Any Space Between Your Words?
Copy writing is all about the words. Or is it?
What about all the little bits pushed in between? Punctuation usage can tell us a lot about writing style. Which copy looks easier to read? You don’t need to see any of the words to pick the one on the left. If you picked the one on the right you might be a masochist. Or maybe you’re president of the Faulkner book club as that’s his work.
Punctuation reveals intent.
- Lots of em dashes? Someone’s trying to cram in one more thought they couldn’t kill.
- Parentheticals? Usually someone trying to prove how much they know.
- Stats and symbols everywhere? It’s probably not persuasion, it’s presentation.
Stylometry researchers try to figure out who wrote what and they often start with punctuation. It’s one of the ways to spot AI copy, which favors balanced, symmetrical, medium-length sentences. Humans are messier, leaning on habits, quirks, and rhythm. Some talk in bursts, others in layers. You can almost hear the author in the pacing.
The same goes for fundraising copy, you don’t need a PhD to know when it was written for someone vs. at someone.
So yes, the words matter. But so does how the words breathe and what you jam between them tells your reader whether it’s worth the inhale.
Kevin
Behavioral Science Q & A
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