywhere in the body of a long-form article. Just make sure what’s on the other side is ‘cool’ enough. 

2. Use a slider to show before and after images

Before and after images have always been a unicorn on the internet. 

They just have this way of grabbing people’s attention. 

On the left, you’ll typically have the picture of a customer before they started using a product.  

And on the right, their transformed look after using the product. 

It’s always a delight to see!

Well now, you can introduce this feature to make your article interactive.  

But in a different way this time around. 

Instead of two pictures side-by-side, you can have a slider on the image. Revealing the image in different states as a user drags the slider from left to right. 

Something like this:

GIF Source: Giphy

With this interactive element, readers get to track the before-and-after states themselves. Uncovering every tiny detail like a forensics expert at a crime scene. 

3. Include audio in your articles

Audio? In an article?

Sounds weird, right? 

Well, in our humble opinion, audio is the lifeblood of most visual stories. 

That’s why your first move when watching an Instagram Reel is to press the ‘unmute’ icon. 

For articles, including audio can make your content highly interactive. 

How?

You can set it so that the audio starts playing when your page loads.

Or use it as a background sound effect when readers take an action. 

It could also be that anytime they click Next, there’s a special sound effect. 

The A Light In The Woods site does this perfectly. 

Image Source: A Light in the Woods

Once the site has loaded, you begin to hear chirping sounds like you’re in the woods. And if you hover over certain buttons, there’s a supporting sound effect.  

When you include sounds like this, it sparks curiosity and makes readers want to check other goodies awaiting them as they navigate your site. 

Just ensure you give them the option to toggle the sound on or off.

Another way is to include audio or even a podcast as an addition to the text and interactive stories on the page. 

So users can listen to the site if they don’t or can’t read it.

4. Make elements appear while scrolling

The idea with interactive articles is to add elements that’ll keep readers glued to their screens. 

Now, what better way to achieve this than transforming your site into an illusionist?

Just picture your readers scrolling through your blog. And then seeing elements appear out of the blue. 

What do you think their first reaction would be? 👇

GIF Source: Giphy

Something like this was what Apple did with its iPhone 13 Pro site. 

As you scroll, certain elements on the page just pop out to say hello. And you’re wondering where they came from. 

GIF Source: Apple

This is another way to give your readers an interactive experience. 

5. Use storytelling

Let’s be honest, adding elements alone won’t make your article super duper interactive. 

Your text has to be engaging enough to get readers curious about what comes next. 

And, if you wanna know, our secret potion for truly captivating text is to use storytelling. 

Yup, the kind with a loveable character. A want. And a potential obstacle. 

That’s the kind of vibe we’ve got going in this article. 🤭

So, throw storytelling into the mix. And you’ll have an article so great, the future you will travel back in time to tell you, “Well done.” 

6. Add animated charts and infographics

“But my blog isn’t the kind that supports interactive elements and storytelling. It’s all about statistics and charts. ” 

Come on, that’s not a big deal. 

If you use animated charts and interactive infographics, you can turn those text-heavy blogs into enchanting multimedia. 

Just like what Alan, a UI design expert, did in this case study for Geonode:

GIF Source: Dribbble

So, instead of long blocks of text, you can substitute the statistics and charts bit with an animated chart. You could even make the chart scroll-triggered. 

This way, segments of the animations are put in place while the reader scrolls. 

7. Use multiple-choice questions

Let’s say you don’t want to go through a lot of stress to make your article interactive. 

What to do then?

Well, you can go with multiple-choice questions as your lifesaver. Easy!

They can come in midway into the article. So it sorta prods readers into paying attention to what they’ve been reading. 

Answer a few questions and get the results immediately. 

It’s a good way to engage your readers and increase their dwell-time on your blog. 

8. Add clickable elements

In design terms, this is also known as image hotspots. 

It involves adding labels on an image for readers to click and immerse themselves in it. 

They get to see the different angles of an image. And all other information without going through a bunch of boring text. 

That’s what Mercedes-Benz did for one of its products.

Image Source: Mercedes-Benz 

It added clickable elements to the product. So users could learn about the ride in a fun way. 

Simply put, allow your readers to have fun going through your text. They’ll appreciate you for that!

***

So, we’ve shown you different ways to make your articles interactive. 

While there are still other options, we’ll save those for another time. 

For now, let’s go over some examples of interactive articles so you can draw inspiration for yours. 

What are some examples of interactive articles?

If you’ve never done something like this before, getting started can be tricky.

But don’t you worry! Here, you’ll find some of the best examples of interactive sites to guide you through this journey. 

So, shall we?

1. Allbirds in The New York Times

Our first example is this piece about birds from NYTimes.

Image Source: NY Times

And, boy, is it packed full of elements that make it interactive. 

The first micro-interaction you’ll see is the movement of animated leaves by just moving your cursor around. And the animations are amazing. 

Then as you scroll down, the page’s color changes. And alongside the changes, come more moving animations. 

The piece also has enticing graphics for stats that can keep readers glued to their screens. 

Plus, if they still want to cut down on their screen time, the article has an audio readers can listen to.

2. Marvel Universe timeline at CNN

The writers at CNN outdid themselves for this article. 

Image Source: CNN

We wouldn’t expect anything less because they are, of course, writing about Marvel.

So, how did they make this article interactive?

Simple: they wrote it to look like a story map. 

The writers took readers on a journey through the history of the Marvel universe. 

Starting from the year it all began, 2008. From then on, readers are guided through the different milestones in the timeline. 

They used a red line to help readers focus on fiction history. With catchy screenshots and supporting text.  

Think you can pull something like this off? 

Only one way to know: give it a try! 

3. Big Mac Index – The Economist

Remember the things we advised when talking about animated charts?

This article embodies them.

Image Source: The Economist

The writers decided to go with animated charts and graphs to keep readers engaged on the site. 

And when you hover over the graph, it provides additional information for the reader. 

Then, they added a two-paragraph text and a how-to graphic before wrapping it up with additional text. 

4. What is interactive content…and how can I get my company to adopt it – Ceros

If all blogs were written like this, perhaps websites would have more dwell-time than they do now. 

Image Source: Ceros

The first attraction of this piece is the copy that captures your attention, encouraging you to give interactive content a thought. 

Scrolling through, you’ll find clickable elements beside the text asking to be tapped. Then, some stats appear in an appealing way that sparks curiosity. 

The highlight here is how the different animated icons, colored sections, and hover effects guide readers through the main theme right to the CTA, reading the complete series. 

Showing them what life with interactive content looks like and how they can start their journey.

5. How to make a business case for better content – Ceros

Got important information to share with your audience?

See how we pulled it off with this piece. 

Image Source: Ceros

It was clear that the readers would need the text in the article; no way around that. So, here’s what we did to capture and sustain attention:

• Open with a catchy graphic design and story. Yup, a childhood story that almost everyone loves to draw them in. 
• Switch up background colors as readers scroll through. 
• And for the icing on the cake, use an ROI calculator to conclude. After all, the article is about making a business case.

So, what better way to make a case than to show possible profits it’ll yield? 

***

Alright, here we are at the end of this guide. 

With you all ready to create high-quality content. 

Just one more thing and you’ll be on your merry way. 

Now it’s your turn

You began reading this piece wondering. Thinking about how to create pieces readers want to engage with, for real. 

Well, now you know. 

But, there’s one thing still bothering you:

You still don’t know how to begin. 

Well, that’s not a problem. 

Especially with Ceros helping you every step of the way. 

Your digital platform with design tools for creating interactive content hassle-free. 

All you have to do is book a demo with Ceros and you’ll be on your way to publishing articles that are out of this world. 🚀