Microcopy. Short bits of text that tell key things to people all on their own. A little note that says when a garden is open on a particular day, a text telling a seller their stock won't show because the site is down for maintenance, an error message screaming your password must contain a haiku. It's hard — this guide is about how to edit it. It's not about other text like button labels, brand slogans or long form articles.
1. Cut fillers
We must hook the reader. The more words, the weaker the message and chance of their attention. Axe these:
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very or really — used for emphasis but weakens the adjective
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might, may or could — commit, don't hedge your bets
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that — most of the time you can remove
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adverbs e.g. readily — they weaken the sentence
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please — if you've an action, please implies a choice
Cutting takes us from:
Please use a very strong password that has 12 characters and may include an asterisk.
to:
Enter a 12 character password with an asterisk.
2. Swap long for short
People used Saxon words before the Romans introduced Latin. They're easier to understand and shorter in characters:
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improve → better
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assist → help
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repair → fix
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purchase → buy
3. Check formats
Computer output isn't always easy to read, so use:
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worded dates over digits — 24 Sep over 24.09 — the variety in character height is a useful signal
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digits over words for numbers — 1 over one
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lower case am or pm over military time — it's how we talk, the difference in letter height makes for easier reading and people don't have to do arithmetic
What time do you want to meet? Seventeen hundred hours ok?
4. Use active voice
Active voice states the action and who does it. It signifies ownership. And it's easier to relate because it's natural in speech — this strengthens the message.
Passive:
Slack was broken by the parrot emoji.
Active:
The parrot emoji broke Slack.
5. Use neutral phrases
Use neutral phrases to avoid excluding a diverse population:
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we understand you instead of we hear you, we see you or we'll reach out to you
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folks or all instead of guys or other gendered collectivisms
6. Be positive
If the message is negative, recruit or anticipate the reader's needs to add a positive spin:
The website is down but you'll have access to your tools in 5 minutes
7. Avoid punctuation
Skip punctuation for simpler sentences if possible. A rogue comma can change the entire meaning.
8. Sandwich matters
There's too much stuff going on to remember things, so start with a key word or phrase. If there's a call to action, put it at the end of the sentence or message so they read it last.
This is a non-exhaustive list and only a guide — where a suggestion doesn't apply to your text, don't include it. Just make every word count.