For Example: Why Examples Matter and How to Use Them

We put a lot of emphasis on giving examples to readers. But giving examples is more than just showing and telling. Examples enable readers to make sense of and apply the illustrated principles to real-life circumstances they encounter. When we don’t include examples, readers can’t act. Here’s the skinny on the why and how about examples.

So why exactly do we need examples?

Help Readers Understand Content

Remember, your audience comes to you for help with a problem. They come because you have insight into a topic that they know little about. Because this information is unfamiliar, readers need to see it in action to understand it. Examples do this by putting abstract ideas and new concepts into more concrete applications. If readers don’t understand what you wrote, they can’t act on the information. The article’s use value then drops quickly.

Validate Information and Establish Expertise

Again, readers are less familiar with the topic your article is addressing. Examples show that these ideas can be applied and how, increasing your credibility as an authority on the issue.

Specific examples also prove the weight of the consequences, whether positive or negative, of certain information. If readers don’t understand the impact an idea has, they won’t feel compelled to follow through. Or they might follow some instructions but neglect others, potentially leading to problems, expenses, and injury.

When we clearly explain an idea and follow up with examples, it demonstrates to readers that we know what we’re talking about and that we know how to simplify complicated information for other people.

Keep Things Interesting

Specific information is always more engaging than vague generalities. Examples show readers details like when, why, how, how much, and how often. In other words, they add depth to your content. If we can make the information personal (or actionable for each reader), they’ll keep reading.

Where do we add examples?

The Basics

If we offer suggestions but don’t give enough information to act or understand, we need examples. A basic indicator is if something can be followed by the phrase “for example.”

Let’s take a look at the following statement:

You need to maintain your air conditioning unit to keep it functioning properly.

With this, readers will know they need to maintain their air conditioning unit, but they don’t know how. We can add an example and clarifying information to tell them:

You need to maintain your air conditioning unit to keep it functioning properly. For example, air filters should be changed approximately every month to keep the air clean and to prevent the unit from straining.

Adding that readers should change their air filters each month gives them an example of what to do to maintain their AC unit as well as how often to do it.

Pro Tip: Remember that the more specific your examples, the more useful and interesting they will be to your readers.

Here’s another scenario:

Many dentists use tools and techniques to help calm patients with dental anxiety. For example, dentists may have a TV in the room that patients can watch while getting their work done. They may also play soothing music (or allow patients to bring their own), use conversational techniques, or apply an anesthetic or sedative to help calm patients.

By itself, “Many dentists use tools and techniques to help calm patients with dental anxiety,” likely won’t help people with dental anxiety feel any better about going to the dentist. But if we tell them exactly how a dentist can help, readers will have a clearer idea about what to expect and will trust the article more because it offered additional help.

Adding Details

Although giving readers examples is important, the goal is to give them the best example. Often we give readers examples, but they still need more detail to feel comfortable and confident enough to act on them.

For instance, the example about replacing an air conditioning filter is helpful, but we can add more specific information to empower readers to act:

You need to maintain your air conditioning unit to keep it functioning properly. For example, air filters should be changed approximately every month to keep the air clean and to prevent the unit from straining. As dirt and grime collect on an air filter, some of the particles pass through the filter and into the unit, dirtying the air and the rest of the unit. The unit also has to work harder to pull air through the filter, as it is blocked by the build-up. This can strain an AC unit and cause it to malfunction.

These specific details–how a dirty filter impacts an AC unit’s performance–give further credibility to the article, fully convincing the reader that they should replace their AC’s air filter every month.

When do we know we’ve got it right?

Put yourself in the shoes of your readers. Remember that you are likely coming to this article with little or no previous knowledge of a subject. Ask yourself, “Do I feel like this article gives me enough details to solve my problem or answer my question?”

Another writer put it thus: “As you write and edit, distance yourself from the content and pretend you are reading it as a stranger. As you read, visualize every step of every process and every example. If there are gaps or points you cannot see, fill them in.”

As you fill in these gaps, your readers will fully understand the content, find the information credible and trust you as a writer, and feel empowered to solve their problems.