Writing for Scanners and Skimmers

*Scanning and Skimming Practices*
Whether youre writing e-mail messages or Web site sales letters, you need to know how to hold the attention of different types of readers. Even the readers that dont
actually "read."

Most readers will either scan, skim, or both, especially when reading online or when reading long pieces. Optimizing the writing on your site for those who scan and those who skim isnt extremely difficult, but it does require an attention to detail.

First, lets take a look at what these terms mean.

Scanning--involves looking for particular elements,
such as headlines, subheadings, and text that is
highlighted, bold-faced, or otherwise emphasized.
Scanners read only the elements that "stick out,"
their eyes moving from one attention-grabbing word
or phrase to another.

Skimming--involves looking over the entire page but
only superficially, like a speed-reader. Skimmers
may see the same elements that scanners do, but
they dont focus that much on anything specific for
very long. They glance over all of it, just trying
to get the basic idea.

Most readers do a combination of scanning and skimming. They might scan a page and find a headline that grabs their attention, then skim the paragraph beneath it. Only when they find something really interesting will they go back and read.

Sometimes, the information in the various headings and emphasized text is all the information a visitor needs. In fact, a visitor to a consumer sales site should conceivably be able to make their entire buying decision based solely on the headlines and emphasized text.

Its important to note that scanning and skimming isnt something that was created by the Web. (It just seems like it sometimes.) Audiences have been skimming newspaper
headlines and flipping through TV channels for quite some time now.

*6 Steps for Writing for Scanners and Skimmers*
In the Information Overload Age, consumers have grown tired of sales hype and marketing fluff. Theyre already predisposed to skimming and scanning. Short attention spans and a high level of skepticism are becoming a part of their nature.

But all is not lost. Optimizing for scanners and skimmers (and turning them into readers) isnt easy, but you can do it if you take a steady approach and revise carefully. Heres an example of how you can do it:

Step 1) Write out the main points of your sales
argument (which some will call a sales "pitch," but
since I want to persuade rather than "pitch," I look
at this process as a kind of debate...hence, a
sales argument.) These main points will be your
subheadings. List them as a skeleton outline for
your piece, and leave space beneath each.

Step 2) Below each main point, write down the main
words and phrases associated with each point in
your argument.

Step 3) Start writing the body of the piece. Here,
youll explain everything in full detail. People
who read the body of your message want details, so
you should provide all the relevant information
that you can imagine a potential customer might
want to read.

Step 4) Take the words and phrases you generated
in Step 2 and thread them throughout the body of
the message. Make sure they work within the context
of the paragraphs (in other words, dont just throw
them in anywhere.) Use bold-facing, italics,
underlining, or highlights to draw attention to
these words or phrases. (Just dont go overboard...
too much emphasis can come off as "salesy", and
youll need to only use as much emphasized text as
you think your audience will deem credible. An ad
for a luxury car wont use as much emphasized text
as a sales letter for the latest mail-order kitchen
gizmo.)

Step 5) Look at all youve written and come up with
a headline that ties it all together with a strong,
unique benefit. The headline should generate
curiosity and target a specific audience. Statistics
and testimonials generally make strong headlines by
getting attention and establishing credibility,
which is important for making a connection with
your target audience.

Step 6) At this point, youve written your first
draft. As you read back through what you have, ask
yourself a few questions: Does my headline lead
logically to my subheads? Do my subheads lead
logically to the emphasized text? Does the
emphasized text fit logically into the context of
the body? Most importantly, can a visitor make a
buying decision based solely on the headings and
emphasized text?

Sometimes, youll find that certain elements no longer fit the original argument. Your approach may change. Thats okay. Revise until everything flows together and makes
sense during the first reading.

Never be afraid to go back and rewrite. Always use the strongest material, even if that means deleting half of what youve already written. Its the only way to get your
best work.

The truth is, most readers wont make it to the body of your message. Thats okay--dont expect them to. Not all of them will be right for your offer.

You need be able to get your points across with good headlines, subheadings, and emphasized text. If you can do that, you wont have to be afraid of how--or whether--your visitors actually read the entire page.

About the author.

contact@cobbwriting.com
http://www.cobbwriting.com