Writing may not be an art form that comes easily to you, and you may never be as captivating as Stephen King or Ernest Hemingway, but that doesn't mean your online content can't be captivating.

Now that we have the ability to allow all of our members to write content on our website, to help show our expertise when it comes to our individual categories, I thought it would be good to help guide you as you inform us.

Here are some great ways to help your blog posts be easy to read:

1. Let Your Headings Tell The Story.

Think about how you read content online today. Do you sit down and read every last word that someone writes, or do you skim and try to pick up the gist of an article when it comes up in your feed.

Attention is a precious commodity online, and the harsh reality is that if someone can't fully understand what you are talking about from your headings, your point will be lost on the vast majority of readers.

2. Engage with photos.

Photos can help get your point across easily and coherently, without forcing someone to read all of your post to get the point.

3. Don't Get Too Wordy

This is one I always struggle with.

So...

4. Last But Not Least: Summarize

There is a term online called "TL;DR" that stands for "too long; didn't read".

If your post is too long and someone doesn't want to read it, beat them too the punch before they can say "tl;dr", and give them a summary of what your entire post was about.

If you can follow those quick steps, you can guarantee that at least those who open your posts will engage with it, and get the basics of what you are talking about.

So.... tl;dr - Use headings, pictures when you can, don't ramble, and summarize for those who won't read it all.

Extra Tip -

If you can, leave your readers with a Call to Action, like:

"email me at david@dsfares.com, or check out dsfares.com and let me know when you are writing a blog post! I would be happy to help guide you in the right direction to make the most of your post :-)."