In each and every article, the smartest thing you can do is provide a takeaway. In stories they are called morals, and in essays, they are the conclusions. Summing up your thoughts and ideas into an easy to digest sentence or two can really help readers take something with them to think about, use and remember.

This is especially important for longer and more detailed articles as the amount of information can make the article difficult to remember for any longer period of time.

Sometimes I use the final area of my posts as the takeaway, others I put into the start. Either way it has to be highlighted in such a way that it sticks in the mind of the reader, or you haven’t done your job.

The takeaway for this post is to always provide a takeaway. It will make you, and your posts more memorable.

Originally posted on May 24, 2010 @ 1:36 pm