Too lazy to learn complicated words?

If you answered 'yes', good for you. You'd probably make a better copywriter than your friend who answered 'no'. Yes, laziness in this regard is actually a good thing. Here's why:

99% of the time, simple words will do a better job of communicating your idea than complex ones. Big words are annoying. The average person doesn't wan't to take the extra second or two to digest their meaning. And not only that, but these so-called "fancy words" actually distract the reader from trying to understand your message.

Simple is better. Here are two fictional product headlines I made up. Which one reads better?

1) "Our amazing new product will help you lose weight, feel great, and keep your wallet full."

2) "Our staggeringly innovative invention will facilitate weight loss, positive sentiments, and still leave you with sufficient capital."

Ok, so I totally exaggerated with the second one. But it's to prove a point. And the truth is, I've seen some writing which isn't too different. Where people use fancy words just because they wan't to, not because it helps. And it doesn't help.

So don't feel the need to show off your SAT vocabulary just because you can. The human ego must be put aside when engaging in marketing writing. If simple is more effective (and it is), then by golly, go with it. After all, do you really have the time to start learning abstruse words like "complicated"...eh, I mean, complicated words like "abstruse"?