How to write confidently about numbers and money
Numbers make people nervous. You work in finance or property, so numbers are a second language for you. But not for ordinary people.
It’s not that your clients are afraid of numbers; just that they want to understand them. Your job is to close that gap.
Translating numbers and maths into clear written content is a difficult skill and one that does not always come naturally.
Say the number. Then explain it.
The single biggest mistake you can make when writing about money is burying the number in qualifications before the reader even knows what they are dealing with. Lead with the figure, then provide the context.
A mortgage broker writing an ebook about borrowing capacity, for example, might open with: “Many lenders will allow you to borrow up to six times your gross annual income, but that ceiling can drop if you carry existing debt.” The number comes first and the explanation follows. Readers orient themselves immediately and trust builds from there. Good SEO writing gives people what they came for, then gives them the depth.
Translate percentages into pounds and sense
Some readers battle to apply percentages to their situation. When you want a number to land, convert it into something tangible.
A bookkeeper sending out an email newsletter about late payment fees to small business clients should not just cite “a 1.5% monthly interest charge”, because that can be hard for some consumers to appreciate. A stronger approach reads: “On a $10,000 invoice, you are looking at $150 per month in interest or $1,800 over a year if the debt goes unpaid.”
The percentage is still there. Now it just means something. Converting abstract figures into real-world outcomes sharpens your writing for the web and it requires nothing more than a simple calculation.
Don’t hide behind vague language
Phrases like “approximately”, “somewhere in the region of” and “it depends on a range of factors” are sometimes necessary. More often, though, they are used as a way of avoiding precision – which can end up eroding trust.
A debt collection agency writing a social media post about recovery rates should not hide behind vague language when genuine data is available. If your agency recovers 78% of referred debts within 90 days, say so. Specific numbers do more for your credibility than a paragraph of reassurances. Strong digital marketing copy is built on claims that can be verified.
Use comparisons to build context
When a number appears without context, readers have no way to judge whether it is large or small, good or bad, relevant or not. Comparisons solve that problem by anchoring unfamiliar figures to something the reader already understands. The comparison makes the data readable.
A real estate agent writing a blog post about median property prices, for instance, can make a figure far more meaningful by adding a single sentence of context: “The median price in this suburb has risen by $120,000 over three years — roughly the equivalent of a full deposit on a first home.”
When the numbers are uncomfortable, write about them anyway
Debt, shortfalls, poor returns and rising rates are not comfortable subjects, but they are real ones. Property and finance professionals whose clients are dealing with financial stress regularly do their readers no favours by writing around the difficult numbers rather than through them. Avoiding the hard figures signals that you are not fully in their corner.
Write honestly. When the numbers are hard, acknowledge that, then explain what options exist.
How Hunter & Scribe can help
Hunter & Scribe specialises in helping property and financial professionals write about money clearly and confidently. As a copywriting agency working across both sectors, our team turns complex figures into content that your clients will read and trust.
Contact Hunter & Scribe to find out how we can help you put the right words around your numbers.
