Whether you’re writing a blog, emailing a customer or just asking your colleague for help, the way you write has a huge bearing on your success.
Good writing gets your message across quickly and clearly. It’s memorable.
On the other hand, bad writing can leave an underwhelming first impression. Worse still, it undermines the hard work you’ve already put in building your reputation.
Luckily writing well isn’t an innate skill – it’s something you can learn. And, despite what you may have been taught at school or uni, it isn’t all fussy rules and overblown language.
In fact, the simpler your writing – the better.
If you ever find yourself fretting about your writing or just need some inspiration, here are a few handy tips and guidelines.
Without a plan your writing will inevitably lack direction, particularly for longer content.
As the Economist style guide puts it, “clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought.”
So, first things first, work out what you’re trying to say and jot down your main points as simply as possible. From there you have a basic outline to work from.
When you’re writing in a business setting, you usually want your reader to take an action.
Do you want a click on your call to action, reply or to arrange a call?
Write with your end goal in mind to make your copy relevant and focused.
N.B. Be sure to make it clear to your reader what it is you want them to do! Spell out the action.
Before you start writing, ask yourself:
Who’s your reader? What’s important to them? How will they benefit from reading this or taking the action you’re asking them to?
This immediately gives your writing a focus and ensures you get straight to the important stuff.
Sometimes the hardest part is getting started, but don’t let that blank page intimidate you. Once you’ve got your main points noted down, know your target and have decided what you want to achieve, get writing.
The first draft is never going to be perfect – that’s what editing is for. If you’re really struggling to get started, try doing some further research or coming back to it later.
David Ogilvy, a famous ad copywriter, advised, “Write the way you talk. Naturally.”
People are prone to over-analyse this sound piece of advice.
He’s not saying fill your writing with ums, ahs and disjointed sentences. ‘Write the way you talk’ means using everyday, simple words, not overblown language.
Imagine the person you’re writing to and use the same language you would when talking to them. This will make it easier to get started, help you find the appropriate tone and fill your writing with personality.
It’s easy to fall back on tired metaphors, clichés, jargon and using ‘business speak’.
But instead of conveying originality or personality, these things only make your writing blend in.
Standing out in the business world is surprisingly simple. Just use normal language. The easiest way to do this? Swap formal words for normal ones.
Utilize – Use
Assist – Help
Enable – Let
Require – Need
Attain – Get, hit
Objectives – Goals, targets
As a consequence – Because
In the event that – If
Commence – Start
Business speak: Does your sales team require assistance to attain their objectives?
Approachable: Does your sales team need a helping hand hitting their targets?
Business speak: In the event that it is not possible to commence your trial in due course, we will reimburse one month’s payment.
Approachable: If your trial doesn’t start on time, your first month’s free.
Slightly overblown, but you get the idea. If in doubt there are loads of plain English alternatives here: http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/the-a-z-of-alternative-words.html
Ever been cornered at a party by someone who only talks about themself? It’s not much fun.
While writing in the first person makes your writing more personable, nobody wants to hear you constantly talk about yourself.
There’s an easy way to test whether your writing is too self-absorbed. Measure the number of times you use you, your, you’re vs I, we or me. This will help you ensure you focus on your reader, rather than yourself.
Write to one person, not a group.
Addressing a group makes you sound preachy. Using phrases like “thanks to those of you who attended last week” is more impersonal than “thank you for attending last week.”
When you write to an individual, your reader feels like you’re talking directly to them. Your writing instantly becomes more engaging.
The best writing is like a conversation between the writer and the reader. It could have you nodding along in agreement or shaking your head disapprovingly.
Either way, you’re engaged.
Asking your reader questions gives them time to think and opens up a conversation. Have you tried it?
If repeated ad nauseum it’s less effective, but when used sparingly it can make your writing more engaging.
Get rid of your passive voice.
Using the passive voice usually means you’re overcomplicating your writing, or adding unnecessary words. Neither are good things.
The passive tense is usually associated with corporations or politicians trying to avoid accountability.
