OK…so this is not only something I wish WAY more writers were doing but it’s also something my clients request more of…

That’s using more sub-heads.

We all run across a lot of writing online and you KNOW how easy to start reading an article and just drift off to something else more interesting once the words get a little too...dense.

Sub-headings help end that.

Part of that is just keeping your reader’s attention, but it goes deeper. Sub-heads let your reader know that your thoughts are organized, that you’re taking them somewhere, and they even give some nice insight if someone wants to get straight to one section of your content.

They might seem a little heavy or too formal, but trust…sub-heads are genuinely respectful of your readers and lets them know you don’t want to waste their time. (It’s also a great way to up your SEO, but that’s a conversation for another day.)

After researching and putting together the purpose of the article, I always write my sub-heads first. I usually write them in full sentence form and keep the structure consistent (notice I used question words in both of the ones in this email).

Sometimes I change them up, but the point is to organize thoughts ahead of time so I’m positive each piece has a specific purpose and flow.

So give it a shot! On the net blog or article you write…if it runs more than a few paragraphs, it might be time to break things up with sub-headings…and if you want to get even better, check out this article from Copyblogger.

Megan