What kind of conversation makes you uncomfortable? For me, it’s asking for…well, for just about anything. This came up at Erin Marcus’s workshop on difficult conversations the other day.
Why is it so hard to ask for help? Because people will say no. They’ll think less of me for asking. They won’t like me! Specific example: I asked you to support my mission trip to Senegal, even though asking put a knot in my stomach. The response was, let’s say, underwhelming.
Naturally, I cited that as evidence that I’m right not to ask for help—because I likely won’t get it.
To which my fellow workshop participants said, “Wait. I didn’t see that.” “You’re going where?” “How can I help?”
I was wrong. They hadn’t rejected my request. They hadn’t even seen it. Because when they read the newsletter, they didn’t scroll past the first article. So they didn’t read about workshops in Dakar to help women pull themselves out of poverty. They weren’t saying no; they didn’t hear me ask.
I was surprised, but maybe I shouldn’t have been. Everyone in the room agreed—these days, we skim and move on. Deborah DeBoer, from the North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors, quoted her daughter: “People don’t do that reading thing anymore.”
Clearly you do do that reading thing. After all, here you are. But I wonder about the impact skim-and-move-on has for all of us who write about our work. I have some thoughts—and questions—about that.
But first, will you support this team headed for Senegal next month? We have two missions, both are worth your attention.
- The health care group will train Community Health Workers in first aid, CPR and disease prevention so they can care for the people in their villages.
- The business team is out to help women emerge from poverty by starting a micro-business. That means figuring out what they can offer, who will want it, and how to talk to potential customers.
The people we’ll be working with, many of them live in desperate circumstances on way less than what the UN calls “poverty level.” This is a huge opportunity for us—and you—to do some good in the world.
I’m not asking you to pull out your passport and jump on a plane with us. I am asking for help with the costs: transportation, medical supplies, and teaching materials. Any amount you can contribute is desperately needed and very welcome.
Now that you’ve seen this, it’s easy to donate to the cause. https://www.gofundme.com/teachum4senegal
And yes, you will have my deep gratitude. Along with the satisfaction of supporting some very important work.
Now, about your work.
You may write a newsletter or blog posts—“content creation” is all the rage when it comes to marketing. Maybe you create sales pages. Or corporate reports. You surely write emails or even old-fashioned snailmail.
Do you ever wonder if anybody’s reading it? It’s perplexing, trying to figure out how to make it more likely that they will.
Should you keep it short and snappy?
The women in that workshop were all about keeping the word count down. And they’re not alone; a lot of experts teach that approach, heavy on bullet points and numbered lists.
There’s even a name for that kind of bite-sized writing—a lot of people love “listicles.” You can sign up for any number of classes telling you how to get more readers with pithy, pointed writing.
But maybe people want more depth.
And as soon as you decide brevity is the key, you’ll run into the many content gurus suggesting that bigger is better when it comes to your writing. They argue that readers will stay with you if your writing is good, that they want more depth.
They point out clear evidence that people are more apt to share an article on social media if it’s over 1200 words. Those little listicles are much less likely to be spread around – you read it, maybe you even liked it, but it doesn’t seem worth passing on to your friends.
Plus, a longer piece gives you a bigger chance to demonstrate your expertise. Or to persuade readers to support your point of view.
As for me…
I shoot for somewhere around 800 words for an article. My whole newsletter is usually around that 12, 1300 word mark.
And, what did I just find out from my pals at the workshop? A bunch of people file it or delete it long before they take in all those words.
Your turn.
When you write, do you lean toward economy of words or do you go deeper and longer?
And when you read, do you dismiss those quickie pieces as not worth your attention? Or are you daunted by the prospect of wading through something heftier?
Getting and keeping your precious attention might have to do with something other than length. What makes you keep reading all the way to the end?
Post a comment below. And I’ll share what comes up so we can all learn something.
My style is to do a combination of both – Bullet point the key points, but go in-depth to put more meat on the bones, as well.
