There are a million reasons why “read on to learn more” writing is terrible, but here are the top five
1. It doesn’t flow.
This might seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many times someone will write a short paragraph and then say “read more about this” at the end. You would think that the author would realize that the reader would want to learn more about what they wrote in the first place, rather than what came after. If you think that something is important, you should probably describe it in the first place. Especially if what you are writing is longer than a few sentences.
2. It relies on the reader looking up the important information.
This is especially painful when the information is something that you know is going to be important to the reader. If you’ve ever tried to explain something complicated in writing without using big words or phrases that they might not know, you know how frustrating it can be. If your reader has to go to the trouble of looking up the definition of a complicated term, they might just put down the book or magazine you’re trying to persuade them to buy and go play some video games instead.
3. It’s difficult to find the right tone.
Depending on who you are and what you are writing, you might want to change things like language and style. The key to successful “read on to learn more” writing is to find the right tone, specifically for each type of piece. If it’s an editorial, you might want to take a lighter tone and use more colloquial language. If it’s a factual piece, you might want to use more precise language and stay away from as many fun, colorful phrases as you can. Your readers will thank you for being specific and for not being too flashy.
4. It requires enormous effort.
Even when you are writing the perfect “read on to learn more” paragraph, if it takes you ten times as long to do as it does to read, your readers will immediately lose interest. The amount of time that it takes to write something is never taken into consideration, so if you’re using this strategy, make sure that you’re not trading off quality for speed. You might want to ask yourself if this is really how you want to spend your time.
5. It doesn’t allow for spontaneity.
In our fast-paced society, where everyone and their dog seems to have an opinion about everything, the ability to simply write something and then hit “send” is extremely appealing. We all like to get our words out there, even if they’re just a rant on a Facebook wall or a tweet that goes nowhere, because at least it’s something. That’s all this “read on to learn more” nonsense is, something, the complete opposite of that. Writing anything and then sending it off is far too predictable. If you want your writing to have any impact, you have to find a way to surprise your readers with something new.
There are a million reasons why “read on to learn more” writing is terrible, but here are the top five
1. It doesn’t flow.
This might seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many times someone will write a short paragraph and then say “read more about this” at the end. You would think that the author would realize that the reader would want to learn more about what they wrote in the first place, rather than what came after. If you think that something is important, you should probably describe it in the first place. Especially if what you are writing is longer than a few sentences.
2. It relies on the reader looking up the important information.
This is especially painful when the information is something that you know is going to be important to the reader. If you’ve ever tried to explain something complicated in writing without using big words or phrases that they might not know, you know how frustrating it can be. If your reader has to go to the trouble of looking up the definition of a complicated term, they might just put down the book or magazine you’re trying to persuade them to buy and go play some video games instead.
3. It requires enormous effort.
Even when you are writing the perfect “read on to learn more” paragraph, if it takes you ten times as long to do as it does to read, your readers will immediately lose interest. The amount of time that it takes to write something is never taken into consideration, so if you’re using this strategy, make sure that you’re not trading off quality for speed. You might want to ask yourself if this is really how you want to spend your time.
4. It requires spontaneity.
In our fast-paced society, where everyone and their dog seems to have an opinion about everything, the ability to simply write something and then hit “send” is extremely appealing. We all like to get our words out there, even if they’re just a rant on a Facebook wall or a tweet that goes nowhere, because at least it’s something. That’s all this “read on to learn more” nonsense is, something, the complete opposite of that. Writing anything and then sending it off is far too predictable. If you want your writing to have any impact, you have to find a way to surprise your readers with something new.
5. It doesn’t allow for spontaneity.
In our fast-paced society, where everyone and their dog seems to have an opinion about everything, the ability to simply write something and then hit “send” is extremely appealing. We all like to get our words out there, even if they’re just a rant on a Facebook wall or a tweet that goes nowhere, because at least it’s something. That’s all this “read on to learn more” nonsense is, something, the complete opposite of that. Writing anything and then sending it off is far too predictable. If you want your writing to have any impact, you have to find a way to surprise your readers with something new.