eople don’t read online the same way that they read paper in their hands. Learn the essential differences and how to write for your website, email, and social media so that your writing gets read, and not ignored! We’ll explore techniques such as chunking your text, writing great headlines, and making your action items clearly stand out.

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Writing for theWeb
Welcome!
We’ll begin 2 minutes
after the top of the hour.
GoToWebinar AttendeeView
You will see the slides
here.

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Handouts Section
Writing for theWeb

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Kivi Leroux Miller
President, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
Kristina Leroux
Community Engagement Manager, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
TheVoicesYou’re Hearing
Jennifer Waggoner
Director, League Easy Web Project (LEW)
Stephanie Drahan
Senior New Media Manager,
League of Women Voters
Today’s Agenda

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tl;dr
Let’s get this out of the way:
This is NOT about dumbing down
your content.

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Really good online writing
requires more sophistication in
your approach, not less.
The Internet is
like a vast body
of water our
eyes scan in
search of
something.

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When we think
we see it, we
skim the
surface first.
Less than 20%
of the text on a
typical web page
is actually read.

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We only dive in
when we are
certain we are
in the right
place.
So where’s
the 20%?

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No matter what kind of web page, people tend to
browse in an F‐shaped pattern that heavily favors
the left side of the screen and the top.
People tend to view the left side of the
screen overall far more than the right.

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People scan emails very
quickly, and the only areas
they give time to are the
initial copy and headlines.
All of this points to:
• “Chunking” content
• Keywords and ideas at
front of short paragraphs
• Skimmable content
1
Your goal as the
writer must be
clear.

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Answer Their Questions
Solve Their Problems

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Inspire Their Action
Even with great
answers, solutions,
and inspiration, you
still can’t bury
people with your
content.

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Think small plates
that add up to a
satisfying meal.
Not
everything
crammed
together, all
at once.

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2
You must
empathize with
the busy reader.
We get media messages a day.
We pay attention to about
We positively remember about
The rest? Cleared away by our internal “So
What” and “Who Cares” filters.
Today we are talking about how to write to
beat these odds.
3,000
52.
4.

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http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/best-practices-in-writing-email-subject-lines
What can we learn from very high and very low open rates?
http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/best-practices-in-writing-email-subject-lines

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The Kind of Content People
Want to See on Facebook
http://www.quicksprout.com/2013/02/21/the-art-of-writing-great-facebook-status-updates/
What Does This Tell Us?
Subject lines and social updates that make
readers think "This is useful" or "This is
timely" or "This is about me" are what
works.
That’s how you beat the “So What” and
“Who Cares” filters.

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3
Write to be
skimmed.
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/

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http://coschedule.com/headline‐analyzer
http://www.aminstitute.com/headline/
http://www.hemingwayapp.com/
https://app.grammarly.com/
http://www.ironicsans.com/thsrs/
SCANNABLE CHUNKS (Hard to Scan)
The Work of the League of Women Voters
The League works on many different issues. It is dedicated to ensuring that all eligible voters –
particularly those from traditionally underrepresented or underserved communities, including first-
time voters, non-college youth, new citizens, minorities, the elderly and low-income Americans –
have the opportunity and the information to exercise their right to vote. You can read more about our
work on voting rights, improving elections, and DC voting rights.
We also work on educating and engaging voters. The leaders you elect make the decisions that
affect you – your job, health care, energy costs, security and more. The League helps you to get
registered, get to know the candidates and issues, and get out and vote. You can learn more on our
site about how we register voters and educate voters.
The League is deeply committed to reforming our nation's campaign finance system to ensure the
public's right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more
equitably for public office and allow maximum citizen participation in the political process. We will
continue this fight in Congress, with state legislatures, with the executive branch and, where
appropriate, the courts. You can learn more about money in elections and ethics in lobbying.
Defending the environment is also very important to the League. The League supports legislation
that seeks to protect our country from the physical, economic and public health effects of climate
change while also providing pathways to economic prosperity. We work on clean air defense, global
climate change and clean energy.

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SCANNABLE
CHUNKS
(Easy to
Scan)
SKIMMABLE HIGHLIGHTS (Hard to Skim)
The League of Women Voters has several recommendations to make your voting experience as good as
possible.
The first thing to do is make sure that you go to the right place. Poll locations can change. Be sure to locate
your polling place before you go to vote. Check www.VOTE411.org or contact the elections office or board
of elections for your county, city, or state. For more information about voting in your jurisdiction, contact
your local election authority. You also need to make sure that you have your proper identification with you.
You may need to show I.D. at the polling place. To be safe, bring your driver’s license or another photo I.D.
In some places, a current utility bill, paycheck or other document that includes your name and street
address may also work.
Once you are at the polling place, you need to check in to get your ballot. Don’t panic if you registered to
vote but your name is not on the list. Get help from a poll worker to make sure your vote is counted. You
should be given a provisional ballot or given directions to another polling place. Remember, poll workers
are there to help you. They’ll show you how to use the voting machine or give you a provisional ballot if you
need one. Ask, or read the signs at your polling place, which have instructions, list your voting rights, and
say how to file a complaint. Handicapped or elderly voters who cannot access the polling place can request
to vote outside the entrance. Make the request to the election authority the day before the election.
You probably won’t have to wait too long. But even if the line is long, don’t leave without voting. The
outcome of this election will be important!

