Avoid cognitive overload: Most OK with info load, Information multitasking, Cut through competition, Complexity reducer, Write it like Winston ...
Welcome to Rev Up Readership — your guide to Catching Your Readers | | November 2017 // Avoid cognitive overload | | Problem-solving + divided attention = cognitive overload It’s been proven in the lab: Online multitasking temporarily lowers your IQ more than smoking weed. (And, from what I’ve read, is a much less interesting way to get stupid.) That’s according to a 2005 study conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London and funded by Hewlett-Packard. Is screen reading making you feel stupid? If so, join the crowd. Because while the web is best for helping people find information, it’s not so good at helping them understand it. (Comprehension, on the other hand, is print’s superpower.) | | | | Hype reduces reading, sharing — even sales | | | | Write to —and about — your readers | | | | ‘Pat yourself on the back for choosing us’ | | | | It’s not dollars, found J.P. Morgan | | | | New and Noteworthy | | They make journalists cry ‘hype,’ reveal shoddy research Why cut adjectives and adverbs from your copy? Because modifiers weaken meaning, become clichés, add bulk without meaning, strike journalists as hype and more. | | | Use modifiers to change, not intensify, meaning Beware adverbs, counsels The Poynter Institute’s Roy Peter Clark. Too often, they dilute the meaning of the verb or repeat it: “The building was completely destroyed.” | | | 16% of adults worldwide are technologically illiterate Just 8% of adults around the world can manage conflicting requests to reserve a meeting room using a reservation system, then email responses to the requesters. | | | Stop writing about yourself In a recent “Dilbert” cartoon, Wally begs his pointy-haired boss to keep the team constantly updated on all his activities via Twitter. “We find you fascinating,” Wally says. | | | Write about the reader, not about us and our stuff It’s the most retweeted word in the English language, according to viral marketing scientist Dan Zarrella: You. And no wonder. Because the reader is her own favorite topic. | | | Move readers to act in this persuasive writing workshop To move people to act, give them what they really want. Rev Up Readership members save $100 with code RURKC100 | | | Learn to reach readers online in this digital writing class Learn to get the word out on the small screen. Rev Up Readership members save $100 with code RURMI100 | | | | | © 2017 Ann Wylie • All rights reserved • Thank you for subscribing to Rev Up Readership. Please do not copy, forward or otherwise share this newsletter For additional subscriptions please go to RevUpReadership.com. | | | | | |