Writing Hack: Move Key Info to the Left
Here’s a quick and concrete step you can take to make your writing stronger:
Move key info to the left.
Make this phrase your mantra, and stronger writing will follow. This trick works across writing styles and genres.
Eye-tracking data tells us people pay the most attention to the left side of the page and the first sentence in any document or paragraph So if your readers only read the first few words of a sentence or bullet point, that’s where you need to put the important stuff!
You might be wondering, “What about content that’s optimized for mobile?” It’s true, you can’t control what appears “to the left” in every line of text. Word wrap will behave differently for mobile-optimized content on different devices.
But what can you always control? The first line of any heading, paragraph, section, or standalone sentence.
Let’s see some examples.
Article headlines
Instead of
Much to the surprise of women and scientists everywhere, this mandarin duck living in New York’s Central Park is the city’s most eligible bachelor!
Move it to the left!
New York’s Most Eligible Bachelor is this Beautiful Duck
Resume
Instead of
Created a more responsive and market-driven organization resulting in increased sales, from $22 million to $40 million in only three years.
Move it to the left!
Increased sales from $22 million to $40 million in only three years by fostering a more responsive and market-driven culture within the organization.
Email subject line
Your reader’s email inbox will only show some of a subject line, and their mobile phone inbox will show even less. To avoid cutting off your carefully crafted subject line, you need to shift your key info as far left as possible.
Instead of
Get ready for your summer getaway with 40% off best-selling fiction
Move it to the left!
40% off best-selling fiction for your summer getaway!
On mobile phones, the reader only sees “get ready for your summer” and misses the most important parts: the product itself and the incentive to buy it now!
Long, confusing sentences
The subject and the verb often convey the key info in a sentence. But your subject and verb can get lost if you use a long introductory clause or passive voice. To revise a confusing sentence, focus on putting a clear subject and a strong, active verb as far “left” (early in the sentence) as possible.
Instead of
After survey materials were revised by a committee of experts, there were a variety of methods of dispersal that the team prepared.
Move it to the left!
A committee of experts revised the survey materials. Then, the team prepared a number of dispersal methods.
Now it’s your turn. Take a sample of your own writing and revise it with your new mantra in mind.