Passive: “Mistakes were made. Apologies for any inconvenience.”
Active: “We made a mistake and we’re sorry. Here’s how we’re going to fix it.”
We’re not saying never use the passive voice, sometimes it’s unavoidable. But, using active sentences fills your writing with vigor and presents a stronger message – it incites action!
Tip (from the Monzo tone of voice guide): If you can add ‘by monkeys’ to the end of your sentence and it still makes sense, it’s passive.
People don’t have time to wade through masses of text to understand what you’re trying to tell them. Clarity is key to successfully getting your point across.
The following principles will help you be succinct:
A short word will do the job just as well, if not better than a long one
If a word or phrase doesn’t add anything to your text, cut it
Generally, try to use short sentences and short paragraphs for clarity
Slick writing makes a unique point in every sentence. We’re all guilty of overusing certain words, phrases or repeating similar sentiments – particularly in longer pieces of writing.
But unless it’s for emphasis or effect, duplication shows fuzzy thinking.
Following a plan, alongside ruthless editing, will help you avoid repetition.
Breaking the rules is fine if it makes your writing better, or easier to understand.
Here are a couple of rules you learnt at school worth forgetting:
Never use a conjunction at the start of a sentence
Using conjunctions like And, But, So, If and Because at the start of sentences makes it easier to split long sentences – creating more succinct, conversational writing.
Paragraphs must be a prescribed length
This prohibitive rule makes little sense. There’s no set length for paragraphs.
Generally paragraphs focus on one idea or concept, but this in itself is a fluid description. Paragraphs can range from a few words – to a few lines. Varying the length of your paragraphs gives your writing rhythm and makes it way easier to read.
Sometimes, if you want to get your point across, a single line paragraph stands out.
If I had to set a rule on it, do your best not to go over 6 lines or 8 sentences. Chunks of text are intimidating and can easily cause your readers’ eyes to glaze over.
Contractions are not allowed
Contractions aren’t all bad. In fact, they’re not bad at all. They mimic everyday speech, build flow and make your writing easier to read.
Consistently making mistakes is never a good look – for you, or your company.
Keep your writing error-free by using the various spelling and grammar tools at your disposal. But don’t just rely on technology, check your writing yourself and – if it’s really important – get a trusted second pair of eyes to look for you.
Writing for digital (ie. consumed on a screen) takes a different skill set to writing an essay or novel. Whether it’s an email, blog or product piece – people are liable to skim.
As I mentioned in the last section, if your writing is in huge chunks it can be intimidating to even start. Along with varying paragraph length the following layout tweaks can improve the readability of your text:
Break text up with subheads to signpost your content to skimmers.
Don’t be afraid of white space.
Use numbered lists, bullet points and indentations where appropriate.
Use images, tables and examples to demonstrate your point.
Embolden or italicize bits you want to stand out, but don’t overdo it.
As Ernest Hemingway so eloquently put it, “the first draft of anything is s**t.”
Your writing always needs refining to get it right. While not every piece needs to be a Hemingway-esque masterpiece, it’s always worth giving your work a quick edit.
Here are some essential tips for editing your work:
If you can, take some time away from your work so you come at it with a fresh perspective.
When you return, try and get rid of your ‘writer’s ego’ ie. look at the work objectively and don’t be too proud to cut where necessary.
Indulge your urge to read it over in one go. This will also give you a feel for flow.
Study your work, asking how each line or section helps your reader. If it’s not adding any value – cut it.
Is it written in plain English?
Does it address the right audience, and give the reader a reason to read on?
Go over with a fine tooth comb for spelling and grammatical errors. (Or use your favourite app – Grammarly etc.)
Make sure the piece is structured in a way that’s easy to read.
Are the points you’ve made backed up by evidence? Stats, images, examples.
Cut unnecessary words and change passive sentences.
Is there a clear takeaway or call to action?
Get someone else’s opinion.
These tips are here to come back to if you’re struggling with a blank page or finding it hard to get your point across in writing.
Don’t worry about following all this advice at once. If you only take away a couple of ideas that help to improve your writing, that’s great.