Clarity. How important is it? I think it’s THE MOST important law of writing for persuasion.Why?Think about it. How could anyone possibly side with your opinion, buy your product, or sign up for your newsletter if they don’t understand what you’re saying?Proper words, fonts, and structure are essential to keeping your readers interested.Don’t know if you’re writing is clear and concise? Here’s a quick checklist to go through.Are you using jargon?We’re all guilty of this at one point or another. We use “sophisticated” words to sound smarter. And believe me — it doesn’t make you sound smarter. Truth is, smart people laugh at those who do this.I mean come on — would Oppenheimer use the word “grandiloquence?” (Look that word up for a laugh)Some people use jargon without noticing. Poor souls. To a technician, the abbreviation “HDR” might make sense — but their customers don’t get it. And because they don’t get it, they don’t wanna buy.So how do you avoid jargon, then?Here’s an easy way: read your writing and ask yourself “can a seventh-grader easily understand what I wrote?”I know what you’re thinking. “Isn’t a seventh-grade reading level a bit too simple?”It isn't.How are your sentences and paragraphs structured?How long should your sentences be? Should you be writing really long sentences instead of short ones without really needing to like this sentence? Or small ones like this?It depends.Short sentences, like the one above, help keep your writing snappy. Longer sentences add rhythm to your writing.But be careful.Some writers will tell you to trim every sentence down to short, snappy sentences. But try to read the next paragraph and tell me how it flows.“One day Phil and Leon went to the canal. They were going fishing. There seemed to be no-one else around. They chose the best place. They started to get out the rods. Then there was a loud splash. Then there was a scream. Phil and Leon looked up. They saw something moving in the water. Then they saw a hand waving. Someone had fallen in the water.”Terrible? Yeah, I thought so too.What fonts are you using?c4u y0u r34d th1$?Now without throwing up, imagine reading an entire paragraph with a font like that.Make it easy for your readers — use fonts like Helvetica, Bakersville, Roboto, Arial, etc.TL;DRClarity is essential to writing persuasively. It’s required to have people read from top to bottom.There are a lot of factors that play in clarity — but the most important ones are:Using non-technical words (bespeak —> indicate) and write at a 7th-grade level,Give your paragraphs rhythm by writing sentences in different lengths, andUse fonts like Helvetica, Roboto and Bakersville. via /r/Entrepreneur https://ift.tt/3evUJeS