BEYOND THE PYRAMID

Writing Styles for the Digital Age

YOUR HOST

• Digital Marketing Manager for American FamilyInsurance

• Experienced Blogger, e-marketing/technologycolumnist, and author

• Former publisher of the Business Owner’sToolkit (www.toolkit.com) and host ofnationally-syndicated radio show of the samename

• More 5 years as partner in a $40 millionadvertising agency

HOW PEOPLEUSE 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

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?

MULTILEVEL WRITING

• Multilevel Writing caters appropriately toall levels of interest.

• The goal is to simultaneously provide agreat experience for scanners and readers

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

MULTILEVEL TIPS

An article that is unseen can is preferable toan article that is uninteresting.

– No News is Good News. Work hard tobe avoided by those who don’t want tosee you.

– Write clear and informative titles

– Provide accurate descriptions andkeywords for search engines

– Don’t try to appeal to everyone

LEVEL I: SCANNING

Scanning isn’t an insult, it’s a reality. Web readersrarely read. 80% of the time, they’re just“scanning.”

– Write meaningful Titles and Headlines

– Write meaningful Abstracts that aren’trecycled leads

– Use Subheads to emphasize major points

– Use bulleted lists to summarize minor points

– Use indents to show transitions from majorpoints to minor points

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 uncontrivedwriting style.

– Avoid techno-speak, buzzwords and Jargon

– Share Your Experience, Your Opinion, YourDissenting Argument, Your Perspective andYour Sense of humor.

– Make it a Social Experience

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 thereader will react.

• A Social Model for Writing can be the most effectivemodel for writing online

SOCIAL MODEL: NATURAL LAWS

• Time and distance are BarriersYour article may serve as the only point ofcontact between a reader and yourself.

• Transferring Knowledge is InexactWriters seldom write exactly what they meanand readers seldom interpret a writer's wordsexactly as the writer intended.

• Understanding is Influenced by Context.Understanding of an article is based on factorsNot only your respective purposes, influences,and understanding of each other, but also thephysical, social, cultural, and historical contextsin which reading and writing take place.

SOCIAL MODEL OF WRITING

SOCIAL MODEL OF WRITING

Given the natural laws at work, you shouldApproach writing with several questions inMind:

• 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?

WHAT ISYOUR PURPOSE?

• Understanding your purposes can help you invirtually 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 regardingtone, style, and document design.

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

WHAT DOREADERS WANT?

• Readers are motivated to read by theirperceived benefit for doing so

• Understanding what your readers want helpsyou create a great article.

• What can readers “walk away with”?

• What gives this article longevity?

Consider Keywords

• What keywords/phrases are related to thearticle?

• What is the popularity of article-relatedkeywords/phrases?

• What is the desired keyword density?

WHAT INFLUENCESREADERS?

Readers will be influenced by a number ofthings.

– Level of Interest– Knowledge– Desire to be informed/entertained– Values & Beliefs

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOUR READER

• Journalists tend to underestimate theiraudience:

– Their level of interest– Their level of knowledge– Their ability to understand

• A Social Model of Multilevel writing allowsyou to presume the reverse and provide“opt-out” points for individuals who seekthem

WHAT AUTHOR/READERS KNOW of EACH OTHER?

• It’s important to accurately represent yourselfand your audience.

• Are you an observer or an expert?

• Are you providing opinion or fact?

• Are you writing for people who already knowthe topic, or for someone without anyknowledge?

Credibility can be dubious online.

It’s important to define the context of messagesto ensure they aren’t misinterpreted.

WHAT IS THE CONTEXT?

What physical, social and cultural differencescan affect your ability to communicate withreaders?

• The Internet has millions of readers. It’seasy to underestimate the implications oflocation, society and culture.

WEB WRITING

• Great web writing a conversation between an“approachable expert” or “approachableobserver” 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’ta trick. There is more “unlearning” thanlearning involved for writers.

• You don’t need to dumb-down to readers.Assume intelligence instead of a lack thereof

WEB WRITERS

Relevance• Journalist

– Newspapers areskimmed

– Sections/Organization– Individual Stories– “Above the Fold”

concept translateswell

– The Head– The Lead– Inverted Pyramid

Influence• Ad Copywriter

– Target MarketAwareness

– ConversationalTone

– Purpose-Driven– Context Sensitive

BOTH SKILLS ARE REQUIRED

QUESTIONS?