Some blogs you can't stop scrolling.

_{Day 269/100}

Hey—It's Tim. 

I want to talk about something that's entirely unproven.
Just a thing I feel when I read great content.
Some blogs you can't stop scrolling.

You're at paragraph three and you're already halfway down the page. You didn't decide to keep reading. Your hand just kept scrolling.

It's not always the content itself.
It's the design.

I call it scroll momentum.

And I think it's way more important than we give it credit for.

The Feeling

You know it when you hit it.

A blog that just flows. Where every element pulls you to the next one. Where scrolling feels effortless.

Versus blogs that feel like stop-and-go traffic.

Read a paragraph. Giant image. Stop. Read another paragraph. Another giant image. Stop.

You're working to read it.

Great presentation isn't just about looking good. It's about feeling smooth.

The Physics (As I Understand It)

When you scroll, your eye has velocity.

The next element either:

• Maintains momentum (same visual weight, you keep flowing)

• Kills momentum (heavy element, you stop dead)

• Accelerates momentum (light element, you skim past)

Example of momentum killed:

Paragraph (light)
↓
Giant full-bleed image (heavy) ← YOU STOP
↓
Paragraph (light)
↓
Another giant image (heavy) ← YOU STOP AGAIN

Reading this feels exhausting.

Example of momentum controlled:

2 paragraphs (light, building speed)
↓
Medium image (moderate - pause, not stop)
↓
3 paragraphs (light, speed building again)
↓
Full-bleed image (heavy - intentional stop point)

This has rhythm.

You're not fighting the design. It's carrying you.

What I Think Works

1. Vary the weight, but gradually
Don't go: light → heavy → light → heavy.
Go: light → light → medium → light → heavy.
Build momentum, then give them a place to pause.

2. Use heaviness intentionally
A giant image should be a destination, not a speed bump.
Put it where you WANT them to stop and absorb something.
Not just because "this section needs an image."

3. Keep the rhythm consistent
If you open with tight, fast-scrolling paragraphs, don't suddenly drop a 1200-word wall of text.

Match the pace you set.

4. Test by scrolling fast
Don't read your blog post.
Scroll through it at 3x speed.
Does it feel smooth or choppy?

Your readers will feel the same thing.

I say this is all unproven, but there are parts of this I picked up on when I was designing the VIBE score for Penfriend. Specifically the B score. We have a part in there called “breathability”, and it scores how spaced out things are, and the rhythm of a post.

Otherwise, it’s just something I feel when I'm designing blog layouts.

But I'd bet money that scroll momentum is why some posts get read all the way through and others get abandoned at 20%.

Try it. Scroll through your last post at 3x speed.

Does it flow?

Or does it fight you?

See you tomorrow.

✌️ Tim "are blog physics a thing?" Hanson
CMO @Penfriend.ai

Same brain, different platforms: X, Threads, LinkedIn.

P.S. I’m not the only one who’s noticed this right? I would love to here your thoughts.

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