Writing for Busy Readers: communicate more effectively in the real world

We were all taught the fundamentals of writing well in school. But how do we write effectively in today’s hyper-interactive world?

When The Elements of Style and On Writing Well were published in 1959 and 1976, the internet hadn’t been invented. Since then, there has been a radical transformation in how we communicate. The average adult receives over 100 emails and tens of text messages each day. With all this correspondence, gaining a busy reader’s attention is now a competition.

Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink, both behavioural scientists, offer practical writing advice you can use today. They begin by outlining cognitive facts about how busy people read, then detail six research-backed principles for effective writing.

• Use fewer words
• Lower the reading level
• Use formatting judiciously
• Make the purpose clear for skimmers
• Emphasise value for readers
• Make responding as easy as possible.

Including many examples, a checklist, and other tools for the most effective writing, this handbook will make you a more effective communicator. Rogers and Lasky-Fink bring conventional ideas about text-based communication into the 21st century’s radically transformed attention marketplace.
‘Rogers and Lasky-Fink’s research has fascinated me for a long time – and one of the reasons it’s so great is because their writing is so readable. This book is an explanation about how to transform your own everyday writing so that it is easier to read, easier to write – and more likely to make a real difference in the world.’
-Charles Duhigg, author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

‘Amazing. The best book ever written on effective writing. It will change your life – and make the world a better place.’
-Cass R. Sunstein, Harvard University, co-author of Nudge

‘This book is a home run. It will teach readers the science of getting people to read and respond to messages. What could be more practical than that? This book will be a must read for everyone who communicates in writing … And I cannot imagine a better pair of authors for this book either.’
-Robert Cialdini, author of international bestseller Influence- the psychology of persuasion