141: 1 Minute Messaging Magic: let your words breathe
What if the key to writing better copy wasn’t writing more—but writing less? In this episode, I’m kicking off a new mini-series called 1 Minute Messaging Magic, where I’ll share fast, actionable tips you can apply right away to improve your messaging and marketing. And today’s tip is all about one simple shift that will instantly make your words more powerful: letting them breathe.
This week’s tip is based on a common mistake I see over and over again when reviewing emails, sales pages, and website copy. If your words are packed in and hard to digest, your best ideas might be getting lost. Tune in to learn how to make your copy not only more readable but more compelling—especially for today’s busy, mobile-first audience.
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
The sneaky thing that might be sabotaging your message (and how to fix it fast)
A simple trick to help your reader's eyes land on your most powerful words
Why mobile readers are judging your copy harder than you think
How to spot and trim the fluff in your content without losing your voice
The one edit I make most often inside my Joy of Copy Club
How paragraph breaks can actually boost conversions
A free tool that can help simplify your sentences in seconds
What to do next time you write an email, blog post, or Instagram caption
If you loved this quick tip and want more like it, come join me inside the Joy of Copy Club—where you’ll get weekly messaging magic and personalized feedback. Head over to www.kimkiel.com/copyclub to check it out and save your seat!
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[00:00:00] Hey there, and welcome to this episode of the Ill Communication Podcast, and Spring is here, which if you have kids, means the spring sports season is likely in full swing. If you don't have kids, maybe your own spring sports season is in full swing. You're either driving your kids to the baseball diamond or you're driving yourself to the pickleball courts or to the golf course, or maybe you're trying to do all of it.
[00:01:19] The point is, you are busy. I'm busy, and your prospects and your buyers are busy too. We don't want. People to have to work too hard to understand our message. We don't want to be complicated or confusing, especially if we want to grab attention and get sales. So I'm kicking off a little series called One Minute.
[00:01:41] Messaging magic. I'm gonna share a micro tip that you can implement immediately to make your messaging and marketing more effective. Today's one minute messaging magic tip is to let your words breathe. Here's what I mean. During our joy of Copy Club meetings and any of the free live coaching calls that I host, I review email newsletters.
[00:02:08] Website copy, sales pages, even brochures. And one of the most frequent edits or comments I make is give these big ideas and these best words, more space. So often what I see is a big block of text, like a paragraph with four or five sentences, and within those four or five sentences are significant content and juicy words.
[00:02:36] Like who you work with, how you help them, and the results of working with you. Often copy club members have written compelling copy, juicy words, but it's hidden in these other surrounding words and sentences. And the fix is to add more paragraph breaks, write simpler sentences, take out extra words that muddy up your message.
[00:03:02] You will write more powerful copy simply by giving your words, phrases, and sentences, more breathing room. So instead of having a big block of text. Add in more paragraph breaks so my eyes can land on the important copy. Remove unnecessary words and pro tip. You could use a tool like Hemingway app to flag advanced sentences that are harder to read or ask chat GBT make longer sentences shorter and clearer.
[00:03:34] Take out extra words. When you do this, you give my eyes and my brain time to linger on each sentence, especially if you're sharing a powerful message or a really incredible phrase. You've taken the time to write compelling words, now give me time to take it in. And this is especially important when you're writing for mobile readers, which are the majority of readers right now.
[00:04:02] It is incredibly difficult to read a big paragraph of text. On a smartphone, so keep your paragraphs to one or two sentences maximum. It'll be easier to skim and it'll be easier to read and understand if there's something you really want your reader to take in to see or to action. Put some white space around it.
[00:04:27] Don't surround it with too many sentences. Give those important messages and keywords, time and space to shine. And that my friend, is your one minute marketing magic tip. Next time you write an email. Social caption or a blog post, give the important juicy words and sentences, more room to breathe. That's it for me today.
[00:04:55] I'll be back again next week. Bye for now.
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