Lazy writing leads to lazy sales.
One of the huge mistakes people make with their copy is writing to impress.
Big words. Jargon. Clever phrases.
But the only person impressed by all that is you.
Your clients aren’t. They don’t think you’re clever.
They just want you to get to the point.
They want you to write for them.
They want what you have to say to be easy to understand.
Remember they’re busy. Remember they have dozens or hundreds of other options to choose from.
You can’t miss your chance to make a powerful first impression.
They way to do this is to check the readability of your copy. I like to put mine in Hemingway App.
It quickly tells me how readable my copy is and also highlights a few other areas that may need work. I always aim for Grade 6-8. The lower the better because it means ANYONE can understand what you are saying.
Here’s an example of what not to do. Taken from a large consulting firms home page.
Geopolitical and climatic events are impacting the food system’s resilience. Here’s what happened this year, what may come next year, potential consequences, and considerations that may mitigate the impact.
Grade 10 this snippet is.
Here’s my rewrite. Now I am guessing a bit on what’s in the report.
World events are impacting our food system resilience. Learn what happened this year. Predictions for 2023. What this means for you and how to reduce the impact.
Grade 5. Easier to read and clear what you get.
Writing to be understood should always be your goal. It’s a muscle you need to develop. But if you do the work you’re writing will be clearer. And the impact of your words greater.
I’m pretty sure you want that.
