[Dalya’s Note: This blog post was originally published 4/24/13 by Nancy Schwartz, Strategist-Speaker-Consultant GettingAttention.org. Nancy Schwartz (nancy at nancyschwartz.com) helps nonprofits succeed through effective marketing. For more guidance like this, subscribe to her e-update at http://gettingattention.org/nonprofit-marketing/subscribe-enewsletter.html.]
It’ll take you about two minutes to read this. Do you think you’ll make it?
It’s not likely.
People usually read just 20% of any content that’s 100 words long or more. Since this post is longer than that, you’re most likely to scan it for keywords that are relevant to you, plus highlighted elements I showcase with bolding or italics.
Most of us wish, when we write, that people read every single word. But the reality is that people read far less than you think, or want.
Here are six ways to up the odds that your nonprofit’s content is read, digested and acted on:
- Craft clear and compelling headlines that lead readers into the rest of your content.
- Structure your content with the most important elements first. The inverted pyramid is your best friend here.
- Use clear and accessible language that is quick and easy to understand.
- Edit well to keep it short. It’s always a “less is more” scenario with content creation.
- Emphasize keywords and phrases to make them easy to find for scanners.
- Use bullets and white space to chunk content for easier visual digestion.
This post is 208 words long. Did you make it until the end?
