It’s been a long while since I’ve nagged about things like grammar, word usage, spelling, etc. – so it must be time to get back to talking about words. 
However, today I’m thinking about a different aspect of writing – the appearance of your words on the page.
A message in my in-box brought this on. It was a message from a real estate agent, but I’m not sure what he was writing about. The first line mentioned the real estate market in Texas and the last line mentioned forbearance. I didn’t read the parts in between.
Why didn’t I read that email?
Because there were about 20 lines in his email – with no break anywhere between those lines. It was all just one long wall of words.
He didn’t make it easy, so I didn’t read it.
If you want people to read what you write, make it easy!
- Break your text up into paragraphs of no more than 5-6 lines.
- Use different length paragraphs to add interest and variety. Remember that one line is fine.
- Add sub-headings
- Use bullet points
- Add a graphic – or more than one if the copy is long.
Following text on line is hard on our eyes, so readers need those breaks in order to keep track of where they are. If it becomes difficult, they’ll simply stop reading.
Your goal in marketing is to get your message into the minds of your readers. So make it easy for them to read and absorb without effort.
Apply “Make it Easy” to all of your writing.
Whether you’re writing an email, a prospecting letter, or a blog post, if they won’t read it, there’s not much sense in you bothering to write it.
NOTE: When you purchase prospecting letters or have an agent bio or other content written for you, pay attention to the line breaks the writer put in the copy – and leave them there.
