The simple ways are often the best, and the same applies to great writing.
While many try to ‘elevate’ their content with elaborate sentence structures and fancy technical terms, the most successful writers speak to their audience directly – and that usually means, in as few words as possible! Take writers like Hemingway and Orwell for example – it’s their stories that do the talking, not their complex delivery.
Compelling copy leads with purpose. Establishing who you are writing to and why you are writing to them ensures your message remains focused, unclouded by unnecessary jargon or nonsense waffle.
People these days only have time to be hit with the ‘need to knows’. Whether that’s key benefits statements that reveal what they stand to gain, or core challenges that demonstrate your level of understanding, leading with this stuff first and foremost is fundamental – just look at this video as an example.
It’s not to say that the value of the written word has diminished – it just needs to be streamlined, if we are to compete for audience’s brain time.
Think punchy infographics, snappy animations, stripped back presentations… if a striking visual can communicate the same message as ten lines of copy, we know what we’d rather.
It all comes back to that classic sentiment of ‘less is more’. The faster a business can articulate why their prospects should sit up and take notice, the better – and that’s exactly what we aim to do for our clients every day.
Clear, simple writing is only half the battle, the way a project begins often determines how successful the final outcome will be. Just as great copy avoids jargon and clutter, a well-written creative brief strips away confusion and sets everyone on the same page from the start.
If you’d like to dig deeper into how to get that right, take a look at our blog on how to write the perfect creative brief… and what not to do. It explores why clarity in a brief is just as important as clarity in copy and how both can make the creative process smoother and more effective.