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SKIMMABLE HIGHLIGHTS (Easy to Skim)
SHORT, MEANINGFUL HEADLINES
If I only read the
headlines, do I leave
with something?
Headlines and
subheads are
“the story within
the story.”

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LWVDC is Now Accepting Applications for a New
Committee Focused on DCs’ Photo ID Law
VERSUS
Want to Help Protect Voters? Join the Photo ID
Committee
Can we do even better?
Chat in your revised headlines now!
http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer
DC Council Passes Affordable Housing
Proposal 139 by Narrow Vote
VERSUS
Affordable Housing Advocates Land
Narrow Victory
Can we do even better?
Chat in your revised headlines now!
http://www.aminstitute.com/headline/

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SHORTER PARAGRAPHS & SENTENCES
Yesterday DC Councilmembers heard comments
from both those who support and oppose Proposal
139 for over three hours. The LWVDC was
represented by a large turnout from the advocacy
committee, and by others who felt compelled to
make comments. After the comment period closed,
a Councilwomen thanked the community for making
time to share concerns about Proposal 139. It is the
League’s understanding that this affordable housing
proposal will provide a framework for development
policies and help meet the areas growth needs in
an inclusive way. The final vote on Proposal 139 is
set to take place Wednesday, August 16 at 6:30 pm.
All LWVDC members are encouraged to attend to
help show the League’s support for Proposal 139
and other strategic affordable housing plans in the
District of Columbia.
Grammarly Score: 72
SHORTER PARAGRAPHS & SENTENCES
Join the League of Women Voters of DC (LWVDC)
members on Wednesday, August 16, at 6:30 pm to
support affordable housing in DC. At this meeting,
Councilmembers will vote on Proposal 139, which
would provide a framework for including affordable
housing in the area’s growth plan. LWVDC testified in
support of Proposal 139 at yesterday’s Council
meeting and encourages the DC Council to move
forward with this inclusive proposal.
Grammarly Score: 100

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SHORTER PARAGRAPHS & SENTENCES
Join the League of Women Voters of DC on
Wednesday, August 16, at 6:30 pm to support
affordable housing in DC. Councilmembers will vote
on Proposal 139, which LWVDC supports. Proposal
139 encourages the inclusion of affordable housing
in the area's growth plans.
Grammarly Score: 100
SHORT WORDS
Chat if your pet peeve
“big” words now!

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BOTTOM LINE: EVERYTHING SHORTER
• Most website articles should be under 1,000
words.
• If you must go longer, write a 100‐200 word
summary for the top.
• Or, write a 500‐word version with links out to
details you cut from the 1,000+ version. Link
to the deeper content from the shorter
content.
4
Get really good at the
short stuff.

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Small Spaces in
Need of Sticky
Microcontent
• Subject Line
• Headings
• Subheadings
• Bolded and Linked
Text
• Tweets
• Facebook Updates,
Captions, Share Text
• Taglines
Consider This
80/20 Rule. 80% of people will read
the headline and nothing else. Only 20% read
the whole thing.
Therefore . . .
50/50 Rule. Spend half the time it
takes you to write a piece on drafting a
persuasive headline.
Source: Copyblogger.com

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Easy Ways to Make It More Personal
• Use the second person, You and Your,
regularly.
• Use “My” as in My Reason, My Favorite
• Use First Person Experiences,
How I . . .
• Ask Questions
• Think about it – why do quotes work so well
on social media?
Timely Response Words
• Right now, today, urgent
• News, update, breaking, alert, and bulletin all
worked better than “newsletter”.
• Latest worked better than special, exclusive,
or innovative.
http://www.webpronews.com/heres-whats-working-in-email-subject-lines-2012-11

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5
Edit ruthlessly.
Use the inverted
pyramid. If I cut
off the bottom
half, do I still get
the most
important info?

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Get right to the
point.
Rule of thumb:
Cut print text in
half.
• Long warm‐up copy, introductions,
and deep background. Provide quick
context, but then link out to details.
• Lengthy instructions
• Every possible scenario – focus on
what most people will need, link out
to special cases
• “Small talk”

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Editing together in person or over the phone is
usually better than over email.
Love PDFs!
Hate PDFs!

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Your final
questions?
(answer in the
questions window)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dbrekke/181939582

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Kivi Leroux Miller
President, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
Thank you for joining
us today!