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Read me!

April 12, 2011 By 1 Comment

This is the first thing you want people to do so you can connect them to your message. Whether it’s a brochure, flyer, website, blog, article or email the first thing they see must make them curious or interested enough to pursue things further.

  • On a brochure it’s the front page that entices you to look inside.
  • On a flyer it’s either on the front to get you to unfold it or the headline at the top that makes you want to read further down
  • On an email it has to be strong enough to make you bother to open it
  • On a web page (any web page, not just the home page) it needs to tell you enough to draw you on and find out more
  • On an article or blog it’s the headline that intrigues, engages and implies that there is something interesting, useful or even entertaining in the main body of the article or post.

    • So, what makes a good headline?

    That’s hard to answer, as every subject creates its own headlines to some extent. However, there are some good practice tips that might help:

    1. It needs to be reader focused – so not ‘We do’, but ‘You can have’
    2. It needs to be long enough to be compelling and short enough to retain attention. It depends on the type of document as to what is too long – but not several lines, particularly not on a website. The sales copy experts say up to 17 words; I’d suggest aiming for less.
    3. It needs to have energy. That means active words. It should read well and not be hard to say (even reading silently can tie you in knots sometimes!); stumbling over the words reduces their effectiveness.
    4. It needs to have something in it that connects with the reader in some way. It might answer a question, it might ask a question that relates to what they are looking for, it might say something challenging or controversial, it might say something that needs explanation and intrigues the reader to find out more. It might also say something that tempts or offers the reader something they want.

    A good headline is a catalyst to the reader taking action.
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    Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: ,

    Writing headlines that get attention

    February 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

    Headlines are a focus for the reader’s attention so they need to be big and compelling, it’s no good presenting them in any font size less than 18 point or they’re likely to get overlooked.

    When people arrive on your page you need to get their attention quickly, so nothing should get in the way of them connecting with your headline. Page titles (About us, Services) are not headlines, but often overshadow the main message. Don’t waste prime real estate on page titles, your web designer should be smart enough to make the menu show the page you’re on!

    The best headlines focus on why people buy YOUR business. If you’re not sure ask your customers why they use your services or products and apply that information to your headlines – other people will want the same things.

    Avoid using the word ‘WE’ – your visitor is not interested in you or what you do; they want to know what they get. The best way to get engagement is to talk about your visitor and their challenges.

    The best headlines answer the question ‘will this website tell me what I want to know?’ Use your headline to tell your reader what they will get if they read on.

    To improve the ease of reading headlines should be in sentence case NOT caps and NOT with a cap for each word that stops readers at each word.

    Don’t panic if your headline is a bit longer than the ‘norm’. they can be long if they are also compelling; experts say up to 17 words! I suggest less, but say what you need to.
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    Putting your message where people are looking

    January 31, 2011 By 1 Comment

    When you’re writing copy for the web or for brochures, flyers or anything else you want people to read the most important thing is to get their attention – or you might as well not bother!

    It’s important to know where people are looking and how their eyes connect with the screen or the document. People scan on screen in a different pattern to the one they use on paper – and the way they handle documents will impact on what they look at first – and next.

    Typically people engage with a web page about 2/5ths of the way down the screen – so that’s a good place to put your headline, but you still need it to stand out so people’s attention is focused. On paper, the scanning pattern starts a bit higher up in the upper left quadrant, but not right at the top of the page.

    On the screen people mostly scan in an ‘F’ shape, with the top bar of the ‘F’ in that critical headline position. The lower bar is the next place their eyes go and then they scan down the left hand edge of the copy area, picking up 10-12 characters and any words that they have in mind.

    On paper the type of document will make an difference to how they read. On a single page people tend to start in the upper left quadrant and then the eyes follow a ‘Z’ pattern across the page. This means that information on the right hand side is often overlooked unless there is a way to attract the attention to it that makes it stand out.

    It’s important to be aware that people may not be looking in certain areas, means you can find means to focus their attention by using bullet point lists, subheadings or other devices. Knowing that the bottom left hand corner will be noticed is important as you can use that to put information you really want people to read.

    There’s far more to understand when you come to folded flyers, two sided documents and all the information that relates to colours, images and contact information, but at least this will get you started!
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    Filed Under: Readability Tagged With: , , ,
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