Formatting is NOT just about aesthetics…

…but about ‘hacking’ the reader’s psyche

Not the nicest phrase.

But effective formatting does hack the reader’s psyche.

Manipulation? Not exactly.

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You’re helping the reader — by making it easier for them to absorb your content:

• Just as their focus is about to slip, you change gears, holding their attention for longer.

• Your formatting guides the reader towards your most important ideas (and makes it easy for them to skip ‘bonus content’).

• You avoid the intimidation associated with ‘walls of text’.

Good formatting does more than make your writing look more professional.

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Have you ever opened a post, then thought: “I can’t be bothered to read that lot”?

Length wasn’t the only problem. It was difficulty to read due to poor formatting.

To illustrate, TTRH stacks have always had a high word count (for a newsletter), but I only got comments about length in my first year — even though those posts had, on average, a lower word count than stacks last year.

In fact — and this always makes me grin — my 5,000-word stacks get comments about how they’re “concise”.

Two things changed:

1. A higher WWR (word-to-wisdom ratio).

2. Using Substack’s formatting options to full effect.

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Good formatting ensures more people read your content to begin with.

Everyone scans before they read.

When you scan, you check the title, headings, and other ‘salient’ points, trying to figure out just one thing:

Is this worth my time?

Just by formatting better — even without any other changes — you already encourage more readers to give you a chance.

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Here are three ‘quick wins’ to improve your formatting:

(They’re ordered in importance.)

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𝟏. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬.

Short paragraphs are easier to read.

Ideally, vary the length of both your sentences and paragraphs to avoid monotony. Shake things up. Don’t make readers feel like they’re in school or looking at an endless stream of similar text.

Bored readers switch off. Plus, opening and closing with a one-liner subconsciously encourages people to read on.

A bit like this.

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𝟐. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

• Improve scannability — big, bold text stands out. Tell people what you’re covering to help them decide whether it’s worth sticking around.

• Give readers ‘signposts’ — what can they expect next? Signpost headings also function as psychological milestones to the reader.

• Keep your writing focused — headings should reflect subtopics. If the content that follows your heading doesn’t answer the question it poses, delete it.

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𝟑. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬.

You’ll save the reader time and make your copy more scannable.

Help them find the most interesting items to them, and see that you’re giving several examples (or reasons, consequences, etc.).

However, don’t overuse lists. Alternate them with regular paragraphs to mix things up.

Never, ever, allow your writing to become monotonous.

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Just because someone started reading, doesn’t mean they’ll make it to the end.

The reader doesn’t owe you anything.

Not because you’ve taken the time to write it, nor because the content is free. ‘Free’ content doesn’t exist. At a minimum, you’re buying the reader’s time, yet few write in a way that acknowledges this reality.

I regularly review content. My feedback almost always includes these three tips — and not just because they’re quick wins that anyone can implement.

Even with zero other changes, better formatting will instantly level up your writing.

- Kyna

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P.S. To help illustrate the point, I’ve recorded this video, showing what a difference just a few formatting changes can make. I used my own writing from 2016 as the example. Believe it or not, this was actually published (on the blog of a company where I interned).