Make your copy measurably more interesting Can you measure how interesting your copy is? Readability expert Rudolph Flesch believed that you can. Flesch is famous for developing the Flesch Reading Ease, one of the most popular and widely used readability tests. It uses word length and sentence length to measure how easy your copy is to read. Less famously, Flesch … [Read more...] about Take the (other) Flesch test
Archives for August 2011
Boil down your boilerplate
Keep it short Most press release boilerplates — those "short" “About us” paragraphs at the end of a new release that describe your organization — are too long. I’ve seen boilerplates that are as long as 400 words. People: That’s too long for the average news release, let alone the boilerplate. Instead, keep your boilerplate to 100 words or less. Even better: Keep it under … [Read more...] about Boil down your boilerplate
Against the law
Law professor argues that legalese is bad for business Law professor Joseph Kimble believes that legalese costs business and government a fortune, that “bequeaths” says nothing that “gives” does not, that simple language is more precise than legal language and that plain language “beats legalese in every way with readers.” His treatise on the topic, “Writing for Dollars, … [Read more...] about Against the law
As good as your word
‘Applewood-smoked bacon’ just tastes better Turns out a Southwestern Tex-Mex salad by any other name would not taste as good. Vivid menu descriptions — “applewood-smoked bacon,” “Maytag blue cheese” and “buttery plump pasta,” for instance — can increase restaurant sales up to 27 percent, according to research by Brian Wansink. Furthermore, diners feel more satisfied … [Read more...] about As good as your word
Trigger happy
USDA’s MyPlate puts its money where your mouth is One of my brilliant clients at Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield once wrote in a healthy-eating column: “Instead of our steak being the size of a deck of cards (a standard, four ounce serving), it’s often the size of small laptop computer.” I’m not a steak woman, but I do like my brie-on-brioche sandwiches to be at least as … [Read more...] about Trigger happy