The Write Road: On Getting Goldfished
"Blub blub. Blub blub blub. Blub, blub blub ... swush." - My goldfish Reginald
Since sometime in 2015, the human attention span has been compared to that of a goldfish. And the so-called experts tell us we’re falling behind. I’m not so sure I believe all the hype. But I do know that many websites seem to lend credence to the matter.
In today’s article, we’ll discuss this alleged “goldfish principle” and it’s ramifications for your writing, particularly if you write for client websites or even your own business site. So the topics we’ll cover are:
What the Goldfish Principle is and where it came from
What I believe is happening … the real story
How you can avoid being goldfished
Part of this discussion comes from Your Website Made Me Think. So I Left, a blog article I wrote for my copywriting business website back in January 2021. As should be evident, I’m not a goldfish … nor do I have the attention span of one.
Blub!
What the Goldfish Principle is and where it came from
I recall sitting in the audience of a copywriting conference in Delray Beach, Florida, when I first heard this concept. I’m not sure the speaker called it the Goldfish Principle, but that’s my personal moniker for it.
So what does it mean?
The idea is that people’s attention span is short, and getting shorter all the time. In fact, our attention span is shorter than that of the lowly goldfish.
So, how short is the attention span of a goldfish?
Somewhere around 8 or 9 seconds, according to people who talk to goldfishes.
Believe it or not, there has been scientific and academic research to determine the attention span of these tiny carp cousins and the relationship to that of human beings.
Probably funded by the government was my first guess.
But, one attention span study for humans was commissioned by Microsoft of Canada as part of research intended to determine how long you can keep someone’s attention. It eventually worked its way into the marketing realm.
The report was based on studying the brain activity of 112 people. Now there’s a massive, comprehensive sampling of the human population.
Not!
The truth of the matter is that the “goldfish fact” was entirely fabricated, likely for marketing purposes.
In an August 2018 article on the WARC Training Academy website titled The Goldfish Myth[1], Faris Yacob of Genius Steals presented his findings on the alleged research:
The comparison doesn’t even make sense. First of all, you think you know that a goldfish has a short attention span, but think carefully – don’t you mean you think goldfish have an eight-second memory? The factoid adapts that piece of folk knowledge to suit the persuasive purpose.
Mr. Yacob goes on to present why this concept is so prominent in today’s digital society:
The media-industrial complex has a vested interest in this idea. Digital advertising units are considered meaningful with a few seconds of exposure, six-second ads are de rigueur. The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute recently claimed “short-form advertising punches above its modest duration when it comes to effectiveness” comparing seven-second ads to longer formats – but this is a function of measurement, since six-second ads are mostly logo.
I recently saw a speaker from one of the world’s largest digital media companies claim, without substantiation, that on mobile our attention spans have decreased once again. We can now only muster two seconds for an ad, they maintained, which borders on the subliminal.
That article was written a few years ago, but it seems matters have gotten worse.
Yep, our attention spans have decreased even more, most evident on mobile platforms like smartphones. The media gurus seem to believe it’s the customers’ fault, not the marketers’ failing.
Bless their hearts!
What I believe is happening … the real story
As mentioned above, I really don’t give much credence or authority to this alleged “Goldfish Principle” at all. And I don’t believe you do either.
As I wrote on my website blog:
Have you ever read a book or long article all the way through … one you couldn’t put down until finished?
Watched an entire movie without pausing it?
Or gotten so wrapped up in something that time just slipped away on you?
By the way, if you got down this far in this Write Road article, you’ve been here more than 8 seconds.
Just sayin’…
What I really believe is people are busy and don’t like to waste time. If they have to think too hard to find out what you do, or can’t determine if you have what they need quickly, it’s adios, amigos!
Don’t. Make. Them. Think.
They won’t.
The real problem is with the way websites are designed, and how copy or content is displayed or written.
But, it can be fixed if you or your client are (hopefully) willing to target the reader’s needs first.
And it’s not that hard.
How you can avoid getting goldfished
One way to keep from getting goldfished by your potential readers is to follow some of the steps outlined in our discussion about giving your reader a roadmap to follow. We talked about including five elements to make sure the reader knows what’s in store for them.
To keep from getting goldfished, concentrating on the first three elements of the roadmap are crucial:
Headlines that make promises
Leads to draw them in, and
A mini roadmap to mark the trail
Their placement can be critical, particularly if your reader is consuming your content on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet.
I want to introduce you to a cool acronym—ATF—that helps keep these and other elements visible to readers.
ATF doesn’t stand for the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. What it does stand for is Above The Fold.
It comes from the days when newspapers were first sold in vending racks and newsstands. The papers were folded in half, and the most important, eye-catching news of the day was showing … above the fold.
And what ATF means on a website is ensuring key elements are visible from the first “screen” on the device. It even helps for websites viewed on a full monitor. Many websites are guilty of abandoning the idea of keeping important stuff obvious.
They concentrate too much on flashy, not functional design.
Unlike my fishy friend Reginald, your readers are not captive by any means. The web isn’t a fishbowl and your readers are free to swim anywhere they like.
Making the first three elements immediately visible—headline, lead, and mini map—provides you a better chance that your reader will hang around long enough to enjoy what you have to say.
But on a business or ecommerce website, there are some other important bits of information that should reside ATF or above the fold.
The crucial elements to be included are identified by another acronym: NAP.
N – The company Name
A – the Address of the business
P – Phone number or other contact information
Think about it for a minute. If you’re doing business with someone, wouldn’t you like to have these three bits of info readily available?
Sure you would!
But many business websites hide these crucial items.
And as a result … they get goldfished.
The address may or not be critical for a global business working solely online. But for many local business websites, at least the general area (city and state) should be indicated.
And at the very least, a valid email address should be present and accounted for.
Additionally, make sure a visitor to your website knows what you do and for whom right away! That’s kind of important on a business website.
A stong tagline can help with that.
I was contacted by an industrial marketer a while back. She wanted me to write copy for their website. That happens a lot.
When I got there, this is what greeted me:
Their trademarked name nestled beside a cool picture logo, crouching over a strong yet somewhat vague motto.
An amazingly beautiful graphic that revealed little about what they did.
Three big bold words, written with precise ambiguity, along with their motto (again) and date of birth.
Sadly, that happens a lot, too.
If I’d been a goldfish …
If you have a business website—or if you have business clients you write for—make sure all the important stuff is visible above the fold.
And make sure to check the NAP info so people will know who you are, what you do, who you do it for, and how to get in touch with you.
Don’t get goldfished!
If you have any questions or ideas you’d like to share, feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll see and answer them.
I do answer comments … it’s part of the gig, you know.
I’m not sure what’s in store for the next article. I need to consult with Reginald. He always has some good ideas.
But whatever it is, I look forward to seeing you in the next issue!
Steve M.
[1] Yakob, F. (2018, August 31). The goldfish myth | WARC. https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/opinion/the-goldfish-myth/en-gb/2806
Great article, Steve! I like what I believe was Clayton Makepeace's method as a roadmap: Tell them what you are going to be "talking" about, talk about it, then recap what you talked about. If everything " talked about comes up in a subhead, but in a way to bring attention to it such as a sentence from that part that piques their interest, the reader will read on to learn what thats about. Then the recap brings it all together, they have reached their destination, hence the roadmap.
Great article, Steve and Reginald.
Love the clever play on phrase. I shall endeavor to never be goldfished.