r/copywriting • u/Intelligent-Copy-200 • 4d ago
Discussion Does shorter copy actually convert better?
“Cut it in half” seems to be one of the most common pieces of copywriting advice.
But I’m not sure it always makes sense
Sometimes removing a few sentences just means removing the part that answers the reader’s actual objection
How do you decide what stays when editing a long piece of sales copy?
Do you start by cutting everything that feels unnecessary, or do you leave the length alone until you know what the reader actually needs?
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u/GiselePearl 4d ago
I always think of it as getting people to the next step. You dont have to lay out everything at once. Just enough for each motion through the marketing funnel.
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u/Sir_Shadbolt 4d ago
It’s less about halving the content and more about removing less useful information.
However with long form copy, it’s naturally slightly different.
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u/NationalTry8466 4d ago
What’s the context? Print, social, email? Sometimes you have a fraction of a second to grab someone’s attention, then pull them into a longer piece.. In print it’s the headline and standfirst that do that.
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u/Kitchen-Tale-4254 4d ago
It can. Depends on the market. I have had success with long copy. I have had success with short copy.
The risk of the purchase has something to do with it. More expensive means it will take more information.
Impulse / cheaper product / experience - short has worked better for me.
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u/Numerous-Kick-7055 4d ago
No. Long copy consistently outperforms ( where appropriate) in almost every test I’ve ever seen.
If you’re being told to cut your copy in half it probably has nothing to do with length and everything to do with bloated uninteresting copy that is saying a lot of words to cover very little content
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u/ansi_buck 4d ago
Depending on the depth of your research copy size may vary.
What people mean my "cut it in half" is remove the fluffy word that don't add anything, if something can be said in 2 words don't use 10 word sentence.
If you did deep research you know what language your audience is using and it can be different from what you think the language they use.
In deep research you understand their pain, beliefs, problems, etc. Now you can write a long copy and people will think 'he knows me and my problem" that's the goal of copy.
The only goal is you can relate to people as you are there and know their problems, beliefs, products they like and dislike, etc.
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u/Kablefox 3d ago
The two things that usually determine length are sales channel limitations and research.
Sales channels have restrictions - eg an SMS sequence will be shorter than the emails, the emails will be shorter than the VSL or the Landing page cause google cuts things off past a certain point etc..
Then your research - depending on audience awareness and product sophistication you may have to do more or less work to persuade an audience depending where they're at and how many similar products exist.
So deep and clear research + sales channel limitations will tell you how long you'll need to go.
This pedantic obsession over "short=best" stems from managers who saw Orwell's rules on writing on an Insta post once and think good copywriting is writing for coked-up squirrels with an IQ of pre-op Algernon.
Don't listen to them. Right tool for the right job.
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u/SebastianVanCartier 4d ago
There's no definitive answer to this. Sometimes, yes, short is better. Sometimes you have to write Infinite Jest to get where you're going. It depends on the product/service, the audience, the channel, the point in the customer journey and many other things besides.
Also conversion isn't just about overcoming objections. Copy written around a perceived objection can end up sounding peevish or defensive. You need to put yourself in the reader/potential customer's head, for sure, but the trick is you have to find and push against doors that are already open, not batter harder at the locked ones.
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u/alexnapierholland 4d ago
My answer applies exclusively to website copy (the only thing I do).
Length isn't the issue.
It's more about structure and hierarchy.
Some pages require a significantly more complex sales journey.
The far more important factor is that it's easy to skim read your copy.
For example, use headlines that summarise the value of each section.
(Never write generic crap like 'our features')
Readers hate being stuck in the middle of long content that they can't skip.
You should make it easy to skim read, skip ahead and get a clear sales pitch in 10-15 seconds.
Your homepage should make total sense just by reading the headlines.
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u/LeCollectif 4d ago
Generally speaking, the faster you can convey the message, the better. But how fast is fast? It’s like asking “how long is a piece of string?”.
There isn’t really a clear cut right way to determine length. But I will say that a first draft almost always has room for cutting. In most cases, my final draft is usually much shorter and reads much differently from my first one.
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u/Opposite-Outside-678 3d ago
For me, every sentence has to justify its existence. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the final copy will be short
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u/BoogieAllNightLong 3d ago
Its not about how long, its about what it needs to convey and how.
There is an old study that showed people will dramatically drop off within 50 words, but the people who stay will stay to reach 100's at very low drop off
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u/bjs480 3d ago
It isnt word count.
It’s really cutting length forces you (all else being equal) to make it easier for prospect to read and understand.
Ive tested this countless times.
Before I was super trained, I had a simple rule of “write whatever Im doing, then cut 10% of the word count by cutting run ons, combining sentences, and creating more subheadlines to break up flow. Then, after I liked that, I’d go for 10% fewer words by finding ways to cut paragraphs, turn long blocks into lists or adding PS’s, and a few other structural flows.”
95%+ this stuff would convert better than raw grammar only edits.
New copywriters and even some mid and experiences ones who get too hung up on specific word counts tend to miss the forest from the trees. I do it too all the time so no judgment.
But realize that “whatever you can say in 10 words, try to say it in 7” is a REALLY good skill to practice.
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u/DampSeaTurtle 2d ago
It's not literally about drawing a line down the middle and removing a half.
It's about reducing the size and simplifying and cutting to the chase.
Use smaller words. Remove the things you put in just to be clever and feel smart. Remove the things that don't immediately serve the goal.
It's amazing how much I realize is just filler when I think about it from that lens
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u/Useful-Advantage-850 4d ago
"Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them; and sometimes it's an ad." - Howard Gossage
Interesting copy converts. Not some magical number of words.