Keeping your subscription website content short and snappy

By David Eedle |

I was chatting to someone the other day who comes from a tradtional media background, talking about the differences between writing for a newspaper and online. We’ve written about this in Niche Content Millionaire, explaining how when you present information online you really need to make your copy snappy.

That means use as few words as possible to get your message across. Be clear, distinct, follow the style you have researched that your audience responds best to and keep your sentences short. Though we suspect you can overdo this, your goal needs to be delivering your snippets of information in thought-sized pieces. Not all niche content sites are going to be about news. For example, you may decide on a specific type of jobs listing site (www.greataupair.com is an excellent example) but the words and images you use on your site need to quickly convey your message.

The Great Au Pair website is a good example of talking directly to two audiences at once – equally they are targeting both au pairs and families wanting an au pair, to list on the site. In order to go further than a basic profile and to contact the family or au pair that appeals to you, you will need to pay a time specific fee – for example $180 will buy you three months of full access to the site. Notice the language on the site is about the quality of the candidates and there’s a reassuring tone to the words used.

Great Au Pair is at pains to make families feel that this is the only place in the world where you can find a credible, reliable au pair or nanny. We have used this site for several years to find extra help for our family and it really does work, but much of its value is in the way it talks to its audience and the tools it gives you to find that perfect au pair. At no point will you find on this website any confusing or ambiguous information. They are talking to a global audience and all of the language they use is clear, concise and reassuring.

To a degree it is true that we are all busier than ever and this is sometimes touted as the reason to write in short snaps when you are talking to an audience. But there’s more to it than this – if you write in thought-sized sentences then your copy will be noticed and understood by your readers more quickly. Whatever you do to confuse them or to put obstacles in the way of them understanding your message could be considered poor manners. If people’s time really is at a premium then if you’re going to make your millions from an online information business, you really need to make sure every sentence on your site is an information gem. This is much easier than you may think. It means that you need to write as you think, or as Fiona who was trained for the radio says – ‘write the sentences that you are thinking’. Most content writers and reporters will do this already because that’s how they’re trained to communicate, but if you’re doing the initial copy on your information website yourself, you will need to be able to write snappy, compelling content in a tone and style that speaks directly to your target niche.

Some of the most compelling texts in history are short and succinct. This is a widely quoted example:

The Lord’s Prayer runs to 56 words
God’s Ten Commandments are 297 words
The Gettysburg Address is 300 words
The European Union Directive on export of duck eggs runs to 26,911 words!

If you want to be relevant and really matter to your audience, then keep it short, interesting and snappy!

Niche Content Millionaire is a downloadable eBook that tells you the true story how we made millions from subscription content and membership websites.

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