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Writing for the Web
COMM 200 - PROFESSOR ROBERTS
What We Know About Online Readers
What We Know About Online Readers
Time-Strapped
Visually Oriented
55% of pageviews get less than 15
seconds of attention
Far more likely to be drawn to images
(especially faces) rather than text.
Task Oriented
Cursory
Searching for specific information and
looking to accomplish a task
Most likely to make judgements from
the headline and summary
Stay at the Top of the Page
They Just Don’t Read
Readers spend more than 80 percent of
their time on page ”above the fold.”
Average user reads less than 62 words
on a page.
Writing for the Web
NEEDS TO BE:
Simple
Scannable
Direct
Task-Oriented
Writing for the Web
WRITE LIKE YOU DON’T EXPECT PEOPLE TO READ
Writing for the Web
WAYS TO ACHIEVE THAT:
Descriptive Headlines
Short Summaries
Bullet Points / Lists
Scannable Section Headers
Use Visuals and Graphics
Writing for the Web
USE CLEAR, CONCISE, EFFICIENT LANGUAGE
TALK WITH YOUR AUDIENCE, NOT AT THEM
BE TIMELY AND RELEVANT
BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE AND PLATFORM
Building a Digital Strategy
DEFINING THE GOAL:
What are you hoping to achieve?
How do you quantify success?
Building a Digital Strategy
DEFINING THE AUDIENCE:
Who are you trying to reach?
What do you know about them?
Demographic vs Behavioral targeting
Demographic: Age, race, gender, location
Behavioral: Visits, likes, interests
Building a Digital Strategy
DEFINING THE ASK:
What is the one thing you’re asking your audience to do?
How likely are they to take that action?
How aggressive of an ask can you make?
Driving up the ladder of engagement.
Building a Digital Strategy
Building a Digital Strategy
DEFINING THE PRODUCTS:
Where are you directing your readers?
What is the best way(s) to convey the information?
What will your audience respond to?
Blog post? Video? Interactive Graphics?
Building a Digital Strategy
DEFINING THE PLATFORMS:
Where do you reach your audience?
How well does the platform generate action?
How do you optimize your content to play to the strengths
of the platform?
Digital Platforms
EMAIL:
Still the primary driver of online action
High-value and low-value subscribers
Typically reaches an older audience
Fighting for attention in crowded inboxes
Digital Platforms
WRITING FOR EMAIL:
Subject line is crucial to open rates
Short, direct emails perform better
Clear Call to Action with multiple links
Clear, direct language with bullet points
Personalization Helps
Digital Platforms
BLOG POSTS:
Provides longer-form opportunities
Probably won’t generate native traffic
Controlled environment
Digital Platforms
WRITING BLOG POSTS:
Good descriptive headlines
Strong lede that quickly summarizes the article
Use bullet points and lists when possible
Use section headers
Active voice and clear, concise language
Digital Platforms
FACEBOOK:
Audience tends to skew older
Will engage with content (like, share, comment)
Unlikely to take substantive action
Good for visibility, but not for action
Digital Platforms
WRITING FOR FACEBOOK:
Conversational style
Should feel timely and important
Can go longer, but keep as brief as possible
Put key information above the break
Clear Call-to-Action with a strong “why”
Include photo/video for better visibility
Digital Platforms
TWITTER:
Audience tends to be tastemakers, info junkies
Users skew young, male and urban
Harder to get to engage, but once engaged, more active
Good for visibility with key audiences
Digital Platforms
WRITING FOR TWITTER:
Strict character limits
Preach to the choir
Be conversational and to the point
Capitalize on existing hashtags if possible