Your boss asks you to put something together about your company to share with people who could use what you offer. You know that you have to, 1) Make it sound catchy; 2) Make it sound inviting; and 3) Make it sound expert-y.
You sit down and create great prose that mixes just enough punch with smarts. You work and rework a few phrases, and even pull out a style book to check if that comma’s in the right place (or not).
You give it to a coworker or two because, of course, someone else needs to eyeball it before you turn it in. When you’re satisfied, you give it to your boss who says, “Love it,” and it goes up on your company web site.
When you get home, you share your work with your significant other who’s not in your business but knows the basics because it’s what you do. The response is, “Mmmm, I don’t really get what you’re saying here. What does this part mean?” And you’re perturbed because everybody else who read it thought it was very clear.
But everybody else who read it works in your company.
So how do you make sure that what you share with people on the outside get what you’re saying the first time?
Cut the jargon. Every industry has buzz words that make insiders feel learned and smart but make outsiders do Internet term searches. Use language that people recognize and make sense of the first time.
K.I.S.S. Keep it simple…and short. In today’s instant information age nobody’s got time to wade through long, wordy paragraphs. Use as many one and two syllable words as possible without sounding like you’re talking to a first grader. Keep your paragraphs to five lines or less (preferably less).
Describe, don’t define. Engage readers’ senses by telling how something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels. Their mental pictures will help them recall your message faster.
Use examples. Personal or expert, examples provide points of reference. Cite common behaviors, occurrences, activities, and situations that readers can relate to.
Talk to the reader. Write as though you’re sitting with the reader, talking face-to-face. Don’t be scared to use “you,” “I,” “us,” or “we.” The more conversational the tone, the easier it is to understand.