27 January 2011
How to Write for the Web
My friend Reena of SEO Notes from a Newbie is thinking about attending a local seminar on writing for the web and she listed the names of the people giving the sessions - book writers, freelance writers, hobbyists, etk. At least the hobbyists were bloggers. I was quite amused because she has been writing, among other things, for REAL and OPERATIONAL web stores for two years now, and I wouldn't be surprised if Reena can teach these local experts a thing or two about web writing.
How to Write for the Web? (Read the details below.)
1. Don't write.
2. Write.
3. Edit.
4. Shut up.
5. Re-read and correct
I have been fortunate to be mentored by someone who knows his web marketing well. First thing he taught me is web readers read differently, so I shouldn't be too uptight about writing as I would for print. Then he recommended that I learn the ropes on web writing from usability guru Jakob Nielsen. BIG help. Might as well click that link than finish this article.
If you're not in the mood to learn the whole usable web writing school of thought yet, here is a short list of what I usually do when writing for a page.
1. Don't Write Yet
Sorry to disappoint you folks, but rein in those writing juices for now. To be effective and to save time and effort, my first recommendation is to THINK THINK, THINK. I have wasted many a time (even days) by writing immediately about a web page. After writing, I sit down and think about the page. Then I chuck the copy into the trash.Why? Because I was saying all the wrong things that didn't match why the page was needed in the first place.
What to think about before writing: Make your page useful!
2. Write
Don't expect to write your usual stuff the way you want it. Write in an inverted pyramid style, putting all the most important things first. AND make sure you answer the first bullet above. Put what your readers want to know right at the top, in the first or in the immediate second sentence. List your other important stuff. Now think about your readers. What will they want from you? Sorry folks, but that is all they are after, not your wonderful wit, not the innate awesomeness of your product. No. It's all about what's in it for them. Put these benefits for your reader either at the title, subtitle, first paragraph, or all at the same time. That is fine too.
If your tendency is to write an intro background to explain everything first, fine. For now. Write it.
3. Edit/ Slash/ Cross outBe brutal
If you're already satisfied with your copy, good. Now trim your piece. Be merciless. Fix the punctuation, spelling, grammar. Cross out all the other stuff you wrote that's making your copy too long. People don't like long blocks of text on the monitor. Alternate blocks of text with bullets, numbered articles, pictures.
Oh, that background intro you wrote? Cut that introductory paragraph with boring explanations, then put it at the bottom. Don't cry. Interested people will scroll down to find it. Those who aren't will be happy your first paragraph contains what they need.
Read the whole thing again. Sound better now, right?
Then, check again if your piece is talking about what your readers want.
4. Now highlight/ bold the items that people want to find out from your article.
Check again if your piece is talking about what your readers want. Kulit ba? But yes, that is what your piece should be all about.
Then shut up.
5. Close the article, bury the page/ article under sand for the longest time you can afford. Dig it out, re-read, do your corrections. Check again if your piece is talking about what your readers want.
If you got this far, congrats. Now click that Jakob Nielsen link I gave, and find out all you can about making reading easier for your viewers.
What else? Stories. People are hard-wired to pay attention to stories. If you have one, tell it.
***
As for how to write in a vibrant/ lively manner, that, my friend, is a different journey from person to person. Even JakobN couldn't help us out in that one. For now, just write and write and write. When you find your real voice becomes your voice as you write on paper (or the monitor), maybe that's when your articles become vibrant. So just write.
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How to Write for the Web? (Read the details below.)
1. Don't write.
2. Write.
3. Edit.
4. Shut up.
5. Re-read and correct
I have been fortunate to be mentored by someone who knows his web marketing well. First thing he taught me is web readers read differently, so I shouldn't be too uptight about writing as I would for print. Then he recommended that I learn the ropes on web writing from usability guru Jakob Nielsen. BIG help. Might as well click that link than finish this article.
If you're not in the mood to learn the whole usable web writing school of thought yet, here is a short list of what I usually do when writing for a page.
1. Don't Write Yet
Sorry to disappoint you folks, but rein in those writing juices for now. To be effective and to save time and effort, my first recommendation is to THINK THINK, THINK. I have wasted many a time (even days) by writing immediately about a web page. After writing, I sit down and think about the page. Then I chuck the copy into the trash.Why? Because I was saying all the wrong things that didn't match why the page was needed in the first place.
What to think about before writing: Make your page useful!
- What is this page/ shoutout for (or the objective of that page, or tweet, etc.) ?
- Who will read this? What do they expect to see? What do they need?
2. Write
Don't expect to write your usual stuff the way you want it. Write in an inverted pyramid style, putting all the most important things first. AND make sure you answer the first bullet above. Put what your readers want to know right at the top, in the first or in the immediate second sentence. List your other important stuff. Now think about your readers. What will they want from you? Sorry folks, but that is all they are after, not your wonderful wit, not the innate awesomeness of your product. No. It's all about what's in it for them. Put these benefits for your reader either at the title, subtitle, first paragraph, or all at the same time. That is fine too.
If your tendency is to write an intro background to explain everything first, fine. For now. Write it.
3. Edit/ Slash/ Cross out
If you're already satisfied with your copy, good. Now trim your piece. Be merciless. Fix the punctuation, spelling, grammar. Cross out all the other stuff you wrote that's making your copy too long. People don't like long blocks of text on the monitor. Alternate blocks of text with bullets, numbered articles, pictures.
Oh, that background intro you wrote? Cut that introductory paragraph with boring explanations, then put it at the bottom. Don't cry. Interested people will scroll down to find it. Those who aren't will be happy your first paragraph contains what they need.
Read the whole thing again. Sound better now, right?
Then, check again if your piece is talking about what your readers want.
4. Now highlight/ bold the items that people want to find out from your article.
Check again if your piece is talking about what your readers want. Kulit ba? But yes, that is what your piece should be all about.
Then shut up.
5. Close the article, bury the page/ article under sand for the longest time you can afford. Dig it out, re-read, do your corrections. Check again if your piece is talking about what your readers want.
If you got this far, congrats. Now click that Jakob Nielsen link I gave, and find out all you can about making reading easier for your viewers.
What else? Stories. People are hard-wired to pay attention to stories. If you have one, tell it.
***
As for how to write in a vibrant/ lively manner, that, my friend, is a different journey from person to person. Even JakobN couldn't help us out in that one. For now, just write and write and write. When you find your real voice becomes your voice as you write on paper (or the monitor), maybe that's when your articles become vibrant. So just write.
Please subscribe for free online marketing tips, geeky funnies and Pinoy living info
Subscribe to Online Filipino Worker - OFW Din!
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