What is scannability and how to improve it?

Scannability is how easily readers can extract meaning without reading every word. High scannability means someone glancing at your email for 3 seconds grasps the main point. Low scannability means dense paragraphs that require dedicated reading time.

Improving scannability: Meaningful headlines (not \"Introduction\" but \"What you'll learn\"). Short paragraphs (2-4 sentences max). Bullet points for lists. Bold key phrases. Ample white space. One idea per section. Visual hierarchy (font sizes, colors guiding importance).

The scan should tell the story. If someone reads only the headlines, subheads, and bolded text, do they understand your message and know what to do? If not, restructure. Write your scan layer first, then fill in supporting detail. Most readers never get past the scan layer-make sure it's complete.