It goes without saying that readability is important when it comes to writing your marketing copy. You want your readers to take on board what you’re saying, retain the information you’re sharing and respond positively to it.
So clear phrasing, simple sentences and avoidance of jargon are essential to getting your points over clearly and making your document easy to read.
It can be interesting to run your efforts through an independent check. There are a number of online tools but one of the most readily available is probably already on your PC (if you’re a Word user that is).
Word’s Readability Statistics can be activated within the Spelling & Grammar check. Go to Tools on the main menu bar, then Options. Click the Spelling & Grammar tab and tick the Show readability statistics box. After every spellcheck a statistics window will then summarise your document, including its readability based on a Flesch Reading Ease score between 0 (extremely complex) and 100 (very easy to understand).
A Flesch score of 90–100 approximates to an average 11-year old’s understanding while 0–30 suggests the document will be better understood by graduates. This article scores 45.6 for example.
Austrian author
Now if, like me, you weren’t previously aware of Flesch Reading Ease, you probably don’t know much about Rudolph Flesch (1911-86) either. Born in Austria, he was an author and readability expert who was one of the first to champion plain English usage in the US. As well as his reading ease test, Flesch was co-creator of the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level readability test which is also featured in Word’s Readability Statistics. This scores readability on a scale equivalent to a US school grade level.
Even language experts accept that such formulas are only a rough guide. But if you need reassurance that your writing meets the right clarity criteria, then Word’s readability stats are a useful check.
The online Readability Test Tool uses the Flesch tests described here as well as other recognised readability formulas such as Gunning Fog to evaluate your website copy (just enter the URL), or any other text by direct input.
| Tags: Flesch reading ease, marketing copy, readability, readability statistics, readability test
