There are many factors that determine whether an article, story or piece is readable. You have to make sure your readers understand what you’re trying to say, word-for-word. It’s using grammar and sentence-structure that’s straightforward and easy to follow. It’s ensuring that the layout is easy to navigate and the information is presented in a way that’s both digestible and memorable. Even if the topic is complex, the reader should still be able to follow along without having to look anything up for clarification. If writers don’t do all of the above, they run the risk of losing readers to other sites that are clearer, better-designed and more organized.
Anyone on social media has at one point or another heard of Breitbart, a “news” and commentary website for those on the far-right. This is a bad example of readability because the article is infested with advertisements, which gets in the way of a smooth read through. It makes it extremely easy for the reader to get distracted and not be able to come away with a full and thorough picture.
For example, in this article titled “Meghan Complained to Broadcaster over Piers Morgan’s Criticisms,” the author uses all caps in the headline to give the reader a sense of its importance, as well as a clickbait title in the company’s hopes of inciting anger among a certain group of readers. While social media users most likely know enough about what’s going on with the royal family right now— even if it’s just on the surface level— the author did not provide Meghan Markle’s full name until about halfway through the article. Markle is on the headline, so it would be helpful to the reader (as well as a good journalism practice), to write her name in full, and include a little backstory on her, especially for those who may not know too much about the situation.
It was tough trying to get through the article because it read more like a “he said, she said” hit piece as the author began almost every paragraph with “this person said/told/claims/reports this.” This contributed to the piece not feeling like it was well-thought out, organized or well-written because it doesn’t feel like there’s any structure to it. The author also repeatedly threw in interjected opinions as opposed to solid evidence, which made the overall article feel one sided, rather than a researched news article.
After hoping to learn about what actually happened between Meghan Markle and Piers Morgan through an unbiased lens, I looked to CNN Business, where I found their version of what transpired in an article called “He left his show after attacking Meghan. What’s next for Piers Morgan?”
The layout of the site is completely different. There’s no clickbait headline or all-caps words to provoke anyone. The website isn’t riddled with advertisements and the sentence structure throughout the piece is strong, which makes it easier to read in one go. The lede and nut graf provide concise information about what’s to come in the rest of the article, and adds a little backstory and history for those who may not be up-to-date on the developments, which writers should do.
The tone feels different than the non-readable example as there are facts and statistics to back up the statements, so it makes it feel more credible. It is also organized in a way that can help the reader understand the events chronologically. The article is broken up with subheadlines throughout the piece with new larger, bolded text every couple of paragraphs to signify the start of a new idea or question they’re going to expand upon. The content is objective and easy to digest.
I don’t normally follow the royal family, but I felt engaged enough throughout the piece to finish it and felt more informed about what was going on.
—
With the average person’s attention span shrinking more and more, it’s harder for writers to get and hold their readers until the end. It takes more planning and organization, as well as the motivation to come up with new ways to get readers to stay. But wanting to get their attention should not be the reason to fall into the trap of clickbait and disinformation on the writer’s side.
Like William Zinsser highlights in “On Writing Well, the Classic Guide for Writing Non-Fiction,” writing with your own unique voice, while also knowing who you’re writing for, will keep your readers interested and will want to come back for more.