Think contrast, hierarchy
Subheads tell readers what content exists on a page and how different sections relate to the others. That guides readers to the copy they want to read and shows them how the parts fit together.… Read the full article
Display copy
Stop it with the ing-ing headlines (Examples!)
Present participle heads may be worse than labels
Barney Kilgore, the legendary editor of The Wall Street Journal, once wrote: “If I see ‘upcoming’ slip in[to] the paper again, I’ll be downcoming and someone will be outgoing.”… Read the full article
What’s the best link format?
5 ways to draw eyes, fingers
Your most important links are calls to action, writes HubSpot’s Kyle James. So how can you increase the chances that they’ll get clicked?… Read the full article
How to write a link that’s the right length
Give visitors enough information to decide to click
Think of links as the Goldilocks of microcontent: Some links are too long. Some links are too short.… Read the full article
How to write killer headlines for web content
Google never laughs; so must web heads be dull?
There’s a lot of sniveling and squawking going on in the web writing community these days. Consider the headlines:
- “This Boring Headline Is Written for Google,” grumble journalists.
How to write short online headlines
Web heads must fit on mobile apps, more
Not everyone wants to play, “What’s the last word in the headline?” says Andy Bechtel, associate professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill.… Read the full article
A way around the pyramid
Lift ideas off the page with display copy
There is one great thing about the inverted pyramid lead.
“The only benefit of the inverted pyramid lead was that it put a lot of valuable information high in the story,” write Mario R.… Read the full article
Billboard your story
What editors can learn from podcasters
“On the show today: giant carnivorous birds, flying snakes, and what all of that has to do with how you season your French fries.”… Read the full article