There have been a lot of posts about writing captivating headings. I’ve even written about the importance of headlines myself.
It’s true, headlines are very important for capturing the attention of your reader – especially on the web. It’s not true, however, that the heading is the only important thing about your article or post, or even the most import part of your document.
If you’ve ever read a book or watched a movie where the ending just fell flat, you know how disappointing that can be. In fact, a lot of times the quality of the ending is the difference between a great work and, well, something else.
It’s no different in copywriting. While it’s important to capture your reader’s attention initially, what you do with their attention (once you have it) is also important.
Just today I read a piece of marketing documentation that was great, except when I got to the end. I was all motivated to do something, even to buy the author’s product – but the document didn’t tell me how I could do that! Will I buy the product? Currently I have no idea how to do that and when I do find out how to buy it, I may have lost interest in it.
Here are three reasons to pay particular attention to your endings:
- Someone who reads all the way to the end of your document is truly interested. He or she is likely to be a member of your target audience and a potential future customer.
- Because your ending is the last part of your document to be read, it is likely to be the freshest in your reader’s memory.
- A fuzzy ending or disappointing ending can actually hurt your business. How many times have you read all the way through a document and then thought to yourself: Who Cares!!!
What should a good conclusion contain? There are several effective ways to conclude a document, but at a minimum you’ll usually want to include one or more of the following elements:
- A summary of your main points
- A call to action
- Contact information
So, here’s your homework: take a look at the endings of your recent articles and posts. Is there a way that they could be strengthened? If your answer is “yes,” rewrite the ending(s) to be more effective (even if the piece is already published, the practice will help).
Was this post helpful? Leave a comment and let me know.
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved
8 responses so far ↓
1 Mihaela "Mig" Lica // Oct 16, 2007 at
Well, that’s about the first time I ever read something like this online. I had my share of the importance of good writing from the first word of the headline till the last of the conclusion, but there was never such a comprehensible flow. Another reason to come back to your blog! If you don’t stop, I will become addicted.
2 Laura // Oct 17, 2007 at
Thanks Mig!
I appreciate the encouragement.
3 Web Content Writer Tips from JCM Enterprises » Blog Archive » Get Startup Funding Advice and Make Money Online // Oct 18, 2007 at
[…] comes into play at Laura Spencer’s blog, Writing Thoughts. She wrote a good post about paying attention to conclusions when you write. Headlines are important – your wrap-up is […]
4 Graham // Oct 18, 2007 at
When I read this post had one of those “Why did I not think about that” thoughts. Am going to give mre attention in the future
5 Laura // Oct 18, 2007 at
Hi Graham! I’m glad that you liked the post.
6 Solomom // Oct 26, 2007 at
Hi Laura!
I have been overlooking this important fact in my communication assignments: ads, brochures et al. It’s nice of you to remind this crucial point. I like all your articles though I didn’t comment on most of them which I’ll do from now!
Thanks & Regards
Solomon
7 Laura // Oct 30, 2007 at
Hi Solomom!
I’m glad that the post helped. Judging from what I read, a lot of people overlook the conclusion. In fact, I’ve done it too.
8 Men with Pens Web Content Writers and Freelance Writing Services // Mar 23, 2008 at
[…] comes into play at Laura Spencer’s blog, Writing Thoughts. She wrote a good post about paying attention to conclusions when you write. Headlines are important – your wrap-up is […]