Shares slide amid bail-out fears…
Extinct tortoise ‘can live again’…
Beard Cap Brings Out The Bear In People ?
One of these headlines is not like the others. But that’s not to say they didn’t all catch your attention.
Catching the viewer’s attention is the first and most important step in writing a good web article. A bold headline is like a one-two punch, grabbing the viewer’s interest and giving them the basics of the story at the same time.
Web users who stumble upon the average page may not have wound up there intentionally. When I found the beard-cap blog entry, for example, I was definitely not searching for anything bear related (warning: really not safe for work). I think I was Google image searching for pictures of Viggo Mortensen. But once I happened across this story, I was captivated (no pun intended). I need a beard-cap, and so do you!
A factual, science based story like the BBC tortoise article can also work well in online form. Not only does the story’s topic grab you right from the headline, but the online medium is ideal for added value features like embedded videos.
Just like their newsprint cousins, online stories have to get to the point quickly, before the reader gets bored and turns to the sports pages. On the web, those viewers have even more opportunities to flip to something else, since there’s always a new site to surf to, or even a flashing ad over on the side of the screen.
To prevent viewers from turning off midway through an article or blog entry, that mid-point has to be pretty far up the story. In other words, keeping the story succinct is key. Brevity is the soul of wit in literature, and in online writing it might be the soul, heart and pancreas.
Why the ban on long, drawn-out stories?
The web is a primarily visual medium, rewarding a quick glance at each page rather than a lengthy read-through. Web viewers are drawn to easily navigatable sites, without a lot of clicking through or backtracking. Keeping the story short and sweet helps minimize online stress and encourages return visits.
Although individual stories are best when concise, the online format is prime for delivering some serious news. Web writers have the powerful speed of the internet at their disposal, giving breaking news reporters like Hilda Munoz the chance to get the story out far in advance of the paper morning edition. For Munoz, this first-on-the-scene reporting is “Drama, right in your face.”
Whether you’re writing for entertainment or breaking news, the web offers its own challenges and advantages. Not to mention, any medium that can offer reviews of knitted facial mufflers side-by-side with hard science news has got some serious pluses over the traditional newspaper.
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2 Comments
September 24, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Beard-caps are brilliant!
I’m getting my dad one for Christmas.
September 29, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I love your selection of websites at the top of the page. You’re right, they completely grab your attention. The turtle headline caught my eye! I think that was a great way to start your post. You simply showed us how online writing draws people in and then went on to explain the theory.