How to apply readability to your copywriting

Simplifying copywriting means reducing the number of words and phrases to convey your message. While this might seem counterintuitive at first, less actually means more in this case. Adding complexity to your marketing materials may help you rank higher on search engine results pages, but your audience will only stay interested if it understands what you’re trying to say. Greater clarity and concision not only makes your company appear more professional but also show customers that you respect their time and money. We’ll show you some ways to simplify your copywriting with the intention of selling more products or services.

Keep it short and simple

We’ll start with the basics here. Your readers don’t have the necessary time or attention span to consume a long, overly complicated piece of content. If you are writing an article, keep it to 1,000 words in length. If you are creating an ad, don’t use more than 20 words. If you’re worried that your content is too short, remember that those skimming your materials will read more quickly than those who are reading carefully.

Be specific and concrete

Generic terms such as “awesome” and “best” mean little. They are what is known as “weasel words”, words that don’t actually convey anything. They are used by companies to make themselves sound more important and impressive, but they lack substance and meaning. Instead of using these vague terms, be specific and concrete by naming your product or service’s specific features. If you’re selling a pair of running shoes, name the specific features that make them different from other brands, such as “heel to toe cushioning” or “grip handles for easy removal”. When you’re writing your content, avoid words like “nice” and “great” and replace them with an adjective that conveys a quality or feature of your product or service.

Eliminate adverbs and adjectives

Adverbs are words or phrases that describe verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. Adjectives are words that describe nouns. In the context of copywriting, these words can actually detract from your content’s effectiveness. This is because they create more work for the reader. To understand how this works, consider this sentence: “He ran quickly to get to work on time.” Now, let’s add some adverbs and adjectives to that sentence: “He ran quickly to get to work on time.” “He ran frantically to get to work on time after his car broke down.” “He ran quickly down the street.” “He ran quickly down the street after being chased by a dangerous animal.” As you can see, adding adverbs and adjectives to simple sentences creates a lot more work for the reader, and it’s completely unnecessary. You don’t need to describe everything fully – especially if it is obvious.

Show, don’t just tell

This is another way of simplifying your copywriting. Instead of telling the reader about your product or service, show it instead. This could mean creating a video or illustration instead of a written article, or it could simply mean providing more details about your product or service. You don’t have to list all the features of your product. Instead, provide a quick overview of your product’s top features so that your readers can quickly understand the key selling points.

Avoid jargon, slang and colloquialisms

These terms are specific to certain industries, companies or groups of people. Jargon and colloquialisms are often used in marketing materials, but they can be confusing to readers who don’t understand the specific terms. If you’re writing a marketing campaign, make sure to avoid using jargon and colloquialisms unless you’re sure that your entire audience will understand them. Avoiding these terms will make your content more accessible and understandable for a wider audience.

Use the KIS Principle

The KIS Principle refers to “Keep it simple”. It is a marketing principle that advises marketers to boil down their marketing messages to their most basic level. It is based on the idea that marketing communications should be short (keep it short), simple (keep it simple), and direct. If you’re struggling to simplify your content, utilize the KIS Principle. Take a look at the details and specific features of your product or service and try to boil them down to one or two sentences. When writing your content, try to use nouns, rather than adjectives or adverbs, to describe your products or services.

Summarize at the end of your ad or article

While this might seem contradictory to our earlier points about keeping your article short, it’s important to summarize the key points of your article at the end of your ad. If you’re advertising on social media or in a magazine or newspaper, include the headline and a few key points in the first sentence of your ad. If you’re creating a written or video article, summarize the most important points at the end of your article. This will help readers remember your key points and will keep your content short and to the point. It also helps to keep your opening paragraph short and to the point. A reader skim-reading your marketing materials is more likely to remember your key points if they’re in the first paragraph, while they’re still reading slowly.

Conclusion

Simplifying your copywriting is a great way to improve your marketing materials and close more sales. It can be difficult to do this, but once you get the hang of it, it will be easier every time. Start by keeping your articles and ad copy as short as possible, using nouns instead of adjectives, and only including the most crucial details. Avoid using too many technical terms or jargon, and try to keep your articles as simple and straightforward as possible. Now go out there and simplify your copywriting. You’ll be glad you did.