People rarely read online content from beginning to end.
Maybe it is because of a limited internet connection or it’s because there are thousands of articles on Steemit vying for attention.
Research has even proven that reading from screens takes 25% longer than paper.
There are a lot of reasons that may cause this, but it is important that you take a new approach when writing for an online audience.
Digital writing differs significantly from writing traditional paper text.If you expect people to pay more attention to your content then you need to improve your digital writing skills.
In my early Steemit days, I didn’t know this. I had an eye for visual appeal, but I was unsure of how this actually applied to blogging. Poor me blogging everyday without thinking of how people viewed my articles.
Thanks to research, I now have a better idea of how people interact with written content online.
And I have been testing what I learnt and people have been interacting more with my content, two days ago @stellabelle went through most of my posts and upvoted them all increasing my pending payout by $37 (I totally love the 7 day payout period :) )
It’s about creating scannable content.
Research shows that 55% of people spend fewer than 15 seconds actively on a page
This means that you have a small window to grab their attention and motivate them to read your content. And they may not read the content to the end.People tend more to scan content online.
And the fact that your content gets shared or resteemed doesn't mean that your post engagement will increase.
What is Scannable Content
Scannable Content is simply:
content that is short sweet and straight to the point, with brief sentences and paragraphs. Bold text and bullet points to highlight keypoints with links to content that provide readers with supplemental information
This writing format is vital in the 21st century where readers primarily read content on a screen as opposed to a book or any other print publication.
It is meant to fully engage them with the content at hand
And it works.
How To Create Scannable Content
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Write short paragraphs
You might have noticed it by now that I prefer to use short paragraphs in my posts
And they are really short, most of the paragrapghs are a single sentence in lenght.
That’s not by accident.
This is perhaps the most important technique when it comes to creating scannable content. Creating a post that is just an ugly block of text will only make readers skip no matter how good the content is.
The key is to include only one idea per paragraph and make it a maximum of four sentences. However, I try to stick with just one to three.
That white space is your friend, so use plenty of it to break up text into smaller chunks.
Keep your sentences short
There’s no reason to drag your content out by writing long sentences and using Big words only professors will understand.
You need to keep it in mind that your audience will consist of a lot of different readers with varying levels of education and vocabulary
Dumb it down if you have to, but keep the value high.
Sprinkle in images
Images help serve two distinct purposes.
First, they always serve as an eye candy and helps fulfill your reader’s subconscious desire for visual stimuli.
Second, they provide periodic breaks between blocks of text.
Both help keep readers on your blog for longer periods of time and encourage them to engage with your content.
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Use Sub-headers
Sub-headers are powerful if you know how to use them (an entire post on subheadings is coming soon)
The fact is that most readers won’t be interested in every single point of your article.They may prefer to bounce around to seek key information that may interest them.
This desrie may be accomodated by including several sub-headers throughout the body of your content, this helps you content flow
Sub-headers serve as a quick and easy way to locate main points and accelerate the scanning process. Just make sure that each subheader summarises what the following paragraphs cover.
Also remember to keep your subheadings simple and practical.
It's always worth a read or a scan of other people's styles. I have a tendency to get wordy, which doesn't lead to scanable material. I will be tweaking my style a little bit after reading your post. Thanks @ogochukwu.
Hello @wakeupsheeps
Thanks for reading and I am glad you found the post helpful.
@ogochukwu
Very good advice, but so hard to follow!
Even with a comment I tend to write too much.
Must stop!
How come you use a different font?
Must study that!
Thanks for sharing.
Ha ha Good One @ladyrebecca
Hope you follow through. Thanks for reading.
@ogochukwu
That's why I keep the chapters of my stories short. Good article my friend!
Thanks for reading and your kind words
I think you have worked hard on this post and that is why I support you!
Thanks for reading @andyx
This article is very helpful and useful for a long winded story teller like me.
Thank you for sharing your research. I will be trying this out soon.
Hello @bilbop
Thanks for reading and I am glad you found the post helpful.
@ogochukwu
Your posts always make me feel like I'm doing something wrong. 😂...my main problem though is that I don't know whether my posts would be understood by other people, for instance, when I want to speak in my language. Especially when it concerns a story about my place or something.
Hello @yvonn
If you are writing a story, then you can add some terms in your Language. That is understandable, even if it is a place you want to describe. People will understand.
@ogochukwu
Important and useful tips. I'm going to be trying it out soon. Thanks for sharing this @ogochukwu.
Thanks for reading @ogoowinner
actually, i went to your page and upvoted your posts because of an amazing comment you posted. I wish i could remember which one it was!
Hello @stellabelle
It was the post on How To Become Another Steemit Blogger Nobody Cares About.
Thanks for reading my posts and for your comments. I deeply appreciate.
@ogochukwu
Well said. I have also realized that effective post must not be all that long. Most times, it is good to make it short and pass your information . Well said.
Thanks for reading @kingsley-clement
Hi @ogochukwu. Your posts are always so helpful. I usually stick to short poems out of fear of being too wordy or not having quality content.
Hello @callme-pep
Everyone has his or her own style of creating content and you should create what naturally comes to you.
I first started my Steemit blogging by writing Short stories, It was easy for me to write and over time my content evolved.
