You've written an amazing piece of content. In your mind, your perfect prose is worthy of a Pulitzer Prize, but it's not engaging anyone. In today's newsletter, we're looking at something called the Flesch-Kincaid scale and how it can make your content better.

In case you don't know, the Flesch-Kincaid scale was developed to reveal the reading grade level of a piece of content. Before the 1940s the majority of large-circulation newspapers were aimed at a college graduate level. Experts Flesch and Gunning worked with newspapers to improve their readability as studies showed the total number of paragraphs read increased by 93% when readability was improved.

Whether you're writing the next company blogpost, copy for a LinkedIn post, or even a contributed thought leadership piece, aiming for a low Flesch-Kincaid score can make your content better and more engaging. But don't just take my word for it, consider the popular media outlets below and their scores. The higher the grade, the more difficult it is to read.

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If you're planning to contribute an op-ed to the New York Times, a complex score won't hurt you, but the Guardian, which also accepts op-ed pitches, prefers simpler language. Whenever I ghostwrite op-eds I consider:

• the client's tone of voice
• the publication's style guide
• whether to use US or UK spelling
• the Flesch-Kincaid I'm aiming for

The most successful media relations programmes tailor the pitch to the journalist. When you're writing copy for a publication, you should make sure to do the same.

Interestingly, Ernest Hemingway scored a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 with his book Old Man and the Sea which is written at a grade 7 level making it readable for those aged 16+.

To check your readability scores, you could always try the Hemingway app linked below:

​https://hemingwayapp.com/​

Media opportunity

Are you a disruptor? Nominations are currently open for CNBC's Disruptor 50. This is a paid opportunity but a great list to be on if you're successful:

​2024 CNBC Disruptor 50 list nominations

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Hope you enjoyed the round-up and as always please do share any feedback on what you like / dislike so I can bear it in mind for future editions. You can leave anonymous feedback here - https://forms.gle/GCbzebibTcH46wd39​

Thanks,

Karolina

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113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
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