It’s a waste of time and resources to create content that people don’t understand. You might have experienced it before.
A piece of interesting content catches your attention, maybe an email, image or post on social media, a few lines down walls of text, small fonts, and you give up.
The ease of reading or understanding your content contributes to its performance, no matter how valuable the content is. Whether it’s a video script, blog post, or newsletter, formatting makes a big difference.
We will reveal 10 formatting tips that will boost your content’s readability. You will learn how to make your message clearer and more effective across various platforms.
Formatting Tips to Boost Your Content’s Readability
Here are 10 formatting tips to help you better pass along your message.
1. Always Use Short Paragraphs
Sometimes in writing out your ideas it’s easy to end up with long paragraphs. But the issue is that these big blocks of text can overwhelm viewers, especially on mobile devices.
It’s best to stick to 1 – 3 sentences for a paragraph. That way, your content will be friendly to the eyes, easy to read, and digest.
2. Break Up Heavy Text with Subheadings
Subheadings are often thought of as blogs or articles alone, but it isn’t so. They work for many content types. Subheadings guide your audience and make your content easy to scan.
You can use subtitles (H2/H3/H4) for blogs and articles, bold text and emojis for social media, and timestamps for YouTube videos.
Learn editing tips to polish your content.
3. Use Bullet Points and Lists to Show Benefits
People love listed content, it’s easy to read, scan, and comprehend, unlike other content types with dense paragraphs.
Similarly, bullet points draw your viewers’ attention to your points. You can use lists and bullet points to share tips (like this), steps, features, benefits, tools and more.
They are useful for a variety of content format from videos, infographics, emails to posts.
More on how listicles work and how to write them.
4. Add Visuals
Visual elements (images, videos, emojis, icons) help break up text and relief the eye. They also complement your text and can help to reinforce your message and viewer retention.
However, visuals are more than images or videos, though these matter too. Depending on your message, content type, and style, you can also throw in icons and emojis.
For example, screenshots in your blog posts, emojis in your captions, or icons in your newsletter. But make sure the visual you are using is relevant to your content.
Also Read: The Power of Using Visuals to Enhance Your Content Strategy
5. Highlight The Important Text
Guide your audience’s attention to your most important text in your content. Because many people skim through, they could easily skip the core part of your message.
Avoid this by italicizing or bolding specific words. But don’t overdo it, too much emphasis can distract your readers.
You can highlight important stats, CTAs, or key takeaways.
6. Use Readable Fonts and Sizes
This is one of the often-overlooked formatting tips that can boost your content’s readability.
People will bounce if the fonts are too small or hard to read. Fancy fonts on posters, images, blog posts, and articles sometimes fall into this category.
Use clear fonts and subtitles to make your content readable, especially on mobile. This is vital because more people use the internet on their phones than on desktops.
7. Keep Your Sentences Short and Clear
If your sentences are long and complex, they will be hard to follow and understand. This discourages viewers.
The rule of thumb is a maximum of 15 to 20 words. We don’t mean you should count as you write; emphasis is to be clear and succinct.
Another way to make your sentences short on Google Docs or Words, for example, is to stick to not more than two lines.
Short and clear sentences improve the clarity of your content, making it easy to digest. It enhances voiceovers and makes social media captions punchier.
Related Post: A Guide to Understanding Different Content Types for Better Results
8. Use White Space Tactically
You hear this all the time- give white space. Cramming text into every inch of your post, email, or any content type makes your content unappealing.
You won’t only be suffocating your content; people will lose interest. Space out your content for better viewer focus and easy scanning.
Note that white space also applies to visuals like thumbnails, infographics, and blog or article layouts.
Don’t miss our post on how to create catchy thumbnails and headlines.
9. Structure Properly with a Beginning, Middle, and End
Content must have a logical flow, from hook, introduction, main message, to conclusion and CTA.
Every content you create should follow a framework that gets your audience’s attention, interest, and desires. Then lead them on to taking the action you want.
Still, ensure your content provides value, or else, they will leave and avoid your content or page.
Stuck on how to write effective calls to action (CTAs)? This post will guide you.
10. Use Consistent Formatting Style
Consistent format, just like branding, builds trust and aids easy recognition of your brand. This includes your brand voice, style, tone, CTA, and colors, where applicable.
Use a consistent font or set of fonts to create harmony. Maintain how and where your calls to action appear to make them recognizable.
Avoid a fluctuating tone by maintaining your unique voice or brand voice to avoid confusing your audience. It makes your content memorable and strengthens your brand identity and credibility.
This might interest you: Proven Steps to Build a Consistent Brand Voice Across Social Media
Conclusion: Format to Boost Your Content’s Readability
The message of your content is just as important as its format. A strong format impacts comprehension, engagement, conversion, and SEO.
Make your message clear, simple, and spaced with visual elements to keep your viewers engaged. These little changes in your content layout can improve your content performance.
If you enjoyed reading this, don’t miss our post on simple strategies to improve readability.
Which of these tips will you use for your next content?
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