Actually, it’s old style newspaper writing. Get the points out in the first few sentences (or provide bold-faced bullets in my case), and then go in depth.
Get the
Who, What, When, Where, and Why
out there, and then provide more detail for those in-depth readers.
People do read less than they did in the past, but using bullets and breaking up paragraphs, along with providing in-depth material if they want it, gives them the opportunity to decide how deep to go.
If it’s done well, they’ll decide to read the whole thing.
You’re right, Anne, the “inverted pyramid” that newspapers have always used works well for busy readers. Some get the main points and stop reading – they know what they have to know. Some get the main points and get intrigued enough to read on – because they want to know more.
And bullets, bold type, and short paragraphs are all ways to lead the reader through the article and make it easier for them to keep going.I often write my article and then go back and add subtitles or bold key phrases within paragraphs. I don’t naturally think in subtitles, but i figure them out once the content’s written.
My style is to do a combination of both – Bullet point the key points, but go in-depth to put more meat on the bones, as well.
Actually, it’s old style newspaper writing. Get the points out in the first few sentences (or provide bold-faced bullets in my case), and then go in depth.
Get the
Who, What, When, Where, and Why
out there, and then provide more detail for those in-depth readers.
People do read less than they did in the past, but using bullets and breaking up paragraphs, along with providing in-depth material if they want it, gives them the opportunity to decide how deep to go.
If it’s done well, they’ll decide to read the whole thing.
Catherine, I agree with your second paragraph.
Everyone is becoming more ADDish. The white space really matters.
-d
Good point, Diana. It may be that the white space is even more important than the word count. I think people might read longer articles, if the paragraphs are short and there’s plenty of space around them.
My e-newsletter is really long (4 pages, bi-monthly) . But I use lots of boldface headers and the entries under each header are very brief.
I get lots of thank-you’s and positive comments. People say something like this: “I read every word because, when I get to the end, I really know everything that’s happening.”
One reporter told me that everyone at our local newspaper reads every word as soon my newsletter arrives. Last week, he called me right away for a quick interview and based a story on a newsletter item. This coverage resulted in a very positive editorial in this week’s paper.
Of course, I’m sure many recipients don’t read the newsletter at all or skim subject areas of interest. And that’s okay, too
That is fabulous, Judith. A lot of bloggers and newsletter writers would envy you. It helps to have a list of people who are deeply interested in your subject. In general, the larger an email list is, the lower the open-rate.
Isn’t it great to get those responses. All the content experts talk about engagement. Comments from readers are the proof that you’ve really engaged people. It’s why I love to see people post here. I’ll consider myself a success when a newspaper reporter calls me based on something I’ve written. I’m guessing it’ll be a long wait.;-)
The spacing thing is big for me. I can hear the writer’s thoughts better, and i will keep reading IF I can breathe between paragraphs, ideas, requests. That said, I just discovered your blog today, Catherine, and it breathes beautifully . I was speaking with a friend yesterday about “standing in her value” (regarding work and money). Today I searched the phrase and up came your very clear article. Thank you so much!
I wish I could donate to your mission, I can’t at the moment but I can offer an idea. A woman I met the other day who has made numerous trips to Africa over thirty years was telling me about one group who bought $1000 worth of Dollar Store items to give to women in Africa to sell. She said a single travel size tooth paste tube was going for $15. These simple basic items have great resale value.
Welcome, Marya! I’m so glad you’re here, and delighted to hear that you dug the article. YES! to space. It helps us take in the content, process it, and even enjoy it. When I coach speakers, I put big emphasis on the power of the pause. It’s the ‘white space’ when you’re talking, and especially welcome when you’re listening.
Thanks for your suggestion about the Senegal trip. It’s a good one. And I hope you’ll come back again. Or better yet, download the No-Buts Action Guide to Getting Up and Getting Your Message Out and you’ll get the guide, some follow-up info and a weekly article about compelling communication.