How Much Time Will Readers Spend With Your Message?
By Ann Wylie
May 2023
Talk about TMI: Your readers receive the data equivalent of 174 newspapers (ads included) every single day, according to USC’s Annenberg School for Communication.
But with all of that incoming, very little information gets through to our readers. On average, people spend:
(1.) More than five hours a day on interpersonal emails, according to the 2019 Adobe Email Usage study. That includes:
- Three-plus hours a day on work messages: “Can we meet at 3?” “Here’s the report I promised.” “When can you get me the social media strategy?”
- Two-plus hours a day on personal email: “Would you pick up Greek yogurt on your way home from work?” “I have good gossip; meet for margaritas at 5?” “May I show you the most darling picture of my kitty?”
Add Slack and text messages, and you can see that we spend the bulk of our days communicating interpersonally.
But that’s not the kind of information that PR pros and other communicators are worried about.
(2.) 48 minutes a day reading for business, according to a study by The Economist Intelligence Unit and Peppercomm.
That includes The Wall Street Journal, The Harvard Business Review, the best trade publications in the business, Strategies & Tactics and other association publications, the latest leadership books, the HubSpot blog and more.
Whatever time remains — and that’s not much — may get divvied up between business-to-business brand content.
So how much of that 48 minutes are they spending with your white paper?
(3.) 16.2 minutes a day reading for fun, according to the 2019 American Time Use Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Right now, I’m squeezing into my 16.2 minutes a day: Melissa Banks’ novel “The Wonder Spot,” Psychology Today, a guidebook on Uruguay and The New York Times.
That leaves virtually zero seconds for your email newsletter on “3 reasons you need an eye exam (even if you have 20/20 vision),” your message inviting me to share my thoughts on your business or other business-to-consumer messages.
How much of that 16.2 minutes are they spending with your email newsletter?
How to get through to readers
One way to get through to readers with way too much to read and way too little time to read it is to give them more for less. Give readers more information they can use to live their lives better in less time and space.
Keep this formula in mind: The average reader reads about 200 words per minute. That means they’re reading, on average, 9,600 words a day for work and 3,240 for fun.
Does it make sense for you to ask them to spend a third of that on your blog post? Let’s get real.
Copyright © 2023 Ann Wylie. All rights reserved.
Rev Up Readability
Want more proven-in-the-lab techniques for reaching readers with more readable messages? Join PRSA and Ann Wylie at Rev Up Readability. You’ll learn to make every message you write easier to read and understand. Plus: Get feedback from Ann in live-editing sessions. PRSA members: Save $100 with coupon code PRSA23. APRs: Earn 4 Accreditation renewal credits.
Ann Wylie
Ann Wylie (WylieComm.com) works with communicators who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out. To learn more about her training, consulting or writing and editing services, contact her at ann@WylieComm.com.
