Archive for April, 2012

How Headlines Can Make or Break Your Web Writing

Friday, April 13th, 2012

Headlines have always been an important component in writing—particularly journalistic writing—but with the rise of social media they are probably even more important than ever before. When content is shared through Facebook or re-tweeted on Twitter, the headline will either grab the reader’s attention or it will not. Our increasingly busy lives dictate that we no longer read when perusing a web page, rather we skim quickly, jumping here and there until a word or a phrase stops us and makes us take notice.

Scanning is the norm in web reading, with readers spending less than five seconds on a headline to determine whether they will continue to read. If you’ve offered a confusing or lackluster headline, you have just ensured your article will not be read therefore your headline is possibly the very most important part of your article.  So, your headlines must grab the reader’s attention, snapping them out of their digital media daze. Next, it should spark their interest by relating to a particular problem or issue they are having in their life. A great headline should not, however, attempt to tell the whole story rather should intrigue the reader while staying snappy and to the point.

Sparking Your Reader’s Curiosity

If your headline fails to engage your reader’s curiosity, then it is unlikely they will continue to read. To stimulate curiosity, writers must use word such as “revealed,” or “at last,” to generate interest. Your ultimate goal in your headline is to speak directly to the emotions or needs of the individual reader, making them feel as though you are speaking directly to them. Keep in mind the five basic human needs or motivators when writing your headline.

Of course first there are the physiological needs such as hunger, shelter and clothing, and the safety needs including the physical, emotional and financial. Next comes social needs which include the need for acceptance, companionship and love. Self-esteem needs include the need for attention, respect and recognition, and finally comes the self-actualization needs which speak to a person’s need to reach their potential in life. These motivators should be incorporated into your web content headlines whenever possible.

Other Ways to Write Killer Headlines

You can use the “call out” method when writing your headline which specifically calls out to your target audience. If you write a one-word headline which simply says “Migraines?” you have effectively hooked every reader who has ever suffered from migraine headaches with one little word. Another method involves simply stating the benefit right up front in your article’s headline. Say you are writing an article about how to make vanilla extract at home.

You could simply title your article “Making Vanilla at Home,” or you could grab your reader with this headline: “Saving $$$ by Making Vanilla Extract at Home.” The second headline has told your reader right up front that they can save considerable amounts of money by making their own vanilla extract, while the first, while it gets the point across, is somewhat lackluster. Writing a “how-to” headline is also an attention-getter—after all, how many women will bypass an article that states “How to Lose 15 Pounds by Summer.”

Dealing With Conflicting Advice

New writers particularly can be confused by conflicting advice from professionals. Some state that information must always be front-loaded into the headline with a goal of conveying as much useful information about the content of the article as possible. Unfortunately, headlines of this type can often end up so dull they are regularly bypassed. Other seasoned web writers advise using the headline simply to lure your visitor in, ignoring whether there is any front-loaded information involved. What you should remember is that your headline will quite often be read out of context, meaning it could come up as an Internet search result, a newsletter subject line in an email, or re-tweeted on Twitter. This means that your headline must have significance outside the context of a website. In the end, it is definitely worthwhile for any writer of web content to focus considerable time and attention on their headlines.

Exploring the “Given-New” Principle

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

The web content writer must be fully aware of their reader’s needs and expectations. In general, readers expect that new information will be presented in the context of what is familiar to them. Familiar information encompasses something that has already been mentioned fairly recently in the surrounding text, or information which readers already know. The importance of this statement lies in the fact that good writers know to place what they can at least assume is familiar information prior to any new information. This particular placement of familiar information provides the reader with an orientation before unknown material is introduced.

Given-New

This sequencing is known as “given-before-new” and allows readers to more clearly see how each new piece of information fits into what they already know. Just as students would not take an advanced calculus class before they took a variety of other more basic math classes, the given-new principle works in the same manner. When new elements of information are introduced at the beginning of a paragraph, readers may not be able to comprehend what the article is really about, thus the necessity of the given-new principle.

Achieving Cohesion When Writing Articles

Assuming you are properly implementing the given-new principle, your articles should flow naturally due to the sequencing of information. Familiar information starts the sentences however this familiar information also incorporates your main idea or theme. New information follows with a goal of giving the reader the impression you are actually discussing something rather than simply introducing an unconnected series of ideas. Cohesion can be thought of as a veritable river of ideas which flows from one idea to the next in a very smooth, easy fashion.

