According
to the Christian faith – and the movie, Se7en – there
are seven deadly sins. But when it comes to copywriting, there are even more to
look out for. In the first half of a two-part special edition post, we reveal five sins you might want to avoid if you want to make it to communications heaven.
1. Obscuring
your message with jargon
In the excellent ‘A
bullfighter’s guide’, the author describes jargon as ‘the foundation of
obscurity’. He’s right. Jargon might be a shortcut for those in the know. But
for your customers who aren’t hip to the lingo, it can obscure your copy’s
message – leaving them frustrated and your message lost. The answer? Speak in
English, goddammit. Go through your copy and remove anything you’d have to
explain to your mum. Or your friends.
