Found 11 topics tagged ‘Writing for Clarity’

Cognitive biases are powerful mental distortions that affect the way we think and behave. They are so powerful that they can lead people to act against their own best interests. If you understand them, you can...

Take your time. In the pursuit of saying more with less, I’ll admit—not every big idea can be reduced to a snappy soundbite. Sometimes there really is a lot to say. Still, there are better options than trying...

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The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that leads us to overestimate the knowledge of our audience. If you allow this curse to infect your writing, you may unwittingly leave supporters feeling confused an alienated. To...

Imagine you’re seeing a 25% open rate on your emails. That means whenever you send a broadcast, 3 in every 4 recipients will be unfamiliar with what you sent last time. Some recipients will be new to...

Bolding the odd word or phrase can help skim readers catch key ideas you don’t want them to miss. It’s also great for SEO. But in order to preserve impact, use bold words sparingly. It’s tempting to...

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Whether your call to action (CTA) is a button or a link, don’t get too clever. Speak directly to your supporter and tell them exactly what you want them to do. In our tests, this always increases...