Master Class grads boost readability by up to 300%
One of my favorite parts of my Catch Your Reader Master Class is our Cut Through the Clutter smackdown.… Read the full article
word length
Frontload web heads
Move topics up top
When it comes to web heads, focus on the front.
That is, place your topic words at the beginning of your headline.… Read the full article
Avoid multisyllabic pileups
Long words are stuffy and hard to read
Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry spent eight years teaching businesspeople how to write better. As he told Time magazine:
“I’d lecture a bunch of chemists or engineers about the importance of not saying ‘It would be appreciated if you would contact the undersigned by telephone at your earliest possible convenience,’ and instead saying ‘Please call me as soon as you can.’ That was revealed wisdom to these people.”
Take a tip from Barry: Avoid multisyllabic exhibitions of verbosity.… Read the full article
Three ways to streamline sentences
Cut a word, increase comprehension
Here’s the problem with long sentences: Every time you add a word, you reduce comprehension.
Let your sentences sprawl, and the subject, verb and object get too far away from each other.… Read the full article
Big stories, tiny words
The Times’ word length averages 4.9 characters
When I recommend to my clients that they limit their word length to 5 characters per word, they roll their eyes and chortle.… Read the full article