10 bitesized tips for better business writing

Don’t outsource your brain to ChatGPT –  clever copy and compelling content that gets your business noticed? Here are 10 bitesized tips to boost your business writing brilliance.

1  Get noticed

Attract attention with a strong hook – an opening statement to intrigue your reader and encourage them to read on.

Questions, statistics, anecdotes and empathy are great places to start.

2  Keep it short

Your reader is time-poor and overloaded with information.

Your writing needs to cut through the communication chatter. How?

Get to the point, and keep it brief.

Use short, punchy sentences and paragraphs, and remove filler words that add nothing.

3  Focus on your reader

We’re all guilty of making our writing about us.

Focus on what the reader wants to hear, not what you want to tell them.

Flip your writing to focus on your reader – so you’re using less “ME/I/WE” and more “YOU”.

4  Know your audience

Don’t start writing until you know exactly who you’re writing to.

What are their hopes and dreams? What keeps them awake at night? How does your product or service solve a problem for them?

As Shirley Polykoff said, “Copywriting is a direct conversation with the consumer”.

Keep that one person in mind when you write, and you’ve a better chance of creating a meaningful connection.

5  Be more human

Business writing shouldn’t be formal or stuffy.

Churning out lazy, robotic language reduces your chances of getting read.

Replace robotic business speak, buzzwords and jargon for human language – real words that real people really use.

See my plain English cheat sheet.

6  WIIFM?

Focus your writing on the outcome for your audience – the “what’s in it for me?”.

Engage your readers by talking about benefits, not features.

How can your product or service make their life easier?

Remember, Canon don’t sell cameras – they sell memories.

7  Include a call to action

Your communication should aim to inform, entertain or inspire action.

Be clear about your goal: what action do you want your reader to take as a result of what they’ve just read?

Do you want them to book your event? Hire your services? Sign up for email updates?

8  Check, check and check again

Don’t undo your good work by spelling your boss’s name wrong, or including the wrong date for your event.

Check your language, spelling and punctuation.

Ask a colleague to read it over, or hire a professional proofreader. A fresh pair of eyes will spot things you’ve missed.

Never rely on your spellchecker as a substitute for proofreading.

9  Say it loud

Using your computer’s read-aloud feature will help you spot mistakes and repetition far more easily than reading on screen, or a printout.

I don’t know why this works – I just know it does.

Try it!

10  Sleep on it

If you have time in your schedule, review what you’ve written the following morning.

You’ll be surprised what you’ll spot when you reread your document with fresh eyes.

That’s it! 10 bitesized tips to boost your business writing brilliance.

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