Writing for Busy Readers

Writing for Busy Readers by Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink is a book about how to write effectively. A short and well-written book (it should be) that is full of examples.

I was browsing in the bookstore when I found this book, and it somehow caught my attention. I write a lot of documentation and email during my day job, as well as posting to this blog, and the ability to write short and compelling content is essential.

As readers, we consume a ton of content, and if it’s not short and to the point, it simply won’t be as effective. After all, we’re [[Losing the ability to read and think deeply]].

Here are the key points I got out of the book:

• Use fewer words and ideas, and make fewer requests from your readers.
• Use short and common words, and straightforward, shorter sentences.
• Make key information immediately visible at the beginning.
• Separate distinct ideas (use paragraphs, bullets, headings) and order those ideas by priority.
• Use visuals to break up the text and make things more interesting.
• Use formatting (highlights, bold, underline) to highlight important ideas.
• Too much formatting makes everything stand out, therefore nothing stands out.
• Emphasize what readers value and why they should care.
• Make it easy to respond by providing clear action items and next steps.