We spoke about Plain English writing in class. Please answer the following in detail:
a. How would you explain to someone what “Plain English writing” is? (3 Marks)
Plain language, not to be mistaken with “dumbing it down” is a way of writing in advertising, generally used for the web, which presents information in a clear and concise manner, anticipated and optimized to be read by the target audience. The key to writing in plain language is to take on the vocabulary of a 7th grader. The reason why to use this vocabulary is because not everyone can understand detailed sentences with huge words, as we have so many new immigrants coming into Canada, and also some people don’t pursue English past grade school, so you must account for everyone as an advertiser, putting out a message that everyone will understand the same way. It’s also because using basic vocabulary will ensure your message is short, and straight to the point, giving the reader all the information they wanted without making them search or read between the lines. This is extremely beneficial for writing headlines.
b. What makes plain English writing different? (4 Marks)
Plain language writing differs from normal copywriting because of many reasons, most relying on you as an advertiser, understanding who your audiences are and what they need. Being a copywriter, you can write content with minimal knowledge of an audience, and still have content that works and converts impressions. The difference with plain language writing is that you take more time understanding your audience, their interests, lifestyles, and most importantly their education. Plain language is writing for a specific audience, for example, if I was writing an email for lawyers and politicians, I wouldn’t use grade 7 English with them, as it may make them take it as an unserious message. Instead, I would write in the same tone getting the same information across clearly, but use more intricate words, such as changing “good” to “positive” and such. This is because you’re writing for the audience so they can understand and resonate with the content but keeping a clear and concise tone. Another way plain language writing differs from other methods of writing content is because you’re not just assuming the reader knows what you mean, you’re assuming they have little to no prior knowledge of what you’re writing about, and instead of just throwing definitions out there and potentially overloading or confusing consumers, you must write using simple, common words, making sure everything is covered in a short message. If material is presented that not many people know about, you must summarize or give an explanation to that material in the same manner as before (short, clear, concise).
c. What is plain language writing for the web and in detail and in your own words, why is it important? (4 Marks)
Plain language writing for the web bears the same principles as plain English writing as a general term, but with more urgency to get the point across as quickly and clearly as possible. It has been said before that people scan on the web; they don’t really digest anything. This is only true for the people who haven’t mastered the art of plain language writing, because on the web, people only read when what we wrote fits their needs, and when they can clearly see and understand it. Furthermore, on the web, people visit sites for different reasons, and you can “kill two birds with one stone” so to speak, if you utilize plain language for everyone to understand. By making it clear what your site is bringing to the table, readers will automatically know if you cater to their needs or not, resulting in more satisfied readers, and being a more reliable source; you can’t please every customer if they have different needs. In web writing, you must assume that the consumer won’t read everything, so you must make the information honest, clear, concise, and consistent across platforms, so they know what they’re reading, wherever they’re reading it. Web writing is so important because firstly, it’s the most popular source of media and information nowadays, and it’s only growing in popularity. It’s the largest market of audiences and has unlimited possibilities of who is going to stumble across your content, so it must be ready for them when that time comes. Lastly, to assist users browse websites, comprehend requests from you, and go through your conversion funnels, you need to use basic, straightforward language. If you stuff your website with material that causes readers to pause and consider what you’re saying, you’ll see visitors leaving your page immediately or sooner. This is because, like many of us, they browse the web on autopilot and don’t want to have to struggle to find the solution or product they need; instead, they want it to be clearly stated in big letters so they can see precisely what has to be done, leading to faster conversion rates and overall higher satisfaction. With all these reasons, it’s no question that plain language writing is important for the web just as much as it is anywhere else.
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