Why This Post is Ugly and Won’t Attract Readers
The paragraphs are non-existent and the lines of text seem to blend into one giant glob of black on white. There’s no stunning imagery to pull your attention from the 527 other blogs in your feed reader. There’s no links - giving the impression that I did absolutely zilch in research (which is true). I’m listing reasons for why something is the way it is and failing to organize them into neat and easily scannable unordered/ordered lists. I’m wandering completely off topic by telling you about the time I attended a family gathering and witnessed a crayfish eating contest whereby a distant relative of mine ate so much, he vomited crustacean goop all over a $3000 collectors edition Les Paul. On top of going off topic, I’ve included a sentence that makes absolutely no sense: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. I’m insulting you by calling you an asshole and not justifying my slander. I’m contradicting my headline by telling you that this post is beautiful and will definitely attract more readers than Brian Clark guest posting on Problogger about Yaro Starak joining TechCrunch. And, I’ve increased the margins to give the impression of more content than there actually is. If you made it this far you’ll be happy to know that tomorrow I’m going to outline the many ways a boring post such as this one can be dressed up and ready for the runway. I’ll follow that up by going over some do’s and don’ts in terms of engaging readers with your writing. Content is king but surely style is queen.
Read the series: “Stylizing Your Content”.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I actually read it and digged it!
Possibly proof that, if you’re writing’s hot and entertaining, you can almost get away with anything!
Looking forward to the follow-up.
p.s. Please tell me the Les Paul story isn’t true. I love my Les.
Nick | Put Things Off’s last blog post..Find Your Love: Discover Your Life’s Calling Today
‘ppreciate it Nick.
Yeah, unfortunately the story is true. I didn’t actually see it happen, but I saw the outcome. Poor Les was doused in half digested crayfish and if I remember correctly, there was a huge argument about who’s fault is was…the provider of the fish, or the guy who did the chucking. Mixing family on two different sides of the intelligence spectrum sure makes for some interesting times.
How long have you been playing?
Yikes. Crayfish and guitars shouldn’t mix.
I’ve been playing for almost 20 years, since I was 5. (In contrast, I’ve only been using “you’re” instead of “your” for about a day now. Oops.)
shh…don’t draw attention to it.
Nice, 20 years is quite a long time. You should create a put things off mix…something laid-back, you know, something I can be productive with.
I read it all the way thru, too!
Maybe I’m odd (quite likely)!
Looking forward to the way to do it right…although you’ve pretty well given it away in the “don’ts.”
BTW, thanks (I think?) for the twitter follow.
It’ll be up later today. :o)
Yup, that was me. Twitter is very addicting ain’t it? I found you through the twitter pack.
interesting - i look forward to the next post!
TripTheLady’s last blog post..50 States = 50 Fun Things to do! Part Seven
You’re right - I read three words and couldn’t move on!
Great post! I thought that this was a creative way to prove a point
RLD: Taekwondo Happiness’s last blog post..Invincibility
I totally agree that content first, then style- thanks for the Image dressing up my rss feed tip. I don’t really think about feeds, just the blog but I guess that would make sense- a real grabber.
Forget the Les Paul- I’m a Strat/Tele man, with 10 years playin’. Gotta love that Knopfler sound though, since he switched to Gibsons.
lawton chiles’s last blog post..Who Else Wants Profit Boosting Tactics?
What a creative way to hook the reader. I had to click through from my feed reader for a peek. :o)
Carolyn B.’s last blog post..Let an Old Reporter Talk: 12 Tips to Interview Anyone
Thanks guys and gals. I’m getting ready to post the follow-up so I can get rid of the “eww” at the top of the page.
[…] Part two of: “Stylizing Your Content.” Read part one: Why This Post is Ugly and Won’t Attract Readers. […]
[…] neglect this and it can make a huge difference in the readability of your blog. You can look at this post to see how a paragraph looks when the line-height is set to 100% (default). The spaces between the […]
Wow, that blog post IS horrible. I think paragraphs are essential AND headings for each paragraph. Headings guide a reader and help him or her scan the post for the relevant information they want.
Flimjo’s last blog post..Buffett-isms: The Wisdom of Warren Buffett
[…] “Content is king but surely style is queen.” […]
Love this post! Very creative.
Thanks Toblerone.
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