People are busy. So get to the point.
This advice is so obvious and so commonplace that I hesitated to include it in this series of blog posts.
BUT… I realised that people often lose sight of what is really meant by this advice, so here’s my view:
- Great copy gets to the point immediately, not just ‘quickly’.
- Great copy puts the point first, at the start of the first sentence.
- Great copy doesn’t let you miss the point, or allow it to get buried in a deep sentence.
- Great copy doesn’t waste words on welcomes, greetings or platitudes.
- Great copy doesn’t state the obvious.
As all good journalists know, you should tell people what you’re going to tell them, and then tell them what you’re going to tell them in more detail. Begin with the big point, the sexy whizz-bang nugget of fun that your reader wants to hear about. And then explain why your thing is better than competitors’ things.
