Write for busy, distracted readers

Jo Marshall | February 16, 2022 | Copywriting |  Higher education |  Writing Tips | 

Don’t forget, when someone’s reading your copy, they’re also:

➡️ Checking their emails

➡️ Logging onto YET ANOTHER Teams

➡️ Answering a call about their five year old having bumped heads with Frida in the playground. Again

➡️ Finishing a boooooring report

➡️ Thinking about what to cook for dins

➡️ Answering the door to the DPD driver

➡️ Mindlessly scrolling on LinkedIn

➡️ Strongly fighting the desire for a nap

In other words:

Hardly anyone is giving your copy their undivided attention.

***

So whatever you’re writing.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a blog post, email, or a note for your milkman.

Get to the point.

Quickly.

Otherwise your reader’ll be off.

Doing something else.

***

To be more specific:

Don’t add lots of preamble ❌
Get to the point in your first line and first para ✅

Don’t bury your key message ❌
Make it prominent and clear (and repeat it) ✅

Don’t waffle on ❌
Only use as many words as you need. Not a single word more ✅

TLDR: Write for busy, distracted readers.

It’s the only sure-fire way to give your copy a fighting chance of cutting through the noise.

(And bonus points if you can make it interesting / entertaining / useful – so you’re giving your readers something worthy of their valuable time, too).