The Beautiful Post
Photography: Spirit in a material world by fabbio
One question I’ve been considering lately is: what is the best way to present content, regardless of topic? Is there a general set of principles that can be used to make any post better?
In this post, I want to explain some of the conclusions I’ve come to. It will outline several ways we can make our content beautiful, regardless of what we’re writing about.
Cutting to the chase
I disagree with those who say that people want to scan, not read, online. In my experience, web users are savvy selective scanners. They’re very good at skipping over waffling words that have little value to them, and focusing utterly on the useful stuff.
In my experience, the essential elements of any post can be placed into two categories:
- Words that persuade visitors to read the article.
- Words visitors want to read.
Everything else can be cut out, and in this pursuit, liberal use of the Backspace key is a necessary evil.
Words that persuade
A first-paragraph worthy of full marks is one that entices visitors to keep reading, and alludes to the rewards of doing so. If I were a more artful writer I’d do this in a more intriguing way, but I’m not. I settle for the “tell them what you’re going to tell them” approach.
The way I see it, you’re much more likely to walk down a strange road if you know there’s something fantastic at its end: a bucket of money, a table full of food, or whatever suits your fancy.
An unmarked road might have something amazing at its end, but if you never know, you probably won’t walk down it. There are a lot of other roads out there, with more certain benefits achieved by following them, after all.
The purpose of an introduction is to get potential readers to keep reading. Anything that doesn’t perform that function should be deleted, or else it will muddy the strength of your overall persuasive line.
Words visitors want to read
Once you’ve quickly given visitors a reason to read, jump straight into presenting them with value. If your article provides advice, get started with it. If your article is about resources, share them. If your article is an entertaining story, start telling it. You should never feel perturbed about launching into what you’ve promised, quickly and efficiently.
One again, Backspace is your friend. If you’re unsure about whether readers will be interested in a paragraph, go with your instincts: uncertainty probably means that you’re right. Why? Because we always want to convince ourselves that what we write has value. That’s the thing preventing us from being certain, when we really should be.
Adding a second layer
On this point, I’m still trying to develop the habit, but I strongly believe that the benefits of weaving links into what you write can’t be overstated. I simply don’t do this enough.
There are a number of concrete benefits to this practice:
- You’re acknowledging that your work exists within a context.
- You’re providing readers with the tools to deepen their knowledge.
- You’re connecting with other writers.
- You’re adding more weight to your words.
Doing this, most importantly, allows you to add a second layer of value to what you write. You present readers with the words on the surface, and behind them, carefully selected links and points of reference. It can only increase the impact of your content.
Think logic and aesthetics
Sub-headings make your post easier to read and easier to follow by sign-posting your logic and the progression of your ideas.
Increasing the readability of your articles is another simple way to encourage readers to invest time in what you’ve written.
Images do take a little time to find but give you the opportunity to set the mood and atmosphere of your article. I love the term ‘eye candy’ because it’s incredibly appropriate: interesting visuals are instant gratification for the eyes and make reading a more pleasurable experience.
Your response might be: I agree, but where are the good images? Most importantly, how can I use them without getting sued?
I’ve written an answer to this question at PureBlogging.
My final suggestion is to use interesting formatting, and to invest time in gathering the skills necessary to do so. Bullet-points, numbered lists, box quotes, extracts, typographical tricks and so on will help make your articles much more enjoyable to read.
I’ve put forward Coding Horror as a fantastic example of this previously and I’ll do so again here. Most of the time Jeff Atwood writes on topics I have no knowledge of, but I’d still suggest every blogger or webmaster subscribe for a masterclass in creating visually interesting posts like this one.
Sign it with your signature
A number of bloggers do this literally, and it’s quite a neat visual effect, but it’s not what I’m talking about here.
Ideally, your articles should be signature content. I’ve written on this before, and I’ll sum up the essence of my advice with a short excerpt from that article:
The internet is so vast that chances are at least one other person is writing on the topics you cover. By signing content with your own signature — your thought process, your experiences, your stories — you’re ensuring readers can only come to you and you alone for the content you provide.
Signature content need not contain personal information. Rather, it’s about your experiences. Weaving your own experiences into what you write will allow readers to appreciate and care for the author, not just the information you provide.
Aside: Starting in less than 24 hours I’ll be writing a weekly column on content creation at ProBlogger. I know many of you are already subscribed but, for those who aren’t, you can do so here.
I’m excited and, I’ll be honest, a little nervous about how I’ll be received, but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
