Video: Edit Your Articles to Grab & KEEP Your Readers’ Attention
Written by Alice Seba
(Click the image above to open the video in another window. Click the play button to start the video. If you are using an iPhone or can’t view Flash, please watch this video, in 2 parts on our YouTube Channel.)
Here’s the thing…if you didn’t know it already, website visitors are a fickle bunch. They’ll click away in an instant if you can’t get their attention or if you don’t keep them engaged in your content.
The good news is – there is plenty you can do to keep their attention and really, it’s a matter of a few simple edits. This video shows 7 checkpoints to make your content more appealing and readable – keeping your website visitors on your page longer.
A Summary of the 7 Checkpoints in the Video:
- Headline – grab their attention right at the start.
- Use Images – graphics can convey a mood, information and more.
- Engineer Your Paragraphs – forget traditional grammar rules, break up your paragraphs for easier readability and impact.
- Subheadlines – format your content into bit-sized chunks for easier scanning and reading.
- Bolding, Italicizing & Underlining for Emphasis – just the right amount makes your content easier to scan and read.
- Focus on the Reader – if you want them to pay attention, it’s got to be about your audience.
- Eliminate Excessive Words – We tend to use more words than we need. With short attention spans rampant, we’ve got to get to the point quickly.
About This Video
The video above is a small part of Lesson 3 – The Contentrix Guide to Style of the Better Content Marketing course. While students get a complete lesson (they can choose from print or audio), templates, checklist and assignment, this was just a little something extra I put together for them that I thought you might also be interested in.
If you want more people to read your content all the way through, click play to watch.
Like what you see? Join us as a Contentrix Better Content Marketing Student…it’s just $1 to start. We’d be pleased to have you.
About the Author
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Fran Civile says:
Good morning Alice,
I just got through watching the 2 videos about editing an
article so it gets better attention and I feel very comfortable with your style … one point you make very clearly is that if you’re talking to someone you should not wander off into generalities.
I admire the clever ways you’re selling the enrollment to your promising Concentrix Content course … last week’s excellent video and guest article at Lynn Terry’s about “Brainstorming” and now these two videos … all simultaneously empowering your affiliates!
Congratulations Alice! I’m learning from you,
Fran
Alice Seba says:
Thanks Fran – I take your astute observations to be a great compliment.
Candace says:
Thanks for the article, Alice! I knew many of these things, but seem to have gone astray from focusing on them when I write.
Even I myself sometimes look at my blog posts and go “ugh”. Time is my biggest enemy – I don’t always have enough of it. This is when posts suffer, when I simply have to get a post up.
Thanks for sharing!
Alice Seba says:
Yeah – it’s true. Finding the time can be hard, but editing is a habit you can get into and it can be done fairly quickly.
And realistically, it’s what you have to say that’s important…not how often you say it.
LaTara Ham-Ying says:
Thank you for sharing Alice. The actual content has never been my issue. My issue has been the headlines. I am learned a great deal from this video and will be going in to work on some of my headlines today
Thanks!
Alice Seba says:
Yeah…headlines. Be specific, illustrate a benefit…grab attention. Easier said than done, right? The good thing is, it gets easier with practice!
Marya Miller says:
I always enjoy the way you keep copywriting grounded in the basics. Eliminating excess words is one of the most under-rated/practiced and most effective “tricks”.
Never miss checking out your new posts when I see an announcement on FB or Twitter — no matter how many deadlines I’ve got.