But do you fact-check your words? I’m not just talking about spelling and grammar. You know fact-checking is a critical step for your content.
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The UX of Words: How to Make Your Content More Readable.Or if your content is so dense that explanations will disrupt the flow, create a glossary at the end (and link to each term in the copy). When using industry jargon, offer an explanation.
If you consistently spell out acronyms – even when most in your audience are familiar with them – you set a standard that your readers will silently thank you for. Write out acronyms on first reference, whether it’s personal protective equipment (PPE) or key performance indicators (KPI). Play dumb in your #writing and readers will silently thank you, says via #CMWorld Click To Tweet And we don’t want readers to think we’re providing the definitions because we had to look them up.īut you should play dumb in your writing. We don’t want to insult anybody’s intelligence. We all assume our target audience is as familiar with the industry terms and acronyms as we are. You may have had little time or desire to ask them to explain what they were saying.ĭo you do something similar to your readers? Probably. Don’t make readers feel stupidĮver had a medical appointment where you left feeling more confused than when you arrived? The doctors used lingo, acronyms, and brief explanations they knew backward and forward. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 5 More Exercises to Make Your Writing Powerful 2. Are they as precise as they could be? If not, get to work and make them clear cut. What terminology do you use that’s as unclear as “social distancing”? Come up with a list of industry and brand concepts you frequently use in your content. Your readers shouldn’t need a parenthetical phrase to understand the meaning. Follow that advice for your non-pandemic verbiage too. Unless you are required to use the official language of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, use the more precise phrase. But they can stay close socially – otherwise all those Zoom happy hours shouldn’t be happening. The point is that people should stay at least 6 feet away from each other.
The call for social distancing to help stop the spread of the coronavirus is better described as “physical distancing,” which suggests keeping a measurable space between people. “Social distancing” has become a popular phrase, but it’s a poorly worded one. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: 57+ Content Tools, Tips, and Examples to Make Your Writing Better 1. (And speaking of thanks, here’s a shoutout to all who responded to my Twitter call for #overusedwords – some of the replies are included below.) Make it your goal to overcome word fatigue now and in the future. How many of these missteps are you guilty of? (Raising my hand here.) How many get on your nerves? Unfortunately, content marketers often are guiltier than others – forgoing their mission to attract readers in favor of sounding “smart” with jargon, acronyms, and multisyllabic words repeated throughout their content. Overused, incorrect, fuzzy words have plagued #writing for centuries, says via #CMWorld Click To Tweet
Overused, incorrect, and fuzzy words have plagued writing for centuries. Or they can convey nothing.ĭuring these unprecedented, historic times (wink, wink), our lexicon has both grown and become stunted.īut this pandemic has only exacerbated a fatigue that’s existed for years.