Make your message easier to read
Making a publication “easy to read” is the No. 1 way to increase readership.
If newspapers (and, by extension, other publications) become more “relaxing to read” and make it easier “to find what I’m looking for,” people will:
- Spend more time reading the publication
- Read it more completely
- Read it more often
That was a key finding of “Impact,” a study by the Readership Institute.
How do you make it easy to read?
- Include more “go and do” information. This “news you can use” is the information readers need to take action on a story. Only 10 percent of all newspaper stories include it.
- Use the feature-style story structure instead of the inverted pyramid more often.
- Promote content more effectively. Do a better job of advertising your stories to make it easier for readers to find what they’re looking for.
How can you reach all of your readers?
Read it and weep. More than half of all Americans have basic or below-basic reading skills, according to the DOE’s latest adult literacy test.
How well are you doing reaching these folks with your messages?
To reach all of your readers — regardless of their reading level — please join me at Rev Up Readability, — our clear-writing workshop.
You’ll learn to make every piece you write easier to read and understand. You’ll walk away with secrets you can use to reach more readers, measurably improve readability and sell concise writing to management. And you’ll learn to write messages that get more people to read your piece, read more of it, read it faster, understand it better and remember it longer.
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Source: “Understanding and Improving ‘Easy to Read’ Content,” Readership Institute
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