Joe Hadfield’s 3 weird writing tricks

will shock you

Everything is a headline

• People don’t read, they scan and skim. • Our attention spans are NOT shorter

than that of a goldfish.

• We expect to accomplish things faster because of the usefulness of the web.

Frontload your writing

• Frontloading: Carry the goods up front.

• Key words should be first words

• Not frontloaded: Ira A. Fulton scholarship application deadline changed

• Frontloaded: Deadline changed for scholarship application

Use words your users use

• Ask yourself these three questions: - Who do you spend time with at work? - Who are you writing for? - Do those two groups use different vocabularies?

“Again, half as long”

•Write comprehensive 1st draft

• Edit to be shorter (and better)

• Shoot for short sentences, too

Ways to shorten your writing:• Shorten very overly lengthy phrases

• Split sentences that multitask

• Cut info that distracts from the main point

Readability statistics

• <= 20 words per sentence is a must

• 14 words per sentence makes an easy-to-read article

•Microsoft Word settings: File – Options – Proofing – Show Readability Statistics

A Web Publishing Disconnect

• Content is published from a big screen, readers read on a small screen• Exercise: Visit your web page on a mobile

device as though you were seeing it for the first time• Observations?

Use social media to sharpen web writing• Twitter (everybody follow me @joehadfield)

Analytics.twitter.com

• Reddit

• Your personal SM accounts