Capturing and keeping your audience

Here's an extract from my new blog, written for the Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders & Indexers of Ireland, which sets out nine guidelines for capturing - and keeping - your audience:

Write to allow scanning
With so many people reading on-screen nowadays, reading has evolved toward scanning. Scanning can be described as ‘a quick review of text with the intention of taking in as much information as possible in order to make a decision as to whether to read more closely’. Write to allow scanning by using a clear structure, numerous subheadings, lists for complex material, and short paragraphs.