Your work is important. But that doesn’t mean people will read your emails, your blog posts, and your newsletters.
I know every one of you is doing important work, and people need to know about it. I also know, because I’ve been there, how demoralizing it is to send out a newsletter or an email or a blog post or report and it’s like…crickets.
Not everyone who reads what you wrote is going to respond. That’s just how it is. So, don’t let the crickets get you down. But you would also be wise to consider that there are other reasons people don’t respond. One of them being that they didn’t read what you wrote in the first place.
Why don’t people read all that wonderful content your organization puts out?
A few reasons:
- We’re tired.
- We don’t think there’s something of value for us.
- It’s boring.
- It’s too long or too difficult to read.
Let’s tackle the “too difficult to read” problem. Always consider how you can make it easy for readers to consume your content. When I say content, that’s anything that you produce: emails, newsletters, appeal letters, blog posts, Facebook posts—whatever you put out, especially in written form.
About half of Americans read at an eighth-grade level or lower. If your writing is above an eighth-grade reading level (some would even say a grade six or seven max), you are not communicating with your audience as well as you could. Please understand—a lower grade level writing does not mean you’re dumbing down your content.
If you’re a true expert in something, you can explain it in really simple terms. Your donors are giving you their time and attention. So let’s not make them spend that time wading through complex prose. Your writing can be beautiful and easy to read.
Write Clearly
Focus on these areas:
- Length of sentences: Vary your sentence length. Have some long ones, and have some shorter ones. If your reading level score is high (e.g., 10th or 11th grade), breaking up longer sentences into shorter ones is one of the fastest ways to lower that grade level.
- Word choice: Choose simple words over long, complicated ones. Avoid rare or overly flowery language. For example, instead of “utilize,” say “use.” Instead of “a sufficient number of,” say “enough.”
- Grammar: Use a grammar checker tool like Microsoft Word, Grammarly, or ProWritingAid (affiliate link). Have an editor review your work. Always check your spelling and punctuation.
- Content Structure: Is it organized in a logical order? Is your story easy to follow?
- Active voice: Use active voice (e.g., “The boy ate the banana”) instead of passive voice (e.g., “The banana was eaten by the boy”).
- Wordiness: Avoid using extra, unneeded words, filler words, and run-on sentences.
- Modifiers: Watch out for words like “absolutely,” “actually,” “completely,” “really,” “quite,” “totally,” and “very.” Almost every instance of these words can be deleted.
- Thesaurus: When using a thesaurus, find the most accurate word that people will know and use in conversation, not just the fanciest one.
Check the reading level
- Microsoft Word: Word has a built-in feature called the Flesch-Kincaid reading level, which you can find in the editor and document stats. It will give you a grade level score (e.g., 5.6, 9.3).
- Hemingway App: The Hemingway App (hemingwayapp.com) is a free online tool (with a paid desktop version) that highlights hard-to-read sentences, adverbs, passive voice, and other issues. It also provides a grade level score. The highlighting feature allows you to quickly identify and address problem areas, and see in real-time how your changes affect the readability of your article.
read Aloud and Proofread
Try reading your content aloud (or use Word’s accessibility feature to have it read to you). This will help you catch awkward phrasing, monotonous sentences, and other issues that you might miss when reading silently.
Finally, proofread your content one more time for spelling and punctuation.
By following these tips, you can create content that is clear, engaging, and easy to read, which will help you connect with your audience and achieve your fundraising goals.
