---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-one-main-message.md
title: "State one main message the reader must remember"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; original synthesis in our own words"
license_family: usgov
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide, US government work, public domain; GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive, Repurpose print material, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "Editorial checklist only; not tested with readers. Sources fetched and evidence checked."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "summarize"
tags: [plain-language, summarize, main-message, cdc-cci]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide"
    publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    url: https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "Repurpose print material"
    publisher: GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/web/repurpose-print-material.md
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# State one main message the reader must remember

**Answer:** Give each material one main message statement: the one thing the audience must remember, in 1–3 short sentences. Put it first.

## Rules from the CDC Clear Communication Index

- Keep the statement to 1–3 short sentences.
- The main message statement and the call to action can be combined or kept as separate sentences.
- People look for the most important information at the top, beginning, or front; when the main message is first, they find it more easily and quickly.
- Place the main message in the first paragraph or section (a block of text between headings).
- On the web, the first section must be fully visible without scrolling.

## Web pages

When you repurpose a print document, keep the most important and clear message at the top of the web page.

## See also

- [plain-summary-orients-not-copies](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-summary-orients-not-copies/)
- [plain-call-to-action](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-call-to-action/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: One main message statement is required.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Make sure the material has one main message statement."

- id: C2
  claim: It is the one thing to remember.
  source: S1
  evidence: "The main message statement is the one thing the audience must remember."

- id: C3
  claim: The first web section must be visible without scrolling.
  source: S1
  evidence: "the first section must be fully visible without scrolling"

- id: C4
  claim: Put the most important message at the top of a web page.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Keep the most important and clear message at the top of the web page."

## Sources

- [S1] CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

- [S2] Repurpose print material. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/web/repurpose-print-material.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.


License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

---

Agents: [/agents.md](/agents.md) | [/.well-known/agent-library.json](/.well-known/agent-library.json).