Top 5 effective tips to shorten a text that is too long

Writing an article or a text is not a task that everyone can accomplish. Indeed, you have to find the right words to express yourself and to make yourself understood. If some people have a more fluid pen, others are often confronted with the anxiety of the blank page.

It is not uncommon to find spelling mistakes, complex grammatical constructions, and turns of phrase that weigh down the text.

Do you know the recipe for a good text in web writing ?

It consists of four ingredients: captivating, relevant, clear, and concise! Unless you write a detailed article, texts that are too long are boring and a reader who is bored is a prospect who escapes!

To keep your readership to the end, here are 5 tips to shorten a text that is too long.

1. Redo your writing plan

I grant you, it's very academic but very effective for getting shorter texts! Check your titles and subtitles. Are they relevant and all necessary?

If your topic is probiotics, you don't need to write a paragraph about other dietary supplements. And the advantage is that you save material for a second article!

Use the 5 W rule to structure your text:

Who? (who)
What? (what)
When? (when)
Where? (where)
why

You can optionally add a "comment" if you think it brings relevance to your text. If you stick to this basic rule, your article will be complete while being concise and shortened.

Give short, easy-to-understand answers. Consider prioritizing responses by putting yourself in the shoes of readers who come to your site for information.

This is the initial goal and your readers will be won over!

2. One idea per paragraph

If the first paragraph lays the groundwork for your article by succinctly answering the 5 Ws, the other paragraphs serve to support the subject. We, therefore, apply the rule of the inverted pyramid: one paragraph = one idea, obviously starting with the most important.

Web writing is special, always keep in mind that your audience can very quickly zap if your article does not deliver the information sought quickly enough. It's a real balancing act since you also have to arouse his curiosity to keep him going until the end!

Reread your article and go in search of useless ideas. You will see your text get shorter by magic!

3. Cut the superfluous

Keep it simple! Extended words and phrases, repetitions, etc. Severely size your text, not only will it make it shorter, but it will also be more readable.

The structure of a perfect sentence in web writing:

Subject + verb + complement.
Summarize, no more than one idea per sentence.
It must contain a maximum of 25 words.
Prefer the active form to the passive form, which is more dynamic.
Do not start your sentences with a coordinating conjunction.

Consider using bulleted lists to effectively shorten a listing paragraph.

4. Formulate differently

We always keep it simple, the convoluted sentences are difficult to read and take up a lot of space!

Have you ever experienced these sentences that you have to reread several times before understanding the meaning?

Delete the introductory sentences. For example: “Today we are going to explain to you how…” can be transformed into: “Find out with us how…”. Do you feel the difference in the tone of the sentence? Yes, in addition to being shortened, it is also more dynamic and attractive.
Delete unnecessary adverbs. Ask yourself the question: is it necessary for my text? If I remove “carefully” from this sentence: “Take the time to read this article carefully”, do I take away its meaning?
Avoid negative turns: “this article is difficult to understand. can be transformed into: “this article is incomprehensible”. Not only is the sentence more positive, but also shorter since you gain 12 characters.
Substitute poor verbs like "to be", "to have", "to allow", and "to have". Not only do they weigh down the text, but they take up space! For example: “Investing in real estate will make your money grow” becomes “Invest in real estate and make your money grow”. Result: 13 characters and dynamism gained!

5. Break up sentences that are too long

To be sure to have simple and easy-to-understand sentences, choose the turn of phrase with the fewest number of words.

When the sentence is too long, the risk of error is much higher. Feel free to delete unnecessary words and parts that repeat information that has already been discussed.

This method helps you shorten your text and make sentences flow more smoothly. As soon as you notice that a sentence is too long, isolate the different ideas and treat them separately: make one sentence per idea. Consider turning subordinate clauses into shorter sentences.