Given-New vs. Topic-Content

The given-new principle is closely connected to the topic-content principle with the topic being the idea being discussed in the forthcoming text. Just like given information, the topic comes at the beginning of a sentence and encompasses an idea which is both familiar and anticipated by the reader. The topic in a sentence may be a repetition or paraphrase of something which was mentioned earlier, and gives the reader focus and clarity. The comment portion of the article comes toward the end of the paragraph, providing the reader with added information which is closely related to the main topic. Because of the manner in which most web users read, it’s important to keep the reader focused in order to ensure they make it to the end of the article. Web readers are busy people whose primary goal is to discover the answer to a question or problem in the most expeditious manner possible.

Article Progression

Beyond keeping the topic of discussion clearly focused in order to create an article which flows in a smooth and logical manner, writers must be cognizant of the thorough development of topics throughout the text. Topical progression is a term which essentially means to create bridges from one part of the content to the next. Each sentence leads naturally into the next, and each paragraph shows a logical progression of the topic or the theme. Readers are led naturally from one sentence to the next, and are not required to stop reading to try and figure out what they just read and how on earth it relates to the overall topic. Web readers need answers quickly and commonly skim articles in order to get that information. Writers who properly set up their articles, using the given-new principle and following good rules of article progression are more likely to hook their readers early and keep them until the end. Effective web writers are those who take note of the “rules” while still keeping their own particular brand of creativity and style in the game.

Expectations of Your Web Reader

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Meeting the expectations of your web reader can be challenging, to say the least. Today’s web readers are savvy, yet exceptionally busy and demand genuine, high-quality content. This is a choosy group, therefore your goal should be to target your readers and speak directly to them. Words are powerful tools and while there is a great deal of substandard writing on the web, the trend is thankfully shifting toward content full of significant information, value and importance. In short, any content published online should contain a level of relevance which raises the rank of the pages.

Differences Between Web and Print

There are significant differences in web content writing and print writing, most particularly the necessity of including keywords in your writing. Writers must first understand the importance of keywords then use them judiciously. Writing should be concise and relevant and should provide the specific information your reader is seeking. Web content must also be significantly shorter than print—the average web reader spends less than four seconds deciding whether they want to read an article on the web or not. If all they see is a vast expanse of copy, they will likely look elsewhere for their information. Headlines are critical when writing for the web as are short, simple sentences, short paragraphs and the use of bulleted and numbered lists.

Capturing the Interest of Your Readers

As stated, web readers are busy and are usually looking for specific information about a particular subject. They want to know how to do something, want to purchase a specific item, or need information about a particular subject. They want this information quickly and they want it to be easily scannable. The reader’s interest should be hooked immediately with your gripping headlines then held onto tightly with captivating sub-headlines, an engaging intro and copy that follows through on your promise. Your reader’s expectation is they are about to find the answer to a burning question, problem or issue, relevant information which will improve their life or possibly a compelling, informative article which holds their attention to the very end.

How Important are Headlines?

The headlines of an article could very well be what keeps your reader engaged until the very end. Your headlines should be so catchy and interesting that your reader is compelled to continue reading. If you can convince your reader through your headlines that they will be missing something vitally important to their life should they neglect to continue reading, then you have done your job well. Your headlines are essentially a promise to your reader and should provoke some type of emotion, inspiring them to take action. Dress up your headlines with descriptive adjectives and give your reader’s a hint of what’s to come—then deliver on your promise in your copy.

The Importance of the Introduction

Once you’ve written catchy, compelling headlines, concentrate on your introductory paragraph as it is the second most powerful element of your writing. Your intro should entice your reader to continue reading, and ideally will begin with a statistic, question or fact which your readers will find surprising, interesting or even shocking. Your intro should leave your reader wanting more, so spend the necessary time to make it great.

Your goal is to ensure you have fully met the expectations of your targeted audience by providing them the information they need while providing high-quality writing. End your articles with some sort of inspiring thought, call to action or even a metaphor which will enable them to remember what they just read, and you have met your goal.