I used to write for myself, not the person reading it

For a long time, I filled our company blog with posts I thought were clever. Then our web guy showed me the analytics. A 1,200 word piece I was really proud of? It had a 12 second average time on page. He said, 'Pat, they're bouncing before the second paragraph.' That was the wake-up call. I started writing shorter, clearer posts that answered a direct question in the first line. Our time on page doubled in a month. Anyone else have to unlearn writing for an audience of one?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant_hart1mo ago

Hugo saying people just scan for the action item sounds about right. But is that always a bad thing? If the main point is clear, maybe the rest is just there for people who want the details. Not everything needs to be a text message.

jenny_coleman1mo ago

Yeah, it's funny how that works... I had a professor who loved my dense essays, but my friends would just ask me to summarize them over coffee. Really makes you see the gap between impressing someone and actually getting your point across.

hugo_schmidt1mo ago

Man, did I ever need that same wake up call. I used to write these long, winding emails at work thinking I was being super clear, but then a coworker told me they'd just scan for the action item and ignore the rest. It's so easy to get lost in your own head and forget that other people just want the point. Now I try to pretend I'm texting someone busy and put the main thing right up top. It feels weird at first, but people actually read it.