Want your sentences to have a wham-bam impact?
Think short.
Very short.
Here’s why.
Your reader is overwhelmed
She receives over 100 emails a day.
She’s scanning websites, answering emails on her mobile, and suffering from “content shock.”
Every. Single. Waking. Moment.
If you want to get her attention, you have to make things easy.
Writing shorter sentences helps your reader grasp your point – quickly.
One-sentence paragraphs let your reader take a deep, mental breath.
White space is calming – especially compared to a huge paragraph block.
(Plus, the “short sentence” rhythm makes reading your copy sound like singing a song.)
Ignore what your English teacher taught you
Top marketers whip out the “short sentence” technique all the time.
Ramit Sethi, from I Will Teach You To Be Rich, uses it.
So does Derek Halpern from Social Triggers.
Plus, Apple – their sales copy is legendary.
Why? It works.
And don’t forget Ernest Hemingway’s famous six-word story:
“For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn.”
That’s good writing, baby.
Try these short-sentence tips
Use active verbs.
Be brutal with your word count.
Exclusively focus on one idea.
Learn to love your thesaurus. Can one word replace two?
Most importantly, have fun.
That’s when the magic happens.
What did you think?
