4 ways to optimize long stories for phone reading
How long is too long for the mobile screen?
“Only the biggest/most complex stories should go above 600 words,” counsels the BBC in its guide to writing news for the mobile screen. “But it is worth remembering that even a 500-word story looks long on mobile.”
“Even a 500-word story looks long on mobile.”
— BBC
That’s because the small screen makes columns narrower, so the story carries on for screen after screen after screen.
That doesn’t mean that people won’t read a longer piece on their phones.
“I might read a 24,000-word article that really interests me” on my phone.
— BBC mobile editor Nathalie Malinarich
“I might read a 24,000-word article that really interests me,” says BBC mobile editor Nathalie Malinarich, who reads most of her news on her phone.
- Divide and conquer. Defer secondary content to secondary mobile screens.
- Show what’s below the fold. Add a menu to let readers know what they can’t see on the first screen.
- Excise the blah-blah text. Readers have no patience for filler on the phone.
- Be concise and precise. When in doubt, leave it out.
How can you reach readers where their eyes are?
Web visitors spend 57% above the fold, or on the first screen of a webpage, according to the Nielsen Norman Group. They spend 74% on the first two screens.
Learn how to find out how to reach visitors where their eyes are at Reach Readers Online — our web-writing workshop.
There, you’ll learn how to stop dropping the best-read element on your webpage … how to avoid getting your head cut off on smartphones … how to get found with Ann’s simple tricks and tools for SEO … and how to overcome the obstacles to reading on the screen to get the word out on mobile devices.
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