Pull your readership in

You are composing an article for your website or newsletter. You think of a clever observation, a snappy metaphor or a penetrating insight. Don't let it sit there in the middle of a paragraph, in the middle of an article or blog post. Turn that piece of brilliance into what's called a “pull quote.” That is an extract within quotation marks that you also display on its own in a larger font.

You place a pull quote either after the headline and before the main text or within the piece. Think of it as a photo or other graphic illustrating the text.

There, the pull quote attracts skimmers' attention and readers' appreciation. It breaks up the content. It makes paragraphs and paragraphs of words seem less intimidating.

You can get an even greater payoff from these gems. Use them as teasers in email newsletters to lure people to your content. Turn the quotes into tweets or Pinterest items.

For an extract that's three to five words long, use it as a subhead for that section of your content.

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James Doan - Just Minding My Own Business

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