A commercial aired recently, that pokes fun at business redundancies. I’m not even sure who the commercial is for, but it ends with bad news delivered in a meeting room. All the people look expressionless when he says he’s not kidding. It’s not until he adds “or joking” that they truly seem deflated.

Lets face it, there’s plenty of redundancies in marketing copy.  Here’s a quick list of annoying phrases that could be paired down to one word:

• Added bonus (bonus)
• Free gift (gift)
• Advance planning (planning)
• 12 midnight ( midnight, or 12 a.m.)
• 12 noon (noon, or 12 p.m.)
• Unexpected surprise (surprise)
• Absolutely essential (essential)
• Until such time (until)
• Past history (past)
• Fewer number (fewer)
• Final outcome (outcome)
• All time record (record)
• Attach together (attach)
• Armed gunman (gunman)
• Brief summary (summary)
• Enclosed here in (enclosed)
• Dwindle down (dwindle)

You get the idea. One tip when editing is to look at every word in a sentence and evaluate its necessity. Don’t be afraid to delete.

Cut unnecessary words

Your readers will thank you. We as business owners are all looking to catch a break. Why not make it easier for your readers to follow by eliminating these stopping points in your copy?

Which sentence is easier to read?

1) The resume of her work experience included starting her own business.

-or-

2) Her resume included starting her own business.

Clearly it’s number two.Wordy does not equal smart. Wordy equals wordy. If you can keep the meaning, it’s OK to eliminate.

Matt Brennan is a Chicago-area marketing writer and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now.