{2:25 minutes to read} We’re solidifying “timestamping” as part of phoneBlogger’s standard practice.
People’s attention spans are very short online; for this reason, when their inbox is overflowing with newsletters, articles, etc., they can become easily overwhelmed.
We know that many people will skim through an article, especially if it’s more than a screen-page long, to try and determine how much time it will take to read the entire thing.
You may have noticed phoneBlogger has started adding a timestamp to the top of your blog postings.
We have seen in other areas of online media that adding a timestamp actually is a bit of an attractor. “Wow, it’s only going to take me 2 ¼ minutes or 3 ½ minutes to read this?” is what goes through their mind when they see it.
Of course, we’ve always advocated that the ideal blog article length is 300-500 words, because we want your readers to be able to read your posts in roughly 2-4 minutes. Sometimes a little more or less is fine, but you’re not doing yourself (or your readers) any favors if you are writing blog posts that take more than 5 minutes to read.
At the same token, if you’ve captured the reader’s interest, you don’t want to squander it by asking too much of them – asking to hold their attention longer than a few minutes is asking a lot.
We’re trying to help you get articles out there that are informational, educational, and consumable by your average reader. The timestamp helps them by informing them upfront what level of commitment is required to read your article.
We have already received positive feedback from some clients that it’s been mentioned to them either in comments or in emails from their readers, that it’s appreciated.
What other ways can we increase readership or consumability of your blog articles?
Mark Bullock
Telephone: (631) 754-0800
Email: Mark@phoneBlogger.net
Website:phoneBlogger.net
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