Plain Language: The Secret to Supercharging Your Writing
Our attention spans are getting shorter than ever. Twenty years ago, it was twelve seconds. Now, it’s only eight, and this decreased attention span is one of the most significant challenges facing marketers in the digital age.
These days, we only have seconds to catch someone’s attention and get our point across, and one of the most compelling and easiest ways to do this is through plain language.
In this article, you’ll learn all about plain language: what it is, how to adapt it to your audience, and more!
What is plain language?
Plain language prioritizes clarity and comprehension above all else. Even if you’ve never heard the term ‘plain language’ before, you’ve definitely come across it. If you can understand something the first time, that’s basically it!
It’s also known as ‘plain English’, ‘natural language’, ‘plain writing’, ‘layman’s terms’, and more recently, ELI5 (internet speak for ‘Explain Like I’m 5’).
Why should I use plain language?
There are many benefits to using plain language, such as:
Getting your point across more quickly
Expanding your audience and reach
Saving time and money
Improving SEO
Using plain language can have a direct impact on your bottom line. Think of it this way- if your website copy is clear and easy to understand, then you won’t have as many confused customers tying up your help and support lines (which costs you time and staff resources). And that's not even mentioning the people who won't bother reaching out and go somewhere else instead.
In addition, the trend for search engine algorithms has moved towards natural language search instead of being keyword-based. It's the difference between asking Siri, "When is Daylight Saving Time this year?", instead of typing "daylight savings 2022" in Google. With plain language, you’ll also get the benefit of using semantic keywords (which comes naturally in plain language) and other contextual clues that can help supercharge your SEO.
Your in-house team will also appreciate plain language. Having internal documents (such as memos, policy updates, employee handbooks, codes of conduct, etc.) that are clear and easy to understand will not only empower your team to learn new information faster, but it will also ensure that they have the confidence to implement accurately.
All in all, it should be clear that using plain language is a win-win for everyone.
9 Elements of Plain Language
1. Shorter sentences
To quote The Office’s Kevin Malone:
“Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?”.
2. Use of personal pronouns
Plain language frequently uses personal pronouns such as “you”, “your”, “I”, “our”, and “we”. That’s because when the text addresses the reader directly, it gets your attention.
3. Use everyday words
Pretty self-explanatory, right? Writing like you're having a conversation is not only more friendly, it's more engaging, while also increasing the time spent on your platform. Besides, jargon and industry-speak only create barriers, and you don't want that! Also, avoid acronyms when you can. Not everyone knows what BOGO stands for (it's "buy one, get one", if you were wondering).
4. Active voice
Using the active voice means that the subject of your sentence performs the action. It’s usually recommended because it makes your writing more clear and to the point.
For example. ‘Harry ate six shrimp at dinner’ is written in the active voice. Compare that to ‘At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry’, which is in passive voice.
While both sentences are grammatically correct, you may have noticed writing apps like Grammarly always suggest changing the passive voice to active voice. It’s important to note that the passive voice is not automatically wrong, and the choice of whether to use it or not can depend on the context.
For example, news reporters and journalists often use the passive voice to avoid assigning blame. If reporting on a robbery, they'll often say, "The bank was robbed", especially if they don't know who did it.
5. Present tense
Because it’s happening right here, right now.
6. Contractions
I’d, you’ve, we’ll, it’s, y’all, shan’t, etc. All y'all know that you like using 'em.
7. Design features
Design features such as headers, lists (such as this!), tables, graphs, and images all help improve readability by breaking up those long blocks of texts. As an added bonus, they also boost your SEO, too.
8. Examples
Such as, or like, this.
9. Conversational tone
Plain language is often conversational in tone, but that’s not a hard rule because it depends on your audience.
Which raises the question:
Who’s your audience?
Now that we know what plain language is and what it looks like, you can start using it to speak to your audience. But this can be tricky because plain language is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. What may be considered plain language within industry circles might sound completely alien to the general public.
It’s the difference between an article being called “Segmentations in fins enable large morphing amplitudes combined with high flexural stiffness for fish-inspired robotic materials” in a scientific journal, versus “Engineers uncover the secret of fish fins” in a newspaper headline.
