Making your campaign clear with plain language
Making your campaign clear with plain language
(2 min read)
Using plain language makes your message clear, accessible, and engaging for your audience. By simplifying complex ideas, you can improve understanding, boost engagement, and drive better results. Here's how to apply plain language effectively.
What is plain language, and why is it important?
Plain language helps people quickly find, understand, and use your message.
Effective communication builds trust, promotes understanding, and drives engagement with your message. This is crucial in professional and organizational settings, where clear communication directly affects outcomes. The National Institutes of Health uses plain language across all communications to ensure universal understanding. According to NIH guidelines on plain language, clear communication offers three key benefits:
Makes things clear – People understand your message right away
Avoids mix-ups – People get exactly what you're trying to say
Gets results – When people understand clearly, they're more likely to take action
How do I simplify my campaign messaging?
Good editing is like cleaning up a cluttered room. By removing unnecessary words and keeping only what matters, you make your message clearer and stronger. Just as you might sort through items to keep only the important ones, you'll want to review your writing carefully to keep only the words that help get your point across.
Steps to make your message clear:
Use everyday words – Choose simple, familiar language
Keep it brief – Write short, direct sentences
Make it easy to read – Use clear headings, add white space between sections, and include helpful visuals
How can I make my messaging clear across different formats?
Using the same message across all platforms helps people recognize and trust your brand.
Keep your message the same everywhere you share it. This helps people easily recognize and understand what you're saying, whether they see it on social media, email, or your website. While you might need to adjust how you present your message for different platforms, always keep your main point clear and simple.
Social media – Make short posts that grab attention
Emails – Use simple subject lines and write messages that are easy to read
Print – Keep titles simple, make text short, and add helpful pictures
Key Points
Plain language helps people quickly find, understand, and use your message.
Plain language helps people understand your message
Keep your message concise and purposeful
Use the same message everywhere to build trust
Following these principles will help you create compelling content that connects with your audience.
Next Steps
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