Go Blogger (dot) net

6 Post Formattings that Make People Read

Posted on 28. Jul, 2009 by Isaac Yassar in Uncategorized

Good day!

Value your posts deliver is the key to blogging success. It is in coherence with content-is-king blogging approach: the better the value, the more success you will reap.

However, none can extract your value if poor article formatting bury it. Perhaps you have met articles that you could not stand reading through. I am sure poor article formattings caused some of them. You are not fond with them, and your visitors aren’t either.

Good post formatting is the scan-able one. Most visitors do not actually read article before scanning first. They are simply too busy or not genuinely interested. If they like what they scan, they will likely read it in more details.

How to format your articles good? Check these out:

1. Paragraphs (not paragraph)

If you forgot to add line breaks to separate your paragraphs, your post will look like one terrifying super-long paragraph. It is a simple mistake with devastating impact, scaring your visitors away like a barking rabies dog. Always separate your paragraphs with a blank space or line, my friend.

2. Friendly font color

It is not wise to have font colors that are unfriendly to your background color / image, making texts hard to read. Bright colors of texts are good with darker background, and vice versa. Bright texts in front of bright background hurt your visitor’s eyes like the sun. Dark texts with dark background force your visitor to search for a black ant in the middle of a moonless night. Life’s hard, don’t make it any harder

3. Bold, underline, italic, etc

Marking important points inside your paragraphs using bold, underline, italic, etc, will make scanning through your article much easier. They function like famous landmarks when you see a region from a plane or helicopter. Nevertheless, don’t mark too many, otherwise they will be like Superman in Krypton, nothing special.

4. Sub headers / lists / bullets

Sub headers, (numbered) lists, and bullets help your visitors navigate through your main points easily. It is very helpful especially for long articles with many points. It also enables readers to digest them faster. Use them often.

5. One idea / paragraph

If you put more than one idea in a paragraph, audience might miss some of them in their scan. Thus, they might not get a clear clue of what you are talking about. It won’t make your network of ideas looks any smarter.

6. Points first, details later

If visitors read your first sentences of paragraph and they know you are not talking something significant there, you will sound like babbling and they will lose their interest quickly. You can put a topic sentence anywhere on a paragraph (front, middle, or end), but don’t expect readers will always care enough to look for it. Therefore, put vital points in the first place, and then add details afterward. It’s better for business.

Breaking tips number 1 & 2 will drive visitors away at once. Tips number 3 & 4 are good with scanning. Number 5 & 6 renders your articles concise and well-flowing.

Any tips to add?

Tags: Copywriting, format, post