How to Write Skimmable Content

In a digital world, people don’t read content. As much as I want people to hang on my every word as a copywriter, I know that you’re probably skim reading this now, scanning over my content trying to find the good bits. And that’s why making your content skimmable is so important, whether it’s a blog post, landing page or newsletter. Here’s how to structure your content for fast-scrollers to enhance readability, retention and conversions.

If you’d like my help making your written content more readable, less wordy and more skimmable for your audience, get in touch.

How to make content more skimmable:

1. Start with a Clear, Compelling Headline

Your main title is your first chance to grab your reader’s attention, so make it clear, benefit-driven and easy to understand at a glance.

2. Break Content Into Chunks

Large blocks of text are intimidating, even to those who love reading. Instead, use short paragraphs, subheadings and lots of white space. You want your reader to hop from sentence to sentence.

3. Use Descriptive Subheadings

Subheadings, H2s and H4s are signposts for your content, there for skim readers to get the general gist of your content and quickly locate what they’re interested in.

4. Use Lists, Bullets and Bold

Numbered lists and bullet points help readers digest key points quickly. Bold text helps to draw their attention to the most important bits. Never underestimate how much a bolded word can direct a reader’s attention, so use it for what you want them to see first.

5. Add Visual Cues

Make your content nice to look at: images, graphics and icons aren’t just decorative, they’re also functional, as they break up the page, emphasise points and make content feel less overwhelming.

6. Use the F-Pattern

For the best results, front-load your sentences with the key information. A study found that we read web content in an F shape - we read the horizontal headline at the top, then scan horizontally at the subheadings, then skim vertically down the left hand side of the page, looking at the first words each paragraph. Use this to your advantage.

7. Cut the Waffle but Keep the Value

Skimmable content doesn’t mean low-value content. It means clear, direct and easy-to-swallow wording. Get to the point as less text means more impact.