The 3 Keys to Handling Today’s Short Attention Span

Web Copy Tips: How to Keep Your Readers’ Attention

Stop reading.

Think about something else entirely… what you’re going to have for dinner tonight… the whacko movie you saw last Friday… your upcoming date with that guy you’ve been dreaming about…

Don’t think about work.

And don’t think about the fact that you’re still reading this because you’re hoping you’ll get a useful tip that you can use on your website or with your web copywriting client.

That you haven’t clicked away and are still reading indicates that I’m right. You want to know how to get visitors to your website to hang around and read what you have to say.

Unfortunately…

I’m getting close to losing your attention

You’ve got less than 10 seconds to capture your reader’s attention. The headline of this article promised you some tips, so if you’re still reading this and haven’t skipped to the next subheadline, then you’re the exception.

So, without further ado, here’s how to deal with today’s short attention span (just in case you forgot the subject of this article).

The 3 Keys to Handling Today’s Short Attention Span

1 Speak to Emotion First, Intellect Second

A quick look at today’s top business news from Digg, has article as the top item:

Jamie Oliver tried to change the way kids eat with his (futile) attempts at changing the food that school cafeterias serve to kids. If you’re a parent, and you feel strongly about the health of your kids, this headline grabs you at both an emotional and intellectual level.

It creates curiosity by stimulating an already-existing desire to feed your kids healthy stuff.

The article itself isn’t terribly interesting, but about halfway down the page they include the following YouTube video from carrot farmers:

Obviously, this video is intended for the parents. It’s a tongue-in-cheek way to get the attention of parents, and give them a reason to “test” the theory that carrots can achieve the same status as junk food in their kids’ minds.

2 Quickly offer a promise

What I like about the new carrot farmer campaign is that they quickly offer a promise, albeit a twisted promise.

They promise that your kids will think of carrots the same way they think of a candy bar, French fries, or some other greasy, sugar-enhanced snack.

They hit an emotional hot-button by bringing up the futility of getting kids to eat healthy food, and then have the audacity to promise a change in the way your kids think about snacking.

Your promise doesn’t have to be blatant, but it’s got to be clear in the mind of your reader. All of this will happen in a few short seconds in your headline and the first couple paragraphs of your copy.

3 Deliver on the promise

The best way to keep your website visitors on your site is to deliver on the promises you make, and do so as quickly as possible. I know that I have a tendency as a writer to think that everyone needs several paragraphs of introduction before I get to the meat of the matter.

A lengthy introduction can help when you’re introducing a new product to people who don’t yet know that they need your product. Eugene Schwartz refers to this as your reader’s “level of awareness” about you, your product, and their need for your product.

Carrot farmers are betting that kids will eat whatever comes in a flashy package. The “delivery” of the promise in their case isn’t the product (carrots) itself, but the packaging for the product.

Time will tell if they’re right (I hope they are), and kids realize that healthy food can be just as enjoyable an experience as unhealthy food.

It’s a long shot for the carrot industry, but if it works, expect national brands to quickly follow suit, offering their snacks (healthy or otherwise) in flashier packaging.

What Next?

If you’d like to learn more about handling today’s short attention span, you’ll want to read this article on Formatting Your Web Copy for Today’s Short Attention Span

Written by Sid Smith Written by Sid Smith