Some topics need you to talk in plenty of detail, but most don’t! We are all trying to reach out to as many people as possible. Therefore, knowing how to simplify your writing style is vital. The more we make our content and topics accessible and understood by the wider populace, the more people we reach. It’s as simple as that!
However, you may be the type of writer who likes to use long words, lots of punctuation, and plenty of brackets. That’s not a bad thing on paper! However, when writing online, if you want to reach as many people as possible, you may need to start being a little more mindful of how your words can be perceived. Here’s our short and snappy guide on how to simplify your writing.
Get Help with Simplifying Writing Style!
Seriously, get help! Help can come from a friend, a family member, or a colleague. Show them your work. What do they think?
Are they engaged? Can they understand it? Alternatively, free tools such as Grammarly, which can sit in your browser for regular use, are great. They can be used to show you how readable your writing is and where you may need to make changes.
Shorten Your Sentences
Think about how many words you use in a sentence, on average. If your sentences are stretching beyond twenty words, it may be time to cut back.
It’s fine to use longer sentences occasionally, but think about your readers! Attention spans are becoming shorter, and you don’t want to risk anyone hitting that ‘back’ button? Maybe not. Simplify your writing so people can read what you have to say with minimal effort.
Lose Your Eloquence
This may differ from topic to topic or even fields of expertise. However, you’ll catch more interest with a simple lexicon than an overly complicated one. Sometimes, jargon is useful and possibly necessary. However, in many cases, it’s not.
In a world where we consume content quickly and readily, you must think more about the skim-readers. These are people who are looking for useful information. They don’t have time to sit poring through your walls of text. This is not a criticism of expressive language, but to reach the wider world, you’ll need to simplify.
There are ways, too, to talk about complex topics in a simple manner. It just takes practice!
Be Careful with Conversation
We’re going to cover conversational writing in a bit more detail soon, but for now, here’s what we have to say. Conversational writing is great! However, it can spiral out of control. Keep your tone fun and informal where appropriate, but don’t go overboard. Brevity is best for blogs of all kinds!
Don’t Just Simplify Your Writing – Be Positive
Blog posts brimming with positivity are ones which are likely to be written with concise, interesting sentences. Write with passion, and you’ll lose a lot of the complexity that could be bogging you down. Think about who is reading your posts!
Is it positive? Passionate? Is it simple enough for you to skim read if you wanted to? If not, it’s time to start making a few changes. Simplify your writing, and you open more doors for more readers to access you!
Want to know more about improving your writing? Premier Prose can advise or write web copy on your behalf. Contact us today, or take a look at our in-depth guide for more information.
