Whether you are writing for a Web site, an email or a newsletter, try to write within the actual visual framework of the final screen.
For instance, when I write a short article for my own newsletter <https://www.nickusborne.com/excess_voice.htm>, I set the margins in my word processing document to the same width as the newsletter itself. I like to be able to see what the text will look like when it is published. I want to be able to see how long the paragraphs are. How dense they look, or otherwise.
You may not think it's a huge deal to be able to see what the final text will look like as you're writing it. But I think it is. Even for a text-only newsletter or email.
Let's say you're writing a promotional email. Instead of just pounding away in your favorite word processing program, set up your screen as it might appear to the final reader. Set the margins to where they will actually lie. Add in the 'To', 'From' and 'Subject' lines. Add in whatever other space or information will appear as a header. Then start writing.
Do it this way and you'll get a sense of what your readers will actually be seeing. Yes, you're subject to variations in screen resolutions and other variables. However, with a little effort, you can make a best guess at reproducing the final appearance and position of your text.
It's important to do this for emails and newsletters, so you can see what will appear on the first screen and what won't.
Keep in mind that when people read your emails and newsletters, they can't scan the whole thing, as if it were a sheet of paper. In large part, they will judge the entire contents of your communication based on what they see on that first screen. If you have a particular offer, or list of points you want your readers to see, be sure that all those points appear within the first screen.
That's why you need to write within the context of the actual user experience. So you can see your words in place.
The same goes for Web sites. My own site is about as simple as they come. I used to write and edit content within my word processing program and then cut and paste everything into Dreamweaver. But I soon found that I was disappointed in the final appearance of both the text and the page. My paragraphs were too long and dense. I was writing too much before adding a heading or subhead.
So now I write directly within the page layout in the Dreamweaver program. Now I can see how each word, heading and paragraph will appear in relation to everything else on the page. And when I do that, I'm in a better position to see the text as it will be seen by other people within their own browsers, wherever and whenever that may be.
How you achieve this for yourself will depend on many factors. If you're lucky, your site will use a content management software, so you can always see where each line and paragraph will appear in relation to everything else on the page. If not, work out a next best solution.
The impact of your writing will always be determined, in part, by how it appears to the final user. This is true for links, product descriptions, sign-up invitations, headlines and so on.
Copywriters in the offline world are always aware of how important it is to write within the framework and layout of whatever page or screen they are writing for.
The same disciplines need to be applied online.
