Writing for Today’s Audience
Content designers need to continuously adapt their work to suit the brand and the user. This is one of the most important parts of the job — if words do not fulfil their role, they won’t reach the intended audience. It’s that simple.
So why do we encounter so much push-back?
“We want more.”
For some reason, many are still clinging to the concept that bigger is better when it comes to content. Common responses I’ve seen from clients include:
‘Can we add a few adjectives to make it sound more luxurious?’
‘The six paragraphs of copy I provided have not been included. Please add.’
‘This is a really important part of our brand messaging and must be included along with x, y, and z.’
There seems to be a common trend between people with limited knowledge in content design insisting we do things their way. In order to sell their product, they want to pack as much information into as short a space as possible. They want to use flowery adjectives and subjective fluff to really highlight their product and tell, tell, tell, rather than show, show, and accompany with tell.
Extensive amounts of copy might have worked decades ago. But there is a simple reason why this won’t work today:
Time.
Get to the point.
People are processing more information than ever before. According to Microsoft who published this report in 2015, the average human attention span is eight seconds. We won’t get into the controversy surrounding this report but let’s say you have eight seconds to grab your audience’s attention before they get bored and move on to something else. You need to infiltrate those eight seconds with relevant content that makes a connection with the user and inspires them to continue reading.
Here are my tips for presenting clean and engaging content:
1. Show, don’t tell.
Though mentioned above, I’ll mention again the cliche that we’re all familiar with. Rather than telling the reader how beautiful and exquisite the miniature desserts are, show them.
Here’s another cliche — a picture speaks a thousand words. Marry high-quality images with relevant content. Don’t expand on something the user can already see. Instead, provide a short sentence or two that complements the image.
2. Put yourself in the user’s shoes.
Again, we’re all familiar with this idiom but I find it really helps to view a site from the audience’s perspective, especially after spending hours looking at it with a copywriting head. Would I be inclined to read on? Has it grabbed my attention? Is it clear and concise? Share the page with others providing no context and watch how they engage with the site. Ask questions, like:
- What is the purpose of the site?
- Did you skip over any content?
- What was relevant/irrelevant to you?
- Is any information missing?
3. Avoid cliches.
After sharing two cliches, I’m now saying avoid them. Sometimes I break my own rules. But generally speaking, using cliches is lazy. They’ve been done to the point of death and show a lack of original thought. Today’s audiences appreciate personality — they want to see the human behind the brand. Create a two-way conversation. Don’t talk at them with formal language and exaggerated descriptions. People will tune out and check out your competitor instead.
4. Be clear and accessible.
Web accessibility is a big topic recently and rightly so. This means that ‘websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.’ Examples include:
- Alt text — all images (apart from decorative images) should have alt text that describes the purpose of the photo to users that have a visual impairment. Screenreaders will be able to voice the alt text, describing the image to the user. This is particularly helpful for images that provide context to the page or accompanying copy. For example, the below image could be captioned ‘Our expansive ballroom.’ The alt text can then expand to say ‘Elegant and spacious ballroom laid out in banquet style with circular tables seating 11 guests.’
- CTAs — it’s time to ditch the generic ‘Learn more’ and ‘More information’ buttons. It should be clear to users where your CTAs will lead them. In terms of accessibility, a page littered with ‘Learn more’ buttons can confuse people using screenreaders. It’s easy to lose track of which ‘Learn more’ coincides with which section. Clear and concise CTAs like ‘View event brochure’ or ‘Plan your wedding’ are much more responsive and user-friendly.
- Simple language — always think about your audience when you’re writing website content. Avoid using jargon or complex sentences that might confuse people. Consider users with learning difficulties or those where English is not their native language. Writing in the simplest form benefits everyone as the content is easier to digest and understand.
- Avoid the ampersand — this is less based on conclusive evidence and more based on my own opinion to use the curly symbol sparingly. It can be difficult for users with lower literacy skills or certain disabilities to interpret the symbol, compared to just writing out the word a-n-d. It’s also not a universally recognised symbol and can be difficult to translate. That said, the ampersand shouldn’t be banned from content but use your own discretion as to where it’s necessary and where it can be replaced with the full word.
There is no excuse for having a site that is not accessible to all users. Taking the time to make these simple changes that will create a positive user journey for everyone.
5. Create a balance.
Websites that have a hundred subpages and an abundance of links can inundate users with unnecessary content. When creating and/or maintaining your website, consider the following:
- How necessary are the subpages? Is there enough content to warrant a new page or can that content be condensed and anchored to the main page? Opt for CTAs to house additional information in a pop-up that is secondary (such as terms and conditions or further information).
- Regularly sweep your site for broken links or outdated content. This can cause a negative user journey if the content they expect to find no longer exists.
- Open external content in a new tab so it doesn’t interrupt the user experience. There’s nothing more frustrating than CTAs or links opening in the same window and having to keep clicking back to return to the original page (remember — time).
- Consider adding links as CTAs rather than embedding in text. This makes it clearer to users that they are clicking a button and you can label it to show the exact direction.
Most of these tips are based on my own experience as a content writer and cover things I encounter on a regular basis. By keeping the user in mind, we can create content that is accessible, relevant, and relatable. They are the person we are trying to reach. So they should always be our primary focus.
