Even if you are experienced in internet marketing techniques, it does not necessarily make you a good writer. For some of us, writing comes naturally. For others, it is more like a trip to the dentist’s office. But even if you enjoy writing, it does not necessarily mean you have mastered the skill of writing ‘tight’.

Tight Deadlines, Tight Writing

A tight deadline means you have limited time to accomplish a particular task. In terms of writing copy (for a book or an article or a blog post), tight means you need to use fewer words to get your ideas across.

For instance, take a look at this pair of sentences:

1. The old, dilapidated house that stood leaning to one side on the corner of Main Street and Elm was a creepy eyesore to every upstanding citizen of Podunk who shuddered involuntarily while driving by on their way to run errands around the small town.
2. The creepy old house in the middle of town was a real eyesore.

Now sentence#1  might be acceptable, if a bit wordy, in a piece of fiction. It’s quite descriptive and provides the reader some idea of emotion as well as a visual image. But that’s not what online copy (or even nonfiction writing) is all about. You’re not writing a piece of prose (purple or otherwise!) You are trying to deliver a message, and do it succinctly so you don’t lose the reader’s attention. For a blog post or an article, the second sentence would be much more effective and easier to read.

When you use too many words, especially adjectives, you lengthen the text and risk losing the reader’s interest before your point is made.

Tighten Up Your Text

Take a minute to analyse the copy you’ve written for your website or marketing materials. Answer these questions to determine if the text could be tightened up:

• What is the word count? Copy and paste the text into a Word document to determine the number of words. A lot more than about 500 words and it’s considered a fairly long piece, unlikely to be read from start to finish by those with a short attention span (unless it’s a long form sales letter).
• What’s the reading score? Have Word give you a ‘reading ease’ rating of the text. A low score may mean you are using too much industry-specific jargon or crafting sentences that don’t flow well.
• Does the copy use unnecessary words or descriptors? Do a search for words such as ‘that’. Read the sentence with the omitted word. Does it still make sense? If so, delete the extra word.
• Are there ‘filler’ or ‘fluff’ sentences? If you’ve said the same thing twice or more, it could be you are adding extra sentences just to fill up space. Yes, it’s good to reiterate a call to action but if your piece just rambles, you need to trim it.
• Is it easy to understand? Have a friend or family member not intimately acquainted with your business read the copy printed on a sheet of paper. Ask them to give you feedback. You may want to question them about the content and purpose to help determine if it is easily understandable and conveys the right message

It’s a good idea to go over your website, blog and marketing copy every few months and look at it fresh eyes. Too often we write once, post it or print it, and then never again review the words.

If you want your copy to get noticed and read, you need to learn how to write tight. This is particularly true when it comes online and sales copy. In today’s world of over stimulation and instant results, no one wants to sift through extra words to get to the heart of your message. And if you don’t have a knack for doing this, just contact us and we’ll do it for you!