Forget about swine flu, the next big pandemic is attention deficit disorder. Nowadays, we need superhuman powers to ignore the daily distractions that prevent us ever reading to the end of a page. Smartphone users, Googlers and twitterers are professional skimmers, absorbing a few lines of your carefully crafted content before hopping to the next message. Forget about thinking big or waxing lyrical. Small thoughts are far more digestible!
Ø Get Straight to the Point
Don’t spend time building to a crescendo. You’ll end up burying your call-to-action at the bottom of a long page, and may find readers aren’t prepared to scroll that far. Instead, spill your candy in the lobby, in full view of everyone. Use the top of the page to let your audience know how you can help. An attention-grabbing headline and an intro containing your key messages will work wonders. Once you’ve engaged your readers, you can fill the remaining space with all the juicy details.
Ø Learn to be a Ruthless Editor
Write your first draft and then cut it in half. It’s as simple as that!
Ø Tell Your Story in Headlines
Some skimmers only read heads and sub-heads. Make every word count, and use visual tricks to help your headlines pop off the page. That way, anyone who’s just skimming the surface will still leave with the full message.
Amanda O’Donovan spoon-feeds her clients with easily digested content. You can contact her at 416.456.3859 or amanda@amandaodonovan.com.