Data shows that the majority of us who share an article on social media have not actually read the article. Who’s guilty?
As the saying goes, less is more. The same goes for words. Listen as Politico and Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei shares what he’s learned leading two media companies — and how to radically rethink the way you write to keep people’s attention in a distracted digital world.
Turns out we want our information delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible.
A great video that’s definitely worth a watch, especially if you’re spending a lot of time creating compelling content.
Here are Jim’s top tips on writing less and saying more:
- Stop being selfish. So much of writing is self indulgent. We write what we care about, and at the length we want to deliver. What do the people you’re communicating with REALLY want to find out?
- Grab me. Whatever you’re communicating (memo, email, note to a friend) what is that ONE THING you want people to remember about it
- Keep it simple. One sentence is better than two. Use simple, strong words. If you’re writing about a banana it’s not an elongated fruit. It’s a banana.
- Be human. Write like a human.
- Just stop. The greatest gift you can give yourself and others is their time back. Use as few word and sentence as possible. let people get their time back.
Andy.