Tips 7-11:Messaging

Knock down cognitive barriers with clear, concise core messaging

#7 Active vs Passive

It's generally accepted that you should almost always choose active over passive sentence structures.

In passive sentences, the subject is the recipient of the action: "Content writing tips are contained in this guide.” In active sentences, the subject acts: "This guide contains content writing tips.”

But why does it matter? Because an active voice brings clarity.

Watch and learn how to use an active voice in your writing – and why it matters.

Research into active vs passive communication found that
"Sentences with more complex grammatical structures [are]
more difficult to understand or comprehend.

This comprehension difficulty could affect the
persuasion process negatively, presumably
because comprehension is an antecedent
to persuasion or attitude change."

Active sentences increase processing fluency,
make content more accessible, sound more
authoritative, and are easier for people to recall.

#8 Keep it simple

From the Plain English Campaign, to the Plain Language Movement writers and academics champion clarity over verbose. UK content writers take note: there’s now an ISO for plain language.

Simplicity in your copy wins over complex jargon because the human brain needs to quickly make sense of marketing content.

“A common misguided objection I hear about plain language is that it dumbs down content and thus insults intelligent readers" says Hoa Loranger, VP at Nielsen Norman Group. Hoa cites research about the benefits of plain language to consumers and organizations.

Low and high-literacy web users found simpler language improved navigation, consumption and satisfaction during a two-year study. The most literate users reported no negative impact from being served simplified communication.

Any writer will tell you it’s harder to rewrite something complicated and make it easy to understand. It’s not necessarily about cutting words down, although that can help, but about carefully considering the words you use.

#9 Word choice diversity

A common trap many writers fall into when trying to use simple language is repetition. Yes, you should avoid complex language, but you can still offer a variety of simple words for your readers.

Dillard and Pfau found that there's a connection between persuasion and word choice diversity. . Research shows readers find messaging that uses different words to be more interesting, creating a positive connection between them and the communicator. If that isn't a reason to brush off the old thesaurus, we don't know what is.

#10 Coherence markers

Coherence markers are words and phrases that connect ideas. They can be referential (pronouns that replace nouns) or relational (causal connection words like so, because and but).

Most marketers remove coherence markers when they get the chance, especially when writing advertising copy because they don't add semantic meaning. In these cases, when word count is extremely limited and you want to be short and punchy, omitting them is usually the right choice.

But, if you can include them for long-form content we'd suggest you do. A 2007 research paper found that coherence markers not only boost the clarity of your message but also its persuasiveness. And one of the best to use is “because.” Why? Because you’re hopefully solving a problem for your readers.

Gary Bencivenga is considered the world’s greatest copywriter. He shares exactly why this word is a winner and how to best use it.

#11 Frameworks

Drawing people into a narrative makes them stick around. You need to know what your audiences' problems are and demonstrate how you solve them.

Writers who agitate pain points and narrate solid outcomes connect to their audience in a meaningful way. Try these writing frameworks to plan better content.

The FAB

What it does (feature)
How that helps (advantage)
Why it matters (benefit)

The PASTOR

Problem
Amplify
Story
Testimonial
Offer
Response

The BAB

Before - problem a customer is experiencing
After - imagines a solution
Bridge - solves that problem

The PAS

Probelm
Agitate
Solution

The 4 P's

Promise
Picture
Proof
Push

The SSS

Star
Story
Solution

Here’s Joanna Wiebe, founder of Copyhackers, showing us how to use Robert Bly’s PAS framework.