After 20 years as a working writer, I've found that most people either minimize or exaggerate the difficulty of writing well.
At one extreme, there's a "give-it-to-the-intern" attitude that leads to costly and embarrassing mistakes, like confusing "their" and "they're" in a mailing targeted to corporate attorneys.
At the other, I've met executives who pay consultants $300 an hour to handle their personal correspondence.
(Not that there's anything wrong with this--"from the consultant's point of view.
) The truth is, you don't need to be Jane Austen to write effective business communications; showy prose may actually obscure your message.
That said, nothing kills your credibility faster than bad writing.
It astounds me that companies will spend a fortune to produce a brochure, website or media kit without budgeting for a decent writer.
What constitutes good writing? Poets and novelists come to blows over this question, but in business the answer is simple: Good writing gets results.
Here are 10 steps to writing that works.
1.
Do your homework.
Before starting on a project, get a clear picture of the goal.
This should be your first priority whether you are writing for a client, a boss or yourself.
Who is the audience? What do you want to accomplish? 2.
Get good direction(s).
Don't be afraid to ask "stupid" questions in the planning meeting--you'll look a lot dumber if you leave out something important.
Sometimes clients don't figure out their priorities until someone asks for a list.
At the same time, make sure you've gotten input directly from the person who will approve your copy.
In my experience, the number of revisions you will end up doing is equal to the number of intermediaries between you and this person.
3.
State your core message.
If you really understand the goal of your project, you should be able to sum it up succinctly.
For instance, the core message of a Volvo sales brochure might be "Parents who care about child safety should buy a Volvo.
" George Lucas famously pitched Star Wars to studio executives with four words: "High Noon in space.
" 4.
Write an outline.
The curse of most written work isn't poor writing--it's poor thinking.
You may start off with a clear goal in mind, only to wander off on one tangent after another until you are lost in a verbal maze.
An outline can help prevent this.
Put your core message at the top, then list the points you need to make in descending order of importance.
Follow the outline religiously as you write.
(Big time saver: Ask the person who will be approving your work to review the outline before you begin.
) 5.
Keep it simple.
Edit yourself ruthlessly.
It's tempting to use long words or colorful metaphors just because you can.
If you are really attached to a particular sentence--so much so that you are writing everything else to fit it--it should probably go.
Ask yourself, "Does this sentence directly support the core message?" 6.
Don't make the reader work.
This is a subset of "keep it simple.
" In addition to using clear, unaffected language, lead your readers from topic to topic so that all they need to do is keep moving their eyes across the page.
Don't make them refer to footnotes, follow a jump, or skip a boring technical paragraph.
Use bullets to telegraph your message; boxes or sidebars can highlight details they may want to read later.
7.
Avoid dumb mistakes.
If you don't have an eye for spelling and/or grammar, hire a copy editor.
This is the single best thing you can do for your writing.
Everyone has a favorite typo story--mine involves an invitation for Certified Public Accountants in which "Public" was printed without the "l".
And forget about spell check--it's not nearly precise or discerning enough for business use.
8.
Meet deadlines.
Even if the client (publication, your boss) says the piece isn't time-sensitive, trust me: it is.
9.
Deliver your work in a professional format.
Make sure your files will display flawlessly on your client's system--no formatting errors or wingdings.
Mac users, this may involve keeping a PC on hand so you can check out the file before you send.
You may also want to send your documents in .
pdf form, since this locks formatting in place.
10.
Be gracious about revisions--within reason.
My standard contract states that two sets of revisions are on the house; after that, the meter starts running.
Even if you're not in a position to charge for additional revisions, you'll have very few of them if you follow steps one through four above.
At one extreme, there's a "give-it-to-the-intern" attitude that leads to costly and embarrassing mistakes, like confusing "their" and "they're" in a mailing targeted to corporate attorneys.
At the other, I've met executives who pay consultants $300 an hour to handle their personal correspondence.
(Not that there's anything wrong with this--"from the consultant's point of view.
) The truth is, you don't need to be Jane Austen to write effective business communications; showy prose may actually obscure your message.
That said, nothing kills your credibility faster than bad writing.
It astounds me that companies will spend a fortune to produce a brochure, website or media kit without budgeting for a decent writer.
What constitutes good writing? Poets and novelists come to blows over this question, but in business the answer is simple: Good writing gets results.
Here are 10 steps to writing that works.
1.
Do your homework.
Before starting on a project, get a clear picture of the goal.
This should be your first priority whether you are writing for a client, a boss or yourself.
Who is the audience? What do you want to accomplish? 2.
Get good direction(s).
Don't be afraid to ask "stupid" questions in the planning meeting--you'll look a lot dumber if you leave out something important.
Sometimes clients don't figure out their priorities until someone asks for a list.
At the same time, make sure you've gotten input directly from the person who will approve your copy.
In my experience, the number of revisions you will end up doing is equal to the number of intermediaries between you and this person.
3.
State your core message.
If you really understand the goal of your project, you should be able to sum it up succinctly.
For instance, the core message of a Volvo sales brochure might be "Parents who care about child safety should buy a Volvo.
" George Lucas famously pitched Star Wars to studio executives with four words: "High Noon in space.
" 4.
Write an outline.
The curse of most written work isn't poor writing--it's poor thinking.
You may start off with a clear goal in mind, only to wander off on one tangent after another until you are lost in a verbal maze.
An outline can help prevent this.
Put your core message at the top, then list the points you need to make in descending order of importance.
Follow the outline religiously as you write.
(Big time saver: Ask the person who will be approving your work to review the outline before you begin.
) 5.
Keep it simple.
Edit yourself ruthlessly.
It's tempting to use long words or colorful metaphors just because you can.
If you are really attached to a particular sentence--so much so that you are writing everything else to fit it--it should probably go.
Ask yourself, "Does this sentence directly support the core message?" 6.
Don't make the reader work.
This is a subset of "keep it simple.
" In addition to using clear, unaffected language, lead your readers from topic to topic so that all they need to do is keep moving their eyes across the page.
Don't make them refer to footnotes, follow a jump, or skip a boring technical paragraph.
Use bullets to telegraph your message; boxes or sidebars can highlight details they may want to read later.
7.
Avoid dumb mistakes.
If you don't have an eye for spelling and/or grammar, hire a copy editor.
This is the single best thing you can do for your writing.
Everyone has a favorite typo story--mine involves an invitation for Certified Public Accountants in which "Public" was printed without the "l".
And forget about spell check--it's not nearly precise or discerning enough for business use.
8.
Meet deadlines.
Even if the client (publication, your boss) says the piece isn't time-sensitive, trust me: it is.
9.
Deliver your work in a professional format.
Make sure your files will display flawlessly on your client's system--no formatting errors or wingdings.
Mac users, this may involve keeping a PC on hand so you can check out the file before you send.
You may also want to send your documents in .
pdf form, since this locks formatting in place.
10.
Be gracious about revisions--within reason.
My standard contract states that two sets of revisions are on the house; after that, the meter starts running.
Even if you're not in a position to charge for additional revisions, you'll have very few of them if you follow steps one through four above.