You only get one chance…

…to make a first impression. (Sorry. That was a holdout from yesterday’s post.)

But it’s true.

And today, that one chance is often through writing. It might be an email, a Tweet, a LinkedIn post, or a resume.

Depending on whom you believe, we have anywhere between 5 and 21 seconds to grab someone’s attention. I lean towards 3 seconds.

BUT. Even before a single word pierces our consciousness, we’ve decided to read. Or not.

If the content is formatted in an easy-to-read, scannable way, the words have a chance.

Oddly formatted content or a big blob of text…not so much.

Hokum? Maybe?

But, over the next few days, look at what you’re reading. And what you’re not.