Use of 2 vs Two in the Title of a Project?

by SeanIM

Posted: 16 years ago 17 replies

COPY WRITING

What's your take on the use of

2 versus Two in the title of a project...say something like

2 Step Coaching

versus

Two Step Coaching

Would you consider the advantage going to the numerical as used so often in successful headlines?

Thanks in advance for any insight on this.

- Sean

#project #title

Scott Murdaugh 16 years ago

I have no real evidence to back it up, but my gut tells me "two" is the way to go.
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- Jared Alberghini 16 years ago
  
  My honest thought when I saw both titles, I liked '2 Step Coaching' better... it for some reason seemed simpler to me... I don't know why... it could be that it was quicker to read & comprehend, less characters, it hit me 2 looked easy, but geez you want me to read the whole number out? TWO? that seems like work.
  
  also, with the gr8 # of ppl using internet slang now adays, be it online or texting, the shorter words seem to hit a bigger crowd.
  
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  Bruce Wedding 16 years ago
  
  I read somewhere that using digits pulls better. It may have been in Herschel Gordon Lewis' book The Art of Writing Copy.
  
  I always try the digits first and decide if it looks right. Remember, there are no "cast in stone" rules.
  
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  Ken Strong 16 years ago
  
  To my eye, it looks funny using the digit when it's the first word of the sentence. It wouldn't bother me if it was further in. Maybe you could try it with a hyphen (2-Step Coaching).
  
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  ecoverartist 16 years ago
  
  FWIW I had a professor tell me to always write out the number unless it was 10 or more. So my vote would go to Two-Step... Seems to look better to me. For some reason "2-step" makes it sounds like the dance move
  
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  SeanIM 16 years ago
  
  Thanks for some really good feedback. I have a few more things to consider testing now.
  
  I'm digging on some of the dash variations...that does seem to help a bit.
  
  In the end I'm just going to have to do some test runs.
  
  :thumbsup
  
  -S
  
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  colinredk 16 years ago
  
  I guess it's more of a target-audience question. If it was a formal book type of title, it should be "Two" but if you want a more ad agency type of approach, you should use "2" and with or without the hyphen.
  
  It's also like SMS or text messaging, where some words are abbreviated. "2day" for "today", or "Crazy4U" on a vanity plate.
  
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  MakingMoneyAtHome 16 years ago
  
  I was taught that 1-9 should be spelled out and 10 and above should be numbers.
  
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  Jared Alberghini 16 years ago
  
  How about using BOTH??? like this 2 (Two), or the other way around if you prefer, Two (2)
  
  Simple solution, use the best of both worlds!!!
  
  Genius I say...
  
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chillingbreeze 16 years ago

If you're talking about an article title then # will grab quick attention, I assume.

Top 10 Steps To.....

Top Ten Steps To...

Of course, number looks better, IMO.

Cheers!
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erinwrites 16 years ago

Using the 2 at the beginning of the title is kind of awkward. My initial reaction was a knee jerk--oh no, another texter trying to write a sales letter!--kind of reaction. Still though, 2 plays better with your concept than Two. Quite a conundrum!
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- ic7 16 years ago
  
  2 Step Coaching
  
  I think numeral 2 looks more dynamic in this case. Especially if it's part of a graphic or banner.
  
  Paul
  
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dbishop 16 years ago

Looks to be acceptable either way, according to the consensus here, so maybe it would depend on the target audience? I'm with the crowd that says spell out numbers under 10, but that may be because my background is journalistic and follows style manuals rather than straight sales copy. I just think 2 as a digit looks odd at the beginning of a sentence.

Dee
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- Lance K 16 years ago
  
  How about using Roman Numerals?
  
  II Step Coaching
  
  And let me guess the 2 steps:
  
  They give you money
  
  You coach them
  
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  dbishop 16 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Lance K
  
  How about using Roman Numerals?
  
  II Step Coaching
  
  Mmmm... I don't like it. But I'm picky.
  
  Dee
  
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  zapseo 16 years ago
  
  For "2 Step" -- I'd use number, all the way.
  
  Here's another reason for using "2" -- it has to do with "chunking" and how we grasp information. The meaning of "2" is more dense information - 1 character instead of 3. May sound silly -- but stuff like this DOES matter.
  
  Let me ask you this...when was the last time you saw an offer for one dollar, as opposed to $1 ?
  
  How the mind "locks onto" information is an important (and somewhat ignored concept) in copywriting.
  
  While they are kind of negative on "copywriting" (throwing a brickbat at John Caples!!!!), but the boys that wrote "Made To Stick" have some important stuff to communicate about how brains grasp meaning.
  
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  Lance K 16 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by dbishop
  
  Mmmm... I don't like it. But I'm picky.
  
  Dee
  
  Dee, I wasn't being serious.
  
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