My editor said my blog posts were 'too smart'

Had a call with my editor last Tuesday. She told me my posts sounded like academic papers. I was using big words to sound legit. She said readers just want to know what to do. Now I write like I talk. Cut my bounce rate by 15 percent in one month. Anybody else getting feedback like this from their editor?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_taylor4227d ago

Read somewhere that the best copy reads like a smart friend explaining something, not a textbook. Totally changed how I look at my own writing now. Simple words just hit different, don't they?

grantschmidt27d ago

Got told the same thing a few years back. Thought I was being smart by using words like "utilize" and "subsequently." Editor just laughed and said I sounded like a robot trying to explain a toaster. Dumbed it way down, started writing like I was talking to a buddy at a bar. Traffic went up almost overnight. Crazy how simple words actually make you sound smarter sometimes. Your mileage may vary but cutting the fancy stuff worked for me too.