--- title: Stop Vomiting Words description: How to punch through the noise to get people to pay attention to what matters most. image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Smart%20Brevity%20text.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/stop-vomiting-words#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Stop Vomiting Words September 28th, 2022 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![Axios newsletter screenshot](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Smart%20Brevity%20text.jpg?width=1615&height=985&name=Smart%20Brevity%20text.jpg) ![Smart Brevity](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Smart%20Brevity.jpg?width=450&name=Smart%20Brevity.jpg)“Never in the history of humanity have we vomited more words in more places with more velocity,” say the authors of [*Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less.*](https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1523516976/freshspotpubl-20) We’re all super busy. At the same time, smartphones deliver a flood of content. The key to breaking through is to create bite-sized content that gets noticed. Like TikTok. And like what *Smart Brevity* teaches. I love this brand-new book! In it, the founders of two hot media startups — [Axios](https://www.axios.com/) and [Politico](https://www.politico.com) — share their transformative methods for punching through the noise to get people to pay attention to what matters most.   ## Brevity is confidence. Length is fear. ![Screen Shot 2022-09-28 at 7.02.18 AM](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-28%20at%207.02.18%20AM.png?width=250&name=Screen%20Shot%202022-09-28%20at%207.02.18%20AM.png)Smart brevity means: Write muscular headlines, six strong words or fewer. Create a memorable opening sentence. Provide context - why does this matter? Eliminate fluff and gobbledygook. Point people to where they can learn more. I need this advice and it came at a great time for me. Readers of this blog know that I often write long. Too long. My headlines contain too many words. Sometimes it takes a while for me to get to the point. I pre-ordered [Smart Brevity](https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1523516976/freshspotpubl-20) because I am an Axios fan. Over the years, I’ve subscribed to dozens of email newsletters from media companies. No doubt, you have too. Most of them aren’t worth my time, so I unsubscribe. However, [Axios email newsletters](https://www.axios.com/newsletters) are super valuable, so much so that I now subscribe to several. Why? Because they are brief and to the point. At the top, each has a Smart Brevity™ count of the word count and the time require to read. Smart Brevity helped me. Perhaps it will help you too. [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/413105/e5b62938-97f3-40a1-9bc9-f10843b48ec1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/413105/e5b62938-97f3-40a1-9bc9-f10843b48ec1) [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ writing ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/writing) [ copywriting ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/copywriting) [ Books ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/books) [ Best Practices ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/best-practices) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/write%20compelling%20headlines.jpg?width=2248&height=1506&name=write%20compelling%20headlines.jpg) ### The Fine Art of Crafting a Not-Quite-Clickbait Headline August 1st, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-fine-art-of-crafting-a-not-quite-clickbait-headline) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/velvet%20sundown%20in%20studio.jpg?width=1288&height=734&name=velvet%20sundown%20in%20studio.jpg) ### Folk-Rock Without a Soul: When AI Channels Laurel Canyon July 7th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/folk-rock-without-a-soul-when-ai-tries-to-channel-laurel-canyon) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Vermont%20wilderness%20pond.jpg?width=1500&height=1125&name=Vermont%20wilderness%20pond.jpg) ### Artistic Craft or AI Dreck in 2025? 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