@ogochukwu
Steemit--all online blogging--is a different animal. I tend to write the same way everywhere, and maybe that's a mistake. Thanks for the excellent post.
Thanks for reading @cristof
You have made a valid point
Very valid point. Some people just read the first few paragraphs, check one or two pictures, and last paragraph
Thanks for reading
Nice content
Wow this was really helpful. Read every word. Resteemed
Thanks for reading and the resteem @samstickkz
You made my night man. I just learn something vital now reading this piece
Thanks for reading @eurogee and I am glad you found the post resourceful
@ogochukwu
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STOPGreat post. I've been telling new users the same thing about their posts being too long/wordy, and I'm guilty of this myself.
Your posts are some of the clearest, quickest, and easiest to read. Thanks for laying this out. I'm going to try using more bold text like you do, it looks kind of bad alone, but I like how it looks in your posts.
I tend to do that to peoples comment sections. I think I scare people sometimes! Nothing like dropping a 900 world response onto of someone's blog of only a few hundred words.
Haha, I've done the same thing! I've even had to make images for it.
Note: the subject in question was missing some clothes.
LOL :)
Hello @enjar
Even though your comments are usually long, i always read them because I know you have deep insight.
A long comment will still be read if it is arranged properly and I believe that if you are good at it, people will get used to it.
Thanks for reading and your feedback
@ogochukwu
Hello @lexiconical
The attention span online is very short and it is also shorter on Steemit where there are a lot of good content to read and alos money to be made.
I know that even if my content is good, if it scattered, no one will read it, so i strive to make it look neat.
Thanks for reading and your feedback.I appreciate your comments, it goes a long way in making me know what to stop and what to improve on.
@ogochukwu
You're doing great, your formatting is top notch as is your content. Top 5-10% at least.
Thanks for the compliment, i try my best to deliver :)
Nice one. Very meta: a post about posting.
“I'm sorry I wrote you such a long letter. I didn't have time to write you a short one.” – Blaise Pascal.
Ha ha @wholeself-in
Nice quote , i will save it for future use. Thanks for reading
At least at my screen resolution on my computer monitors, I always try and keep some kind of image or image divider on the screen when you scroll down it (from my point of view). I also like to use “#” and even a few “###” to bold headers.
I am still struggling to try to find the right length to write things out. I know a lot of things I can create will get very long. So I do my best to break up large amounts of text with some sort of eye candy. For those who just surf eye candy (headers, and images) for the most part I try and give them the opportunity to understand a little of what is going on. Perhaps it will peak their interesting enough to actually read it. Maybe I have already scared them away.
How often do you feel images and other attention grabbing devices are needed to keep the reader engaged and not get bored?
It kinda saddens me having to use so much media between my words just to keep people interested long enough to get to the bottom of the page where the upvote button is. That is just the world we seem to live in. Most don’t have time for anything anymore. What a strange paradox.
@ogochukwu. Hw do you upload pics on your post with raw HTML?
you upload the picture using the uploader on steemit
Am talking about wen creating a post.
Nice one. Helpful. I'll be keeping an eye on your future posts.
Thanks for reading @misterakpan
You have a lovely blog, bro. I'm following you. Keep the flag flying.
Wow insightful as a newbie i learnt alot. just read and followed you. I also reesteemed your post. Kindly check out mine also
Nice information @ogochukwu always keeping in mind English is not everyones first language. Short, sweet and to the point helps.
Thanks for reading @joanstewart
Good and helpful tips indeed, keep it up, upped.
I referenced you on my latest post: Steemit: Poor People killer Or A Strategic Solution For All ?
feel free to check it out. More success to you, and keep steeming.
Hello @charles1
Thanks for reading and the mention. I appreciate.
@ogochukwu
you are welcome, always...and keep steeming to more success bro...
meep
Thanks for dropping by @ionlysaymeep
meep
Very good article. Well written and very useful. Thanks for putting it it and it definitely poses a few challenges to other writers.
Thanks for reading @niallon1
These are really great points, I am working on making my writing for Steemit more succinct (but I still really like big words :P). Thanks for the post, will be following and seeing what other tips you have to offer!
Hello @cupidzero
You may like big words(i like them too) but you may want to consider your readers, they may not be wordsmiths like you and I. :)
@ogochukwu
Once again, you deliver! 🤣
:) Thanks for reading
I like to make an alternation of
headers and sub headers
and short paragraphs of one or two sentences
That I intersect with my images or my illustrations
just because it pleases my eyes more...LoL
and I feel much better reading with such a presentation
...that's cool ! ^_^
Thanks for reading
I scanned your post dear @ogochukwu!
You're absolutely right!
And in most cases this type of presentation is the most relevant.
Thank you very much for your work dear @ogochukwu!
And I'm very glad to meet you!)
Best wishes to you!
Hello @evgsk
Thanks for reading and I am glad you got sonething out of the post.
@ogochukwu
In the middle of your article, you wrote
Instead of :
See, I read everything! :)
Good advices, I'll try to integrate some of them in my posts. Thanks.
Good One :) thanks for reading
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STOPScanning of post? Yes it is a trending factor but i guess the first line and the topic goes a long way
Thank you! This post is helpful, indeed.