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Communication between people is 55% body language, 38% tone of voice, and only 7% the words you actually say. Quickly consider the impact of stripping away 93% of the meaning someone understands from an idea you are trying to communicate — something we do every single day when we create or interact online. The efficacy of that remaining 7% becomes incredibly important, especially if you have business or personal brand investments on the line. Writing great, concise sentences to support and market your content is possibly the most important tactic necessary to spread content online. Don’t worry, this isn’t a grammar lesson (though we will talk about grammar). This simply a list of guidelines and items to consider consider when writing for the web.
Learning to write effective sentences for the web.
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Sentences are not trivial online.
Communication between people is:
38% tone of voice.
55% body language
?
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Some quick math reveals that only
of communication are the literal words you say (or type).
7% Pro-tip
7% That means
93% of all meaning is stripped away online.
Verbs and Nouns
93% That leftover 7% is pretty damn important.
Pro-tipVerbs and Nouns
So here are some tips for crafting the best sentences you can online.
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Syntax and Grammar
+1LengthThe average length of an English word is 5.1 letters.
Which means 86.23 characters. A little much for Twitter, huh?
An average sentence is 14.3 words.COFFEE
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog and then made a clean getaway.
Syntax and GrammarPro-tip
Pro-tipGood sentences for social media are 10 words or less.
Word choice
Verbs and NounsStudies have been performed that show
verbsbeing more effective at grabbing attention online than nouns.
Word choice
Pro-tipPut actions words and numbers at the beginning of your sentences for the most impact.
3945983745 killed in fluke dental floss accident
Verbs and Nouns
verbsPro-tip
Syntax and GrammarEnglish uses a “syntactic” grammar system.. which is fancy for “put your words in the right order.”
EXAMPLE:“Now save money on marketing by subscribing to Scoop.it for Business”vs“Save money on marketing by subscribing to Scoop.it for Business now.”
Style
Which means 86.23 characters. A little much for Twitter, huh?
Syntax and GrammarPro-tipTry to avoid complex sentences when writing for the web.
Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly — they can confuse your meaning.
Word choiceIn British-English, “a rubber” means “eraser.”
“A rubber” definitely does not mean “eraser” in American-English.
Pro-tip
Word choice“The article illuminated the author’s opinion.”
vs
“The article illustrated the author’s opinion.”
EXAMPLE:
Big difference in meaning for only 2 different syllables.
Avoid Thesaurus.com like the plague and keep culture-specific words to a minimum
Pro-tip
StyleThe editorial style of anything you write for the web should support your
Your voice should shine through in a consistent, meaningful way.
core values and target market.
Would you take them seriously?
EXAMPLE:
We totally lawled about the 2008 financial crisis, guys. It was sooooooo stoopid. #YOLO
BloombergBloomberg Financial
Pro-tipDo some market research to decide what type of language engages your audience best. Compile an editorial style guide to keep your voice consistent across the brand.
Join the revolution.Join the revolution.
