Do you read everything, line by line, that you come across on the internet? Most of us do not bother reading a large chunk of texts, as it is boring and time-consuming. So, instead, we take the shorter route by scanning the article. Then there are sites that publish content that is not scan-able at all.
When the reader finds the content lengthy and not user-friendly, they skip over it, resulting in the content you crafted so meticulously without any hits—no comments, no likes, no follows, no shares, nothing! The trick to grabbing people’s attention is to make your content easily scan-able for them. Here are some tips to do just that:
1. Introduce Subheadings
When the reader looks at your content, the subheadings should instantly grab their attention, compelling them to read it. Try to write strong subheadings to keep them interested in your content.
2. Break It Up
Are you trying to cover a complex subject? If so, have you considered breaking it up into several smaller posts? You can label the posts as Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and so on. In doing so, it will keep people engaged with your content, and they will look forward to reading about what you have to say each week. As for how you will write the content, follow this guideline:
- Write your conclusion first
- Write supporting sentences next
This will help scanners quickly understand the subject of your content, as they will be able to go from one point to the next one with ease.
3. Use Images with Captions
Do not place images just to make the content colorful, but place meaningful images with captions that pertain to the message you are trying to convey through your writing. The messages can be two to three sentences in length. Images with captions might just turn out to be the trick to entice readers to read the entire thing.
4. Shorter Paragraphs
To make your content more user-friendly, you can break up a long paragraph into shorter sentences. You can feature one thought per paragraph to make it easier for readers to scan. Write three to four sentences per paragraph.
Sometimes, write paragraphs featuring only one sentence.
5. Add Links to Other Sites
You need to establish yourself as a leader in your industry; someone people can look towards to when they need their questions answered. Be that source of knowledge by adding links to your own content or previous blog posts or the content of another site. For instance, if you are writing down statistics either reference it at the bottom or link to it within the content.
6. Introduce Bullets
- Bulleted lists increase readability, as they make the content easily scan-able
- You can present several different points
- They will stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of the text in the content
The next time you sit down at your computer to write a blog post or an article, remember to follow the tips mentioned above to ensure you attract the attention of impatient readers who prefer to scan the content instead of reading it.
