Four Tips For Web Writing: By The Numbers
So you want to write? Do you want to create content for your website or blog? Do you want to write something that might get read? What is the secret to writing content for the web and social media consumers? For today's fast readers on the web, you need to learn how to web write, by the numbers!
What does write by the numbers mean? Just look at your social media feed. It seems that every article posted on LinkedIn, Huffpost, on Facebook, is an article by the numbers. That's all we read on the web: 7 reasons to, 5 things that, 10 points on, 5 best, and 6 reason why.
The trend to write by the numbers is dominating web content. Writing by the numbers is easy, pick a topic, come up with a list and write it! Sounds easy right?
Writing an engaging readable article is never easy, but writing by the numbers does help. So here are four tips to help you become a better content writer on the web with "numbers writing".
1. Be Helpful. Pick a topic where your article can help others. Help others to better understand a topic. Help others to improve their professional practice or technical approach. Help others to improve relationships and interactions in their profession.
2. Know the Topic. Pick a topic you know and about which you can add interesting perspectives or something new or novel. I consult for a website company so my first attempt to write by the numbers was "Five Trends in Website Design". (This is my second attempt :-)
3. Keep Your List Short. I have seen too many articles that give 30 tips on the new iPhone or 20 reasons for this or that. Just today I saw an article on LinkedIn titled: 50 Email Marketing Best Practices. Really, you think I have time to read about 50 best practices? The articles I click on are all under 10 and I really like lists in the 3 to 7 range. I know they will be short, easy and quick to digest!
4. Put the Number in Your Title. Web readers like me are searching for content that we can digest fast. Seeing articles that share interesting and useful information in short lists attracts us to click, read and move on. So put your number in the title to get more readers. My first title for this article was: Web Writing: By the Numbers. You can see what I changed it to above!
So I could probably write a few more tips, but lets keep this short. Good luck on your own web writing adventures, by the numbers.
Writing an engaging readable article is never easy, but writing by the numbers does help. So here are four tips to help you become a better content writer on the web with "numbers writing".
1. Be Helpful. Pick a topic where your article can help others. Help others to better understand a topic. Help others to improve their professional practice or technical approach. Help others to improve relationships and interactions in their profession.
2. Know the Topic. Pick a topic you know and about which you can add interesting perspectives or something new or novel. I consult for a website company so my first attempt to write by the numbers was "Five Trends in Website Design". (This is my second attempt :-)
3. Keep Your List Short. I have seen too many articles that give 30 tips on the new iPhone or 20 reasons for this or that. Just today I saw an article on LinkedIn titled: 50 Email Marketing Best Practices. Really, you think I have time to read about 50 best practices? The articles I click on are all under 10 and I really like lists in the 3 to 7 range. I know they will be short, easy and quick to digest!
4. Put the Number in Your Title. Web readers like me are searching for content that we can digest fast. Seeing articles that share interesting and useful information in short lists attracts us to click, read and move on. So put your number in the title to get more readers. My first title for this article was: Web Writing: By the Numbers. You can see what I changed it to above!
So I could probably write a few more tips, but lets keep this short. Good luck on your own web writing adventures, by the numbers.
Comments