Page 112 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

clever people working for us. And our clients, equally, are very senior
people. To demonstrate our cleverness we will use the longest words
we can find, even when describing the simplest of concepts.” That
may be according them more respect than is their due. The reality,
I suspect, is more likely to be that the writer simply likes the sound
of all those long words floating around on their screen.
This, I’m afraid, simply will not do. We are not children, to be
comforted or amused by pleasing sounds, any more than by flashing
lights or bright colors (see under Flash animation). There is a job
to be done here, an important job. It’s called communicating. And
the best way to communicate an idea accurately from one brain
to another is to use the shortest words you can. So, our hapless
consultants might have said, “With what we’ve learned about all
businesses, we can solve the problems in yours.” Not all one-beat
words, but more than enough to beef it up and convince the reader
it’s worth reading on.

In practice

• Wherever you’ve written a word with more than four syllables,

strive to replace it with a punchier, shorter alternative.

• Don’t follow the rule slavishly. The ultimate guide is to choose

the best word for the job.

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