10 ways to make your readers feel at home

by Joanna @ Confident Writing

I don’t know if you ever get a sense of recognition when you’re reading, a sense of familiarity maybe, or a feeling of being at home? I know I do. It’s a mixture of feeling comfortable and relaxed in the ’space’ that they’ve created for me, and the sense that I ‘know’ the writer behind the words.

Liz Strauss reminded me of this the other day with her stated intention to “make space for other people” on her blog. There are lots of things that you can do to be hospitable on a blog site – not least the way you welcome visitors and people who leave comments. But her post got me thinking about how we can build hospitality into the way that we write.

So, what techniques can writers use to make their readers feel at home?

Some suggestions for starters:

Use plain, simple language

Keep your language simple. Use words that most people will understand. That way you won’t be talking over people’s heads. Focus on writing something of value and you won’t be talking down to them either. They’ll be able to follow your meaning – and see where you’re coming from.

Use signposts

Think of your writing like a place. If people are coming for the first time they like to know where they’re going. Signpost your own content (headings, bullet points, clear titles) and point the way to other useful places to go (things to read, links to websites).

Give people space

Most people like good service, but don’t enjoy being fussed over. Apply the same principle to your writing. Avoid flowery, over-elaborate language. Keep your sentences well pruned.

Identify your reader

Do you know who you’re writing for? Can you boil it right down to an individual person? Think about them as you write, what you’d like them to know, what you want to say to them, how you’d like them to feel when they read your material.

Hit the right note

When you’re being friendly, courteous or hospitable (even just in the opening and closing lines) you want to hit the right note. Work out how formal or informal your readers will be expecting you to be, and match it.

Pace current experience

This is great for establishing rapport. Acknowledge where your readers are ‘coming from’. Think about what they already know. Stating the obvious will make them frustrated, that the service is slow. Jump ahead too far and they’ll be left wondering where you went!

Quality

A quality product has got to be part of what we understand by hospitality. Make sure you’ve got something of value to offer. And take the time to weed out any obvious (grammar) mistakes.

Leave room for more

If your readers like what you’re writing they’ll come back for more. You don’t have to overdo it in the first sitting. Keep your writing brief: as long as it needs to be, but no longer. Let your readers know where they can get more if they want it.

Be yourself

Think about your experience of great service. You probably knew something about the person who was welcoming you. Their name I guess, but maybe they said or did something that made them more than just a name badge, revealing a little about themselves, what was important to them. Taking off the mask will give your writing a human voice, helping people to feel at home.

Smile

This one works for me. Smile when you’re writing – it’ll help you select language that reflects your mood and intention (warm, welcoming, friendly).

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Those are my starters for ten.

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But I know there are lots of great writers out there – so what do you think? What are your favourite techniques for making your readers feel at home?