Business readers search for useful  content in scannable, concise writing.  They decide to read your message within 6 seconds or less.

So how do you write easy-to-read blogs and online messages without losing meaning?  Try these 6 tips to cut length without slicing your message.

  1. Forget what your English teacher taught 
    Online writing challenges the introductory and summary paragraphs long taught in high school and college English classes. From now on, don’t announce what you will say – just say it.  Get rid of:
    • Intensifiers that don’t intensify such as: really, very, quite, extremely and severely. 
    • Important-sounding phrases that do not add meaning: what I mean to say is, the point I am trying to  make, I was writing to, in the process of, in my opinion, in a manner of speaking, for the purpose of and all things considered.
  2. Show, don’t say
    A picture, map, diagram or graph captures your message better than a wordy explanation. Consider this excerpt from a wedding announcement.  “The bride wore an empire waist, ivory-beaded chantilly lace over a rum-pink silk-duchess satin-soft fluted gown.” Wouldn’t you rather have a photo?
  3. Use formatting to highlight your message
    Bullet points, numbered lists and subheadings make it easier for your readers to skim main points.Use the return key often for blank space in between paragraphs.  White space increases easy of reading.
  4. Be familiar, friendly and less formal
    When writers adopt a formal tone, they tend to use big words and complex sentences.  A shift to a conversational format, using contractions and the personal pronoun you,  speaks more directly to your reader.
  5. Try Hemingway’s trademark writing approach
    • Start with the simplest things
    • Boil it down
    • Know what to leave out
    • Distrust adjectives
    • Learn to write a simple declarative sentence
    • Tell a story in six words
  6. Avoid cliches and company jargon
    Marketing speak and industry alphabet soup mean nothing to customers and prospects. There are hundreds of cliches that creep into our conversations and writing.  Some that should be avoided include:  thinking out of the box, best practices, truth be told and value added.

Read your work out loud.  If you stumble over a phrase, rewrite it.  If a word sounds awkward, cut it.  When you are in doubt, leave it out.  And always remember – when writing for clarity, less is more.