Home > Lensmaking Tips > How to Turn Off Traffic in Less than Three Seconds

Every day, dozens of lenses cross my screen. Just like books, magazines, and TV shows, it only takes a few seconds for me to scan the top portion of the lens and decide whether or not I’m going to read it. They say not to judge a book by its cover, and you could say the same about lenses, but the point is, each day your readers will decide whether or not to read your lens based on a few key features you have total control over.

Is your lens looking a bit…empty? Just like this empty theater, your lens sends queues to readers that it is or isn’t worth their time. If they assume they’re in for a bad read, or movie, they may not stick around.

Want to turn off your traffic in less than three seconds? In less than three seconds readers can see if your title is lacking, if your avatar, bio, and intro image are missing, and if your introductory paragraph is subpar. Ignore these sections, and your readers will be clicking the “back” button in no time.

But, if you want readers to at least give your lens a shot, you need to embrace these sections and polish them. Where should you start?

Your title.
Grammatically incorrect and poorly thought out titles are a huge turn off. A browser will think, “If they can’t spell the title correctly, do they really have the info I’m looking for?” It’s tempting to get cute with titles, but save your main titles for clear explanations, and save the cuteness for the photos.

Your avatar.
A missing avatar is the worst (that’s your bio photo). A missing avatar screams, “I’m not really into this, looking professional isn’t a concern to me.” Lenses with missing avatars are seldom taken seriously, rarely get return traffic, and few lensmasters will bother to leave a guestbook comment because they aren’t sure someone will be there to read and care about it.

It takes just a few seconds to upload a photo of yourself or something you love, and it makes all the difference to readers. (And yeah, we can usually tell if you’ve swiped a stock photo. Especially when it’s of Chuck Norris.)

Your bio.
A bio tells us who you are, and knowing a bit about you helps us decide if you can be trusted. Keeping it short is perfectly fine. “I’m a 32-year-old WAHM who loves to write about parenting, test the latest electronics, and perfect my apple strudel recipe.” If you find yourself becoming overly verbose, consider crafting an autobiography lens. They’re tons of fun to build and read!

Your intro photo.
Intro photos are so important, they’re now required in order to publish a lens. They give your reader an idea what your lens is about, add eye candy, and visually separate your lens title from the official start of your content. Lenses without intro photos visually read like big blocks of text, which is hard for the mind to interpret and recognize as the article they’re looking for. Photos are also a visual cue the reader has found their answer.

Your intro paragraph.
Your introduction paragraph (or paragraphs – it can be longer) is another visual cue to readers that they’ve found what they’re looking for. An intro that’s too short may tell readers, “there’s nothing of interest here” or “I don’t really know what to write about.” For best results, explain what your lens covers. Give a few details, or tell the story about why you need such a lens. Talk TO the reader and let them know you’re paying attention.

Even if the topic isn’t what they were looking for, a well presented lens can encourage anyone to stick around take a peek. You never know what amazing references, comments, and sales can come out of a surprise visit, when you’re well prepared.