Pass the dollar-bill test

If it looks easier to read, more people will read it

One technique for making sure even a long story looks easy to read is to use Edmund Arnold’s dollar-bill test.

Pass the dollar bill test image — **Dollar wise** Break your print copy up into chunks no larger than a dollar bill to encourage readership. Of course, placing actual dollars in your copy won’t hurt. Especially if they’re as cute as this one. *Image by Kade Chan*

Arnold, a journalist and design consultant for more than 50 years, said that no chunk of copy should stretch longer than and wider than a dollar bill.

Break copy up.

To keep copy chunks short and easy to read, break up the copy with such display copy as

Passing the dollar-bill test has a side benefit: It gives your piece multiple points of entry — or lots of places where a scanner can dive into the text. Given reading patterns today, that’s a big deal.

The dollar-bill test in action

I think you would agree that this piece, from the Chicago Federal Reserve, does not pass the dollar-bill test. It looks off-putting.

And that’s fine. As long as you don’t want anyone to read your piece.

Break your copy image — **Breaking news** If you want readers to read up, break your story down into small chunks, then label those chunks with display copy.

Test your online communications.

So pull out your wallet. Slap down a dollar bill. And do what you must to make your piece look easier to read.

Now here’s the bad news: The dollar-bill test is for print. Online, it’s the palm test.

How can you reach readers where their eyes are?
Web visitors spend 57% above the fold, or on the first screen of a web page, according to the Nielsen Norman Group. They spend 74% on the first two screens.
Find out how to reach visitors where their eyes are at Reach Readers Online — our web-writing workshop starting Oct. 5.
There, you’ll learn how to stop dropping the best-read element on your web page … how to avoid getting your head cut off on smartphones … how to get found with Ann’s simple tricks and tools for SEO … and how to overcome the obstacles to reading on the screen to get the word out on mobile devices.
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