The long and short of paragraphs
In years past it was common to see lengthy paragraphs and blocks of text of 150 words or more. And we still see this type of writing in certain publications. But it doesn't work so well anymore. Why?
Attention span The world is faster now. Readers have many more options, less patience and plenty of reasons to look elsewhere. Like butterflies, they jump from one paragraph, page, site or device to another.
Think user experience (UX) Think about how you read. You probably look for fast information and jump around a lot. Guess what. The way you read is how your audience reads. That tells you how to connect.
Short is sweet Look for potential transitions in your sentences. Break longer paragraphs into shorter ones. This makes your documents more inviting. Readers know at a glance they can get it quickly.
Use subheads Many readers scan articles. Tell them the big story in seconds rather than minutes. Use subheads to summarize what follows. You hope they keep going, but they may have all they need.
Be interesting Advertising writers have done this for a long time. Say things in a different way. Include benefits rather than features. Inject a little humor. Say ‘you’ a lot more than I, we and us. And don’t worry too much about what your high school teacher said.
Be active Which voice reads more easily? 1. She booked a flight to New York. 2. A flight to New York was booked by her. It’s obvious that the active verb ‘booked’ powers the sentence better than the passive construction ‘booked by her.’
Simplify Get to the point and avoid fluff and filler (we have enough of that already). Avoid big words and long sentences. Say no to lengthy introductory phrases. Write the way people talk. Pretend its a conversation.
Proofread twice Texting tends to make errors commonplace and even acceptable. But if you want to appear professional, don't let fashion and AI define your style. Carefully check what you have written, using spelling and grammar checks and online services. Then do it again. And maybe still again, one word at a time.
Hope this article is helpful. Please reach out to me with thoughts or questions.