Writing for the digital age: Beyond the Pyramid

1. BEYOND THE PYRAMID
Writing Styles for the Digital Age

2. YOUR HOST
• Digital Marketing Manager for American Family
Insurance
• Experienced Blogger, e-marketing/technology
columnist, and author
• Former publisher of the Business Owner’s
Toolkit (www.toolkit.com) and host of
nationally-syndicated radio show of the same
name
• More 5 years as partner in a $40 million
advertising agency

3. HOW PEOPLE
USE THE WEB
• Activities of Regular/Occasional users
– 91% Research
– 80% Getting info about products to buy
– 76% Get news
– 75% Banking
– 56% Make purchases
– 36% Listen to music

4. ONLINE “READERSHIP”
Level of interest varies by user and topic:
– Scanning (80-85%)
• Just the title/headline
• Just the Abstract
• First Paragraph
• Major points
– Reading (15-20%)
• Minor points
• Detailed Interest
• Where can I learn more?

5. MULTILEVEL WRITING
• Multilevel Writing caters appropriately to
all levels of interest.
• The goal is to simultaneously provide a
great experience for scanners and readers

6. MULTILEVEL TIPS
• Create Meaningful Subheads
• Use Bulleted lists and jump lists
• Indent
• Use Tables and Charts
• One idea per paragraph
• Shorter paragraphs
• Start with the Conclusion

7. MULTILEVEL TIPS
An article that is unseen can is preferable to
an article that is uninteresting.
– No News is Good News. Work hard to
be avoided by those who don’t want to
see you.
– Write clear and informative titles
– Provide accurate descriptions and
keywords for search engines
– Don’t try to appeal to everyone

8. LEVEL I: SCANNING
Scanning isn’t an insult, it’s a reality. Web readers
rarely read. 80% of the time, they’re just
“scanning.”
– Write meaningful Titles and Headlines
– Write meaningful Abstracts that aren’t
recycled leads
– Use Subheads to emphasize major points
– Use bulleted lists to summarize minor points
– Use indents to show transitions from major
points to minor points

9. LEVEL II: READING
The act of reading your article on the Web,
means they’re already interested.
Don’t let them down.
– Use an open, natural and uncontrived
writing style.
– Avoid techno-speak, buzzwords and Jargon
– Share Your Experience, Your Opinion, Your
Dissenting Argument, Your Perspective and
Your Sense of humor.
– Make it a Social Experience

10. WEB WRITING
IS SOCIAL
• Reading and writing is a social act.
• The social aspect is amplified:
– Internet content is “opt-in”
– Internet content is search driven
– Internet content is more interactive
(“Click and explore”)
– Social and commercial venues are blended.
(More gray area, less distinction)
• Writing for the Web requires you to consider how the
reader will react.
• A Social Model for Writing can be the most effective
model for writing online

11. SOCIAL MODEL:
NATURAL LAWS
• Time and distance are Barriers
Your article may serve as the only point of
contact between a reader and yourself.
• Transferring Knowledge is Inexact
Writers seldom write exactly what they mean
and readers seldom interpret a writer's words
exactly as the writer intended.
• Understanding is Influenced by Context.
Understanding of an article is based on factors
Not only your respective purposes, influences,
and understanding of each other, but also the
physical, social, cultural, and historical contexts
in which reading and writing take place.

12. SOCIAL MODEL
OF WRITING

13. SOCIAL MODEL
OF WRITING
Given the natural laws at work, you should
Approach writing with several questions in
Mind:
• What is Your Purpose?
• What Influences You?
• What Do Reader's Want?
• What Influences Readers?
• What Author/Readers Know about each other?
• What is the Context?

14. WHAT IS
YOUR PURPOSE?
• Understanding your purposes can help you in
virtually every aspect of writing.
• Knowing what you want to accomplish will help:
– you select your topic
– consider your readers' needs and interests
– choose appropriate evidence to support your
points.
• It will also help you with decisions regarding
tone, style, and document design.

15. WHAT INFLUENCES
YOU?
• What are your beliefs and values on the topic?
• What is your level of knowledge?
• What are your requirements?
• What are your limitations?
• What are your opportunities?
– Good resources?
– Personal Experience?
– First-hand knowledge?
• What resources are at your disposal?
– Experts
– Video/Audio
– Charts/Graphs
– Illustrations/Photographs

16. WHAT DO
READERS WANT?
• Readers are motivated to read by their
perceived benefit for doing so
• Understanding what your readers want helps
you create a great article.
• What can readers “walk away with”?
• What gives this article longevity?

17. Consider Keywords
• What keywords/phrases are related to the
article?
• What is the popularity of article-related
keywords/phrases?
• What is the desired keyword density?

18. WHAT INFLUENCES
READERS?
Readers will be influenced by a number of
things.
– Level of Interest
– Knowledge
– Desire to be informed/entertained
– Values & Beliefs

19. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE
YOUR READER
• Journalists tend to underestimate their
audience:
– Their level of interest
– Their level of knowledge
– Their ability to understand
• A Social Model of Multilevel writing allows
you to presume the reverse and provide
“opt-out” points for individuals who seek
them

20. WHAT AUTHOR/READERS
KNOW of EACH OTHER?
• It’s important to accurately represent yourself
and your audience.
• Are you an observer or an expert?
• Are you providing opinion or fact?
• Are you writing for people who already know
the topic, or for someone without any
knowledge?
Credibility can be dubious online.
It’s important to define the context of messages
to ensure they aren’t misinterpreted.

21. WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?
What physical, social and cultural differences
can affect your ability to communicate with
readers?
• The Internet has millions of readers. It’s
easy to underestimate the implications of
location, society and culture.

22. WEB WRITING
• Great web writing a conversation between an
“approachable expert” or “approachable
observer” and the reader
– It’s Informational
– It’s Social
– It’s more one-to-one, than one-to-many
• Learning to write in a conversational tone isn’t
a trick. There is more “unlearning” than
learning involved for writers.
• You don’t need to dumb-down to readers.
Assume intelligence instead of a lack thereof

23. WEB WRITERS
Relevance Influence
• Journalist • Ad Copywriter
– Newspapers are – Target Market
skimmed Awareness
– Sections/Organization
– Conversational
– Individual Stories Tone
– “Above the Fold”
concept translates – Purpose-Driven
well – Context Sensitive
– The Head
– The Lead
– Inverted Pyramid
BOTH SKILLS ARE REQUIRED

24. QUESTIONS?