Online readers rely on specific writing style, immediacy, and imagery/visual appeal to become interested in what they are reading. When writing articles on the Web, writers must be specific in stating their stories’ themes, titles, and must make their stories visually appealing by using images and by manipulating text to appeal to their readers’ interests.
Use the “Five Ws”
Online readers demand to know immediately what online articles are about. The writer should be careful to cover the “Five Ws” within the first section of the article.
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
Using the Five Ws hooks readers’ interest, and lets them know what the article truly entails – most importantly, the first paragraph usually lets the readers know if the article contains information they would like to know about the topic. Always be specific in getting the article’s general themes across.
Use Specific Titles to Gain Readers
Titles of articles should be as specific as possible. A title such as “Music Blogs: How to Make Them” is not specific enough; be advised there are millions of online articles with the exact same title. A title such as “Constructing Music Blogs: Making Blogs for fans of Electronic Music” would be more specific, and would yield more hits on search engines. More hits on search engines means the article would be read by a larger audience.
Make the Story Visually Appealing and Memorable
While letting the readers know the most important aspects of the story is an essential skill, an article must be visually appealing to the reader as well. Linking an image to the article further attracts the readers’ interest, and connects the text to an image. The text, in turn, becomes more memorable to readers. Be sure to contact any private photographers or agencies before using their images for copyright purposes.
Also be advised that large sections of text can be intimidating to online readers. Be sure to “break up” the article into small sections to prevent readers from becoming disinterested.
If the writer can find related articles on Suite 101 that may be of interest, interlink the article by embedding it within pertinent text.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Web journalists should always be make the “Five Ws” clear, should be as specific as possible in titles/keywords, and should strive to make articles visually appealing to readers. These tips can aid budding Web journalists in gaining a loyal readership, and being actively found on various search engines and directories.
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