The hard cold reality is that 90% of what you write is not memorable enough to get your reader to respond to your call to action. That’s a rather bitter pill to swallow.
Up to this point, you believe you’re doing everything right. You write attention grabbing headlines, use keywords and SEO, create content that’s relevant, keep text clean, short and easy to read, include an image or video, share a story line and always end with a “call to action.”
Regardless of how great a writer you may be, most readers even if they read from beginning to end, will only remember 10% of what you write. It’s frightening that the other 90% of your coherent message that you agonized over is not as memorable.
A reader will remember only 10% of what you write. Click To Tweet
According to the cognitive neuroscientist, Carmen Simon, being memorable is about “… improving content to control what people remember.”
Begin by asking yourself –
- What is your memorable brand message?
- What do you want your reader to remember?
- What words can you link to strong emotions which will create a memory back to you?
- What do you want your reader to do?
After all, “… marketing is about persuasion and persuasion relies on memory. If people don’t remember what you want them to remember, how are they going to be persuaded to decide what you want them to decide?”
Share your thoughts about how much you think you remember from a blog you recently read.
Analysis
After reading about Dr. Simon’s research, I decided to depart from my usual blog writing style and incorporate her suggestions. Here’s what I did to make this blog post more memorable. You be the judge if it works for you.
Kept the original content message brief
Identified a reader problem in the first sentence
Used attention getting descriptive and emotional words: hard cold reality, bitter pill, frightening, agonized
Contrasted 90% against 10%
Used the word “memorable” as the keyword
Cited an authority for validation
Repeated the key point in a tweet-quote
Anchored the reader’s problem with an authority quote
Used only 4 bullet points (3-4 are recommended)
Involved reader directly with a question format
Included a photo image reader could identify with
The Call to Action engaged reader in a memorable act by asking them to recall their own behavior
Resources:
https://www.itsma.com/brain-science-says-three-keys-to-memorable-marketing/
http://www.intelligentcontentconference.com/science-creating-memorable-content/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071004121045.htm
Image: Pixabay 265132
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I’ve been blessed with excellent reading comprehension and retention skills, so I’ve always had a bit of a time empathizing with those who can read something and immediately forget it. These are great tips for those who need a boost. I didn’t realize it was 90%!
I think the 90% was a real shock to a lot of us bloggers. Interesting, that some of the commenters admitted to skimming and not remembering much.
True, I think it is hard to maintain a reader’s interest, so 10% remaining in a reader’s head is probably true. Your tips are good. Though it is not always easy, it all depends a bit what you write about too.
Agree, Katarina. It does depend on what you write about and your audience. Long-term readers may be very comfortable with a particular style or a specifically seeking out pertinent information. New readers may be more inclined to skim and not remember our key message. Any little thing we can do to get our point across or strengthen the association to our blog is worth a try.
Yes, I remember pretty much nothing once I leave a blog post. Then again, I think that can be explained because normally I am usually just skimming them and if nothing jumps out at me, such as bold text or bullet points, the message is lost.
Thanks for proving the point Rachel that things like bullet points and bold text are key to getting readers’ attention.
This post hit home for me. I feel sometimes like I am muddling through to get the post written. I do use some of your tips consistently but alas am failing on others. Thanks for this concise list that I can refer to and use for future posts
Agree, Alene. Some days the brain cells don’t want to cooperate. I’ve found that by asking these four questions, the answers gives my brain a place to start. If your brain doesn’t kick in right away, I recommend another round of coffee or better yet chocolate. My preference is chocolate.
I always enjoy learning different perspectives on writing, especially when it comes to blog posts since those of us who blog invest so much time developing this type of content. I think this advice makes perfect sense, now let me pose a question.
You know I write about an issue that deals with behavior and emotions and among my subscribers are several professionals (that’s just the one’s I’m aware of). I periodically ask my subscribers for feedback and one message that repeatedly comes up is their disdain for formula/template type blog posts. One reader (a psychologist) actually sent me an email sharing with me her ire over the endless number of posts using numbers in the headline – 10 Ways to Solve Every Life Problem, etc.
So the question is, how do you follow a “best practices” guideline approach and avoid falling into the trap of becoming predictable? I suppose it could be argued that the “typical” reader wouldn’t notice, but obviously, my followers do. Thanks for always inspiring us to reach a little higher Joyce!
Good point Marquita. From what I’ve read, titles that use numbers have a higher open rate. This might be because readers are looking for quick answers or don’t like to read heavy content. I believe there is a challenge between writing for a target audience in a style that resonates with them and trying to capture new readers who may have different expectations. What interests me right now is what neuroscience is telling us about how an audience responds to information. We can take that information and give a better experience by asking what’s the takeaway for the reader and how can we best communicate it? Templates are good for new writers, but you’re right they become predictable. The goal should be to have readers return because it’s an enjoyable experience and they learn something. That’s when personal writing style and knowing what stimulates a reader’s brain can work for us.
Joyce, you are so right I seldom remember the blogs I’ve read because I skim rather than read, so on target bullet points really help. If I find the bullet points of interest (usually do to emotion-evoking words) I will go back and read the article. And I love statistics. Thanks for reminding me. Great Blog!
Kathleen, yes bullet points seem to be a great tool. I don’t think we can expect every reader to completely read every blog. And, we should expect that many are going to skim. The challenge is getting them to stop long enough to connect with the main points and take action. There are lots of ideas on how to do this, but I like what neuroscience is telling us about what attracts the brain’s attention.
Those are helpful tips Joyce and to even help them go away with a positive feeling or one that at least makes them want to take some type of action.
It’s a real challenge, Teresa. There are so many things vying for our reader’s attention. Any little tip or action that will keep them reading longer is worth considering.
