Don't leave me hanging on!

Don’t you just hate it when you’re looking for a decent tutorial and someone started a great tutorial on their blog but decided to serialise it and then never got round to completing it so you’re left high and dry part way through.

Here’s my tip to anyone who wants to present a serialised tutorial:

Write the whole tutorial first then publish the series. {Click to Tweet}

Personally I can’t see the point in serialising technical or instructional tutorials – break them up in to succinct palatable parts yes but publish the whole tutorial in one shot so that your audience isn’t left dangling.

Tutorials are a great way to attract readers and build an audience and they can be a fantastic facilitator in setting you up as a thought leader or expert in your field. Visitors and readers are more likely to bookmark you and return to your site if you’ve helped them solve a problem.

So think carefully about how you present your material.

Nobody is going to dig your cliff hanger – they’re not going to set a reminder in their calendars and wait with bated breath for the next exciting instalment – their pain is now – they need a solution now, so they’re going to curse you and go and find someone else who’s had the tenacity to finish the job and the common courtesy to respect their readers needs.

There’s nothing more damaging to your credibility as an informed expert than an unfinished tutorial.