We all create documents with the intention that someone will learn from the valuable insights we are sharing.  I am talking specifically about written communication to other people.  Whether it is an email, Word document, or blog, we expect someone is going to read, and benefit from, our hard work. Yet we all know how inundated we are with emails, documents, and blogs. Do you read everything that comes in front of your eyes? Hopefully not. If you do, then you probably don’t have much time for anything else.

So, how do you increase the odds that your documents will be read?  Here are 10 ways to create documents people will actually read:

1. Use Headings

Use headings to break content down into smaller sections. Headings allow readers to quickly scan the structure of your document and determine which sections are worth reading. This is particularly important for longer documents (over 500 words) that people will tend to avoid unless they can quickly jump to parts of the document that interest them the most.

Here is an online text book with more information on the use of headings.

2. Get to the point

Unless you have the skills to captivate readers with Shakespeare-like prose, get right to the point. Don’t add words, sentences, or paragraphs that are not needed. You may have heard this concept referred to as “Keep It Simple, Stupid”, or KISS.  This is another tactic to help save readers time and ensure that you get your point across.

3. Begin with the end

Most documents should state the key conclusions, takeaways, or purpose near the beginning. If you have one big build-up to the end, you risk readers never making it there. It is better to summarize the key conclusions up front and then use the rest of the document to support those conclusions.

4. Know your audience, your intentions, and desired outcome

You must know who you are writing for and what you are trying to accomplish. This sounds obvious, but is often overlooked. Before writing anything, think about who is going to read your document and what you hope will happen as a result. The desired outcome is particularly important, as this will often influence the way to structure your document.

5. Make visually appealing

This is more art than science, but there is no doubt that visually appealing documents are more likely to be read. To be clear, I am not suggesting aesthetics at the expense of good content. Rather, good content can be enhanced by clear visual layouts. Strategies for making documents more visually appealing could fill a book, but here are a few suggestions:

• White space – content should not cover every inch of whatever surface the reader is using. Margins, blank lines, and purposeful white space are very important. White space focuses readers on the content, by making the content stand out.  It also reduces the perception of clutter, which tends to make readers want to move on to something else.
• Contrast and color – use contrast and color to make different elements look different. This can be as simple as using bold, underline, and italic text to add meaning or emphasis.  It can also involve the careful use of different colors, but be careful not to overdo it.
• Alignment – alignment of visual elements is a key way to make documents look visually appealing.  Check out this page for more information about how grids can be used to enhance the layout of documents.

6. Add pictures, drawings, diagrams (when possible)

Whenever possible, it is a good idea to replace text with pictures, drawings, and diagrams. Visualizing information is a powerful way to communicate information and maintain the interest of readers. The key here is making sure the visuals help drive key points. If they are informational, but not relevant, they should be omitted or added as an appendix at the end.

7. Use bullets and lists

Bullets and lists help focus readers attention. To be effective, keep the number of list elements to 7 or less. Three is a magic number, but it isn’t always possible to boil things down to just three key point. A useful technique is to first summarize the contents of a document in a bulleted list (tip #3) and follow with headers (tip #1) that correspond to each bullet. Each header can then be expanded with more content about the specific topic. This technique helps readers target the sections of your document that interests them the most.

8. Link to reference material at end, or use external link

Keeping with tip #2 (get to the point), you should try to cut documents down to the most essential content if you want readers to read what you write.  If you want to include something that is interesting, but not essential, then add it to the end of the document (with reference in the main body) or include a link to an external source.  This gives hungry readers, who want to learn more, the opportunity to digest this information without scaring off readers who just want to take away a few key points.

9. Use appropriate writing style

To write documents that consistently engage your intended audience and get read, you need to develop a repertoire of writing styles.  Different writing styles are appropriate in different situations, and you should learn to use the most appropriate style for your target audience. Clear, unambiguous, language is essential when communicating technical information, but this style might appear repetitive and boring when talking about pop culture.  Storytelling, with vivid imagery, can capture the attention of readers and make a concept stick in their minds forever, but this same style may backfire if the attention span of your reader is 15 seconds or less (e.g. teenager reading celebrity gossip).

10. Proofread

The last tip is to proofread.  Your documents don’t need to be perfect, but a lot of careless errors can be fixed by proofreading your documents.  Proofreading is also an opportunity to work on improving your document with tips #1-9. Without proofreading, you run the risk that careless mistakes and unclear wording cause your reader to get distracted, and distraction is likely to result in your document getting pushed aside. Getting good at proofreading increases the odds that people read your documents and benefit from your hard work.

Further Reference:

Carnegie Mellon online course on Designing Technical Documents