Same fish-fin-focused message, different audience.
Finding your audience’s voice
If you’re unsure of how to speak to your audience, then let them tell you! You just have to find where your audience hangs out, whether it be industry-related forums, message boards, or social media, and then pay close attention to how the people there talk to each other. You want to get a feel for your audience’s language and tone.
You should also check out how your competitors talk to their customers, which can be as simple as signing up to a mailing list or following a few of their social media accounts. Once you get a feel for how they speak to customers, compare that to what you’re doing. Ask yourself questions like “How are they engaging with customers?” and “How relatable is the content?”.
Using Plain Language: B2B vs B2C
Plain language can be applied to both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-customer) marketing, but there are a few differences to keep in mind.
B2B copy generally allows for more jargon and complexity, as the businesses you’re marketing to are already familiar with the industry and possibly even the products or services you offer. B2B copy often has a more professional tone and focuses more on the facts backed up by proof.
With B2C copy, the customers you’re targeting may have no pre-existing knowledge of what you’re selling. That means it can be a bit of an uphill battle, but at the same time, that means with B2C you have a lot more freedom to get creative! That’s why B2C copy is more entertaining than B2B, and it often uses humour along with emotional appeals to resonate with the audience.
If you think about it, a large part of the job for many professions, from lawyers to accountants to doctors, is to translate the jargon of their respective industries into plain language that the average person can understand.
Plain language does NOT mean dull or boring!
Remember earlier when we talked about how plain language uses shorter sentences, everyday words, active voice, present tense, contractions, and examples?
Nowhere in there does it say that plain language has to be boring. There’s ample room for creativity within those constraints, as anyone who’s ever written a haiku or viral 140-character tweet could tell you. #plainlanguage
How to be anything but plain
If you want to write something that’s not only accessible but also fun and entertaining, here are a few tips:
1. Choose your words carefully
To achieve a sentence that packs more bang for your buck, each word must carry more weight.
That’s why cutting a 2000-word article down a few hundred words isn’t too hard. But try condensing the entire ethos of a brand into a simple three-word tagline. That can be back-breaking- but Nike just did it!
2. Double meanings
Words with double meanings (aka homonyms, homophones, and homographs) are another way you can get more meaning into fewer words. But this can get you into the realm of puns, and beware you don't knock yourself out with punchlines!
Which brings us to our next topic.
3. Humour and wordplay
Humour and wordplay are crucial components of any copywriter’s toolbox and can imbue your copy with a sense of playfulness. However, it is important to remember that humour is subjective, and context is extremely important.
Other literary techniques that can help add some more colour, personality, or layered meanings to your copy are alliteration, rhyme, analogy, metaphor, the rule of three, and imagery.
Just be careful that the humour, wordplay, or joke does not overshadow the brand or the message. These techniques should always play a complementary role and not be the main event.
When used correctly, the audience gets a chuckle, while building positive associations of your brand.
A quick word on voiceovers
If your copy is meant to be spoken, like a video (or podcast) script, consider the speech patterns and rhythms and try making it as pleasing to the ear as possible. Maybe even throw some iambic pentameter into the mix. It worked for Shakespeare, after all!
Ok, ok, let's wrap it up!
Being able to get your point across quickly and effectively is essential to any successful marketing strategy, and using clear, easy-to-understand copy (ie. plain language) is one of the best ways to achieve that.
Using plain language leads to happier customers and employees, improves SEO, and saves time and money- all the while expanding your reach and audience.
This article is filled with examples of plain language (from the tone of voice, use of personal pronouns, and design features), and the literary techniques and other creative tips will help keep things fun and make your copy a joy to read.
Sources
Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN): What is Plain Language?.
M., Stephanie. Writer Access: B2B vs. B2C Copywriting: What You Need to Know.
Adams, Kristina. The Writer’s Cookbook: 10 Literary Techniques to Use in Your Copywriting.
Your Dictionary: Examples of Active and Passive Voice.
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): Active Versus Passive Voice.
Your Dictionary: Words With Multiple Meanings.
Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN): Why Use Plain Language?.