My blog posts are meant for readers who need to get to the point fast but might need some explanation, Joyce, which means it can be a long or short post depending upon the topic. After tons of research and experimentation, I understand the need for a Hero image that matches the content, the story and lots of subheadings, the hook etc.
Sometimes my head hurts from wanting to create a memorable post but when it does, it’s worth the effort.
A great comment, Vatsala. Blogs sometimes need to be longer in order to explain things in further detail. I think the problem we face is trying to be informative while not overwhelming the reader. We bloggers could probably write several books about what we know. The challenge for me is finding a way to communicate what I think is important brain information that is relevant to how we do business. I’m fascinated about what attracts the brain’s attention and how we can get readers to respond. So, agree about this being head hurting. I keep a bottle of aspirin handy.
Joyce,
It’s a very good article and It has a lot of very good points about remembering information and how to make the blog post better. I wrote down the name , and am going over some of her points as well. I tend to read at some of a different level, if I chose the blog then I read mostly all of it. I have read that mst people scan the blogs.
Lori English
Lori, I think an older reader, especially those with professional backgrounds, are more inclined to read through. Younger readers who are more digital I think have less patience and want the shorter versions. Still, there is the problem of memory. Our challenge in today’s technology is to make sure we get our message out in a memorable way whether they read everything or just skim.
I’m curious if you found writing this blog post with all these ‘tips’ in mind, freeing or not, Joyce? Personally, I often resist the formulas that are supposed to illicit surefire results or responses from readers, and understand that people relate to content in different ways. This applies whether you are reading a post or listening to a webinar.
I was listening to a webinar last week and although I probably only absorbed the figure you suggest, 10% of it, I do remember several of the incredible and startling facts that were presented and also requested two of the books that were suggested, from the library. That’s a starting point for me. It is visually impossible with the way we are bombarded with information in today’s world, to actually hope to retain it all…or even close to it all. Although I rarely use bullet points, that one point you made is something I think make a lot of sense and will try. I guess highlighting or bolding the same important points, doesn’t have the same impact. Or would it?
Yes, surprisingly, I found that writing from the perspective of those four questions made it easier for me to distil the key points I wanted to make. In the same respect, each of us has a different story to tell and we are writing for different audiences. But, as I read your comment, it also struck me how in one sense we are like salespeople. We are promoting (selling) to our audience through our blog to elicit a reader response that is worth our time and effort to write it in the first place. Ideally, we want them to become a regular reader or be able to market to for a product or services purchase. Sales people will tell you part of their job is helping you make a decision (to buy or not to buy). I’m beginning to think that depending on our intent, there are ways we can guide our readers into making a decision about us. We want them to know, like and trust us, but how is that going to happen if our blogs are not memorable enough to for them to see the value?
Loved your post with special emphasis on this . . “Used attention getting descriptive and emotional words: hard cold reality, bitter pill, frightening, agonized.” Good words for thought, and I agree, we can make our point with fewer words.
Thanks for commenting, Robin. It seems people either don’t have the time or want to take the time to read things in depth. This may be a reason for making us find a way to convey what’s important in a more compact and attention-getting way.
You are 100% right – and sometimes I remember even less, just a feeling of connection or not. I like how you used the strategies in your post – very effective!
That so true, Reba about connecting or not. When we are exposed to so much information, the brain seems to need more variety and stimulation in order for it to pay attention.It also seems to be a sign of the times.
This is really interesting, Joyce. I quite often see from comments that people have just skimmed my blogs. I do some of your points, but not all of them. So I’ll implement more of these and see what happens!
This reminds me as well about how Amazon analyses how folks read books. Only a small percentage of folks read past the first chapters. A smaller percentage gets half way through. And only about 10% of people finish books.
Plays into this somehow, although I’m going to have to chew on what it all means!
I think most of us have to resort to skimming in order to get through all the information that comes our way. That being said, I guess it’s up to us to find the best ways to keep a reader engaged as long as possible. I also think we have our favorite authors and bloggers that we pay more attention to. I know that I always have to set more time aside to read your posts. Not, that they are difficult, but because they have this internal flow element that captures my attention from beginning to end. I swear you could write about anything and I would want to read it.
That is a bitter pill to swallow, Joyce, but I know from my own reading you are right. I’ve noticed when reading comments that it is often different points that resonate with different readers. So, possibly making your point in a few different ways offers more opportunities for people to remember what you’ve had to say. I think the questions you listed are perfect for keeping the focus on your message and what you hope to achieve with your blog.
I appreciate your comments, Tami. This is certainly a challenge for us to rethink how we present our content.
Great post!~ This makes me think my blogs should be substantially shorter….which would be easier too. Thanks, I’ll be considering this next time.
Cathy, this is an eye opener about creating shorter blog posts. I’ve noticed how we all seem to be moving in the direction of longer blogs. However. I also think blog length depends on the amount of information you need to get your point across. It was interesting for me to simplify my post way down. I may not make all the future ones this short, but I certainly can see the value of structuring to be more memorable.
Joyce these are fantastic bullet points. Copied them and added them to my blog ideas. The reality for me though, is if I didn’t know you and the quality of your blogs, I would not have read past the blog title. I tend to move toward that which is positive and away from negativity. Would have been my loss!
A good point, Candess about a negativity. There seems to be a lot of confusion about blog titles. Yoast recommends keeping them short and I see other blog titles that read like a run-on sentence.The challenge I find is trying to keep a title short yet still capture attention. I was horrified when I read the research about a reader only remembering 10% of what your write. Especially, since the newest recommendation is to write 1000+ words. So, I’m going to play around with the blog content and see what makes the most sense. Thanks for being supportive and getting past the title.