Copywrite Like Brains Are Processors
Your brain is a processor; take on too many tasks and it will slow down. This concept is called Cognitive Load.
The words you use and the layout of your text can either increase or decrease cognitive load and the time it takes to understand your copy.
And with attention spans shrinking every year, you need to get across your points as efficiently as possible.
What increases cognitive load
In writing:
- Internal jargon - Don’t use words unfamiliar to your customers
- Too high a reading level - A 7th grade level is considered accessible to a general audience
- Awkward sentences - Any pause is bad and nothing should have to be reread
- Sentences the same length - Alternate lengths to keep copy visually interesting
- Unfamiliar idioms - They can be culturally specific and bad for international audiences
In text design:
- Not enough or too much line height - Start with 1.5x the font size, then adjust as needed
- Paragraphs too many lines - Stay under four lines of text if possible
- Line length too long - Use 50-75 characters for web and 30-40 for mobile
- Not enough contrast - Alternate between lists, paragraphs, subtitles, bold text, italic text, and more to reduce visual load
- Spacing between sections - Use white space to allow the reader to focus on one theme at a time
How to decrease cognitive load:
- Focus and use progressive disclosure - Add information one theme at a time
- More with less - Shorten sentences to their purest form
- Use the reader's own language - Research customers to learn their vocabulary
This is a lesson from Better Marketing Decisions, a weekly email series where I explain the key marketing principles that helped me generate millions for startups like Heap Analytics and Periscope Data.
