04 May
When you are writing, most especially for marketing purposes, you must remove useless words that could weaken your writing. Come to think of it. How will you persuade readers to try out your products and services if your copy is weak?
Over the years, we’ve seen many write-ups, captions, and even website content that contain useless words. To be clear, we are not blaming the writers nor telling them that they are inefficient. The practice has been for years that it has become a common mistake. However, it’s about time that we finally strengthen our writing style. This will keep your readers more engaged and interested.
Let’s discuss the common fillers you need to eliminate.
1. Very and Really
Instead of using these words, think of a better adjective or adverb that means the same thing. For example, if you describe a very strong smell, you can use overpowering. The latter has more impact.
2. Absolutely
“That’s absolutely true.”
This looks familiar because we’ve been doing this for so long. But if you remove absolutely from the sentence, it still gives you the same meaning. It doesn’t even decrease its value of being ‘true.’
If you can omit words such as absolutely, basically, or probably, do it. It’s taking up space and doesn’t help with your message.
3. That
You now wonder why we included that in our list of useless words. Here’s a classic example to illustrate it better.
It’s the most beautiful gown that I’ve ever seen. If you delete that, it would still have the same meaning, and it sounds even better.
4. Stuff
Many people often use this word as a replacement for more specific terms. Let’s look at this headline.
Stuff You Must Do To Pass Your Exams
It looks unprofessional and lacks direction. A better version would be like this.
7 Study Hacks to Pass Your Exams
It gives the reader an idea of what specific tips they will get from the post.
5. Up and Down
“I’m standing up. You’re sitting down” If you try to remove up and down from the statement, it doesn’t change much. Remember, you don’t have to be redundant.
6. In Order To
Several writers overuse this phrase. And we see it in more formal platforms such as emails. However, you can use to instead of in order to. By deleting these words, you can make your message clearer and direct.
7. Believe and Think
If you are giving an opinion, sure, you can use these words. But if you want to persuade your reader, using these is unnecessary.
When you say ‘I believe or I think,’ it shows you are uncertain about your views, making your statement weak.
8. Of The
This is another common mistake when writing. You can compare the sentences below.
- Most of the parents are protective.
- Most parents are protective.
The second one sounds more authoritative.
9. Successfully
You would see the word successfully in many write-ups but it does not add value.
- She successfully graduated from college.
- He successfully hired more employees.
10. Anyway
When you are in a verbal discussion, using anyway is more accepted. But when writing, this should be excluded. It’s a desperate attempt to transition from one idea to another. And as a writer, you must know how to weave your sentences and be more cohesive.
11. Sort Of or Kind Of
When you describe, be certain. Otherwise, your statement will be weak. If you write about how you liked a book, you should say, “I loved the book” and not, “I kind of love the book.”
The latter sounds unprofessional.
12. For What It’s Worth
We use this phrase as a disclaimer if we want to give our opinion, yet uncertain how it will be received. But by adding this, your tone becomes less confident.
13. Some
This includes the words sometimes, somebody, somehow, and somewhat. When you use these terms, your statement becomes vague. And that defies the goal of being clear and specific.
14. In the End
We often use in the end to wrap our articles. But using clichés can damage your write-up. Try to be more creative, and finish with impact.
15. With Regard
You would commonly see with regard in emails and other professional documents. However, you can change it to a word like regarding or about. It’s simpler and less intimidating.
16. Needless to Say
Many writers are guilty of using this phrase. But if it is needless to say, why do we have to write it?
Remove this as it can be off putting and offensive. When you use this phrase, there is an implication that your reader must know what you meant.
Let’s Exercise
It’s time to test your skills. We have written sentences below where you need to eliminate useless words or fillers. See if you can find these and improve the statements.
- This is actually a great tool for marketing.
- In order to get the right process, you must understand the entire scope of work.
- There is a lady sitting on the bench.
Now, let’s fix these.
- This is a great marketing tool.
- You must understand the scope of work to get the right process.
- A lady is sitting on the bench.
Take Time to Proofread
This is not an easy task. It’s gruesome and will take time. But if you are used to eliminating fillers, it will come out naturally, and this helps in your overall content strategy. Make it a habit to think of better terms or restructure your sentences to sound powerful.
Do You Need to Remove All Fillers?
No. The best approach is to gauge if the word serves its purpose on your content. Use your judgment if these terms are distracting to your audience.
Conclusion
These are not absolute rules. It will still depend on how you use the words and how it fits on the overall content. But, it’s good to remember these useless words to give your audience a stronger message. This works, most especially for ads and captions where you have limited time to keep your reader hooked.
