How to Simplify Your Writing

You know the theory that the louder a band cranks the volume, the worse they are? (You can’t hear how bad the lead singer is beneath all that noise.) If you ask me, that applies to websites, too — if I read your site and still have no idea what you do, I’m likely to think that you don’t really know, either.

And if your potential customers can’t get through the first few words of your website without a WTF? 

Cue a higher bounce rate.

If you want to be the expert-yet-approachable type, clear, concise writing is essential. But the more ninja-level you are, the easier it can be to fall down the technical, jargony, too-many-commas rabbit hole. 

And you know who’s down there? A really loud band. 

Here are six steps that can help you uncomplicate your copy:

1. Know Your Audience

This is where it all begins. Knowing exactly who your intended audience is will help determine everything else, from tone and voice, to style, to how jargony you can go without losing them. 

2. Know Your Goal

What’s the end game? Is your objective to gain new customers, educate current customers, grow awareness of your new business, or something else? Having a general idea of your call-to-action (CTA) before you start writing can help focus your content.

3. Ditch the Jargon

Is your business’s jargon so overused that it permeates your personal life? You may use phrases or acronyms so often that you don’t even realize they sound silly to the rest of us. (Here’s a great infographic of phrases you should delete from your copy immediately.) If you aren’t sure about a term, run it past a friend who’s not in your industry.

4. Condense, Condense, Condense

If you’ve ever written ad copy, you’ve likely heard a creative director tell you that your six-word headline is too long. The same philosophy can apply to complicated subjects in text — how can you take a long, complicated phrase and say it in just a few words? 

5. Read It Out Loud

After you have a draft of your content on paper, read it out loud. Do you find yourself tripping over the sentences? It’s the first sign that you may need to simplify. Use short sentences. Periods over commas. Active voice. Pretend like the CEO of a potential new client will be reading your piece out loud during a company meeting. 

6. Outsource It

Sometimes, you need a girl on the outside. Someone who’s knowledgeable about your industry, but not mired in the day-to-day. An expert-adjacent. A ninja-by-proxy. The forest to your trees. (Unless you’re in forestry, that might be kind of awkward.)

That’s where I come in. Writing clearly about complex topics is what I do best.