readers

Display copy: Why is it important?

Because ‘readers’ don’t read

I’m often amazed at the amount of energy writers put into perfecting the sentence structure in the fourth paragraph of their piece when those same folks toss off a headline in the 17 seconds before happy hour on a Friday afternoon.… Read the full article

Key links writing: Don’t overlink

Don’t overwhelm readers with options

In one study — on a web page with, granted, a ton of links — visitors looked at 71% of links in the first paragraph, but none of the links in paragraphs 13 through 24.… Read the full article

Why writing links well is so important

Get clicked by writing good link text

Users look for links on pages like puppies look for your best shoes.

Or so say Kara Pernice, Kathryn Whitenton and Jakob Nielsen, the authors of How People Read on the Web.… Read the full article

To reach readers, avoid writing in the first person

Stop We-We-ing on the reader

It feels so good to talk about ourselves.

Talking about yourself activates the same pleasure centers in the brain as food, money or sex, according to Harvard neuroscientist Diana Tamir and her colleague Jason Mitchell, whose research on the topic was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.… Read the full article

Focus your web copy

Make it relevant

Usability guru Jakob Nielsen recommends condensing copy by 50% online.

That’s certainly a useful guideline. But no single, overarching rule makes sense all the time.… Read the full article

Develop a 4-part fear appeal

Avoid losing readers in these hot spots

Fear appeals persuade. But they can also paralyze.

Strong fear appeals persuade … The stronger the fear appeal, the more likely it is to move your readers to act, according to 50 years of research and 100 studies reviewed by researchers Kim Witte and Mike Allen.… Read the full article

How to organize a blog post: before & after

Content marketing writing structure made easy

“Always grab the reader by the throat in the first paragraph,” said Time magazine reporter Paul O’Neil, “sink your thumbs into his windpipe in the second and hold him against the wall until the tag line.”… Read the full article

Headline writing don’ts

8 approaches to avoid

What’s in a name?

A great headline can mean the difference between a story that gets read — or one that gets passed over.… Read the full article

Why is storytelling important? [Research!]

‘Whoever tells the best story wins’

Here’s an argument for storytelling, if I’ve ever heard one: In a trial to determine whether the defendant, Johnson, was guilty of stabbing another man, Caldwell, to death in a barroom fight, it didn’t matter what evidence lawyers presented as much as how they presented it.… Read the full article