{"id":17451,"date":"2018-04-25T14:15:06","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T18:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?page_id=17451"},"modified":"2022-12-26T10:16:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-26T14:16:19","slug":"fluff-marketing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/writing-tips\/writing-for-the-web-and-mobile\/website-readability\/hype\/fluff-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Quotes on avoiding fluff marketing online"},"content":{"rendered":"

What writers and others say<\/h2>\n

\"Fluff

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\u201cBe direct. Studies have shown that simple, direct language works better on screen than flowery or \u2018marketing oriented\u2019 prose.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2015 Dan Bricklin, software developer<\/h6>\n
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\u201cOnline, people seek (and expect) information rather than feel-good fuzziness.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2014 Amy Gahran, media consultant and author of Contentious.com<\/h6>\n
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\u201cCut the marketing fluff \u2014 your customers aren\u2019t buying it.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2015 Jordan Garner, global head, member account management, WeWork<\/h6>\n
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\u201cVisitors overwhelmingly prefer detail. But they don\u2019t want to be overwhelmed by it.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2014 Kate Meyer, user experience specialist, Nielsen Norman Group<\/h6>\n
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\u201cUsers rarely look at logos, mission statements, slogans, or any other elements they consider fluff.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2015 Jakob Nielsen, \u201cking of usability\u201d<\/h6>\n
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\u201cPromotional language imposes a cognitive burden on users who have to spend resources on filtering out the hyperbole to get at the facts. When people read a paragraph that starts \u2018Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions,\u2019 their first reaction is \u2018no, it\u2019s not,\u2019 and this thought slows them down and distracts them from using the site.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2014 Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”<\/h6>\n
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\u201cKill the welcome mat and cut to the chase. People read very little on web pages. Don’t waste word count on generic, feel-good material.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2015 Jakob Nielsen, \u201cking of usability\u201d<\/h6>\n
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\u201cThe more florid the descriptions, the more users tune them out and go elsewhere. Sadly, the web is so smothered in vaporous content and intangible verbiage that users simply skip over it. The more bad writing you push on your users, the more you train them to disregard your message. Useless content doesn\u2019t just annoy people; it\u2019s a leading cause of lost sales.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2014 Jakob Nielsen and Hoa Loranger, co-authors of Prioritizing Web Usability<\/em><\/h6>\n
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\u201cUsing fluffy language doesn\u2019t just hurt you while users are on your site. It can prevent users from finding your site in the first place because sites that use plain language will outrank you in the search engine results page listings.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2014 Jakob Nielsen and Hoa Loranger. co-authors of Prioritizing Web Usability<\/em><\/h6>\n
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\u201cFluff drags the writing. It\u2019s clutter. Every unnecessary word makes a sentence harder to understand.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2015 Stephanie Orges, writer, Balcom Agency<\/h6>\n
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\u201cCut the fluff doesn’t mean dump the details.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2014 Ann Wylie, writing coach, Wylie Communications<\/h6>\n
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\u201cMake sure you’re cutting the fat without tossing out the foie gras.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2014 Ann Wylie, writing coach, Wylie Communications<\/h6>\n
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\u201cRemember what Texans say about people who are \u2018all hat, no cattle.\u2019 Too many corporate web pages are just that \u2014 puffy, overblown chest pounding with little solid evidence to back up the claims.\u201d<\/h5>\n
\u2014 Ann Wylie, writing coach, Wylie Communications<\/h6>\n
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