Author: Michelle Troutman

For more than ten years, Michelle Troutman has crafted newsletters and other content for service providers. She has spent a decade creating attention-getting e-newsletters for law and economic development firms. Her marketing and business administration background and education enhance clear and persuasive copy. Through features in publications like "Attorney at Work" and "Law Fuel," and her e-newsletter and YouTube channel, she inspires professionals to create engaging content. She enjoys helping businesses who serve others reach their marketing goals.
credibility, credible articles, writing advice

5 Steps to More Credible Articles (and Other Marketing Content)

With the popularity of AI and Google algorithm standards that emphasize trustworthy content, I’ve considered how to write more credible articles.

Because generative AI may “hallucinate” or spin facts and sources, you can question the accuracy of what you read these days. On the other hand, Google E-E-A-T standards rank pages with credible sources that answer readers’ questions higher.

As I’ve learned, beyond the obvious options to write more credible articles, you can foster customers’ trust in surprising ways. When the usual tactics have failed, they may revitalize your marketing and win you better clients. 

1. Admit your faults early – As Robert Cialdini wrote in “Influence,” if you must reveal a product or service flaw, do it early “so the credibility it provides will color the rest of the appeal.” Afterward, stress the strongest argument or feature, which can outweigh the negative.

Example: In 2009, after a focus group video surfaced, in Domino’s Pizza’s Pizza Turnaround campaign, they admitted their pies weren’t up to par. They featured customer feedback that criticized the taste and quality. They then introduced a new recipe. To regain customer trust and loyalty, they also accented fresher ingredients and their commitment to a better taste. By 2017, the company had become the #1 pizza chain in the U.S.

2. Add trust-building terms – In an ad, a car service firm stated “You can trust us to do the job for you,” which scored well with customers, at 33 percent. The words and phrases “fair treatment,” “quality,” and “competency” also ranked highly. Conveying an expectation of trust showed they trusted customers. Customers then trusted them (“Brainfluence” by Roger Dooley). This wording could work especially well in business taglines and calls-to-action.

3. Make statistics relatable – “Made to Stick” authors Chip and Dan Heath suggest you use statistics as a way to inform rather than support your beliefs. Besides writing figures (which can be skewed) to show that connection, express them in concrete terms.

Example: “For less than the cost of a burger and fries every day, you can buy a week’s worth of nutritious meals for a hungry child.”

4. Win with your title – As shown in “Influence,” a person’s title affects our actions more than their claims. With the “halo effect,” we tend to consider a credible authority a trustworthy expert. A newspaper editorial by an authority has a “large and lasting influence over readers’ opinions.” In one set of studies, that amounted to 20 percentage points higher, regardless of the author’s age, sex, or political leanings. 

5. Establish social proof – According to research, as part of a “herd mentality,” we tend to follow others’ actions for cues to proper social behavior. If you lack specific evidence for the effectiveness of a marketing campaign, rely on rising interest, such as customer buying patterns. For example, restaurants sometimes spotlight popular menu items. If you have numbers to back that up, they can yield even better results.

Writing more credible articles is one way to sharpen your image. What we reflect we tend to attract. If your copy is sloppy or doesn’t speak in your brand voice, seek to win better clients with better content.

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How do you build trust and credibility with your content? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“The most essential quality for leadership is not perfection but credibility. People must be able to trust you.” ~ Rick Warren

“Accuracy builds credibility” ~ Jim Rohn

editing, editing your writing

5 Common Business Writing Woes Free AI Editors Can Resolve

With the right free AI editors, you can sort your gibberish into everyday English. Or the tools could inspire you to find the right terms.

In this list, I left out ProWritingAid, copy.ai, and similar tools, which are better writers.

Also not included:

  • Stand-alone browser extensions or smartphone apps
  • Those that offer trials–these cost nothing, but most of them have limits

A few of them might be unavailable outside the U.S. without access through a virtual private network (VPN).

Remember: Don’t rely on free AI editors alone, especially in your first-round editing, because they’re error-prone (like us). They’re not the rake that catches every mistake. 🙂

1. Long words and sentences – They’re often harder to read. Many generative AI writing apps don’t focus on readability. By default, some, like ChatGPT, write at a high school level. If you’ve used Microsoft Word, you’re probably familiar with Flesch-Kincaid reading levels, which measure how understandable writing is at certain education or grade levels.

Solutions: 

2. Incorrect usage – Typos and poor grammar have littered many rough drafts. Sometimes, you’ve spelled the word right but have used it in the wrong context. The “eyes” of AI can spot these and more errors. Beyond spell-check, Grammarly flags grammar failures and suggests better wording. Its open-source cousin, LanguageTool, does the same and can also paraphrase passages.

Solutions: Grammarly; LanguageTool 

3. Abstract terms – Vague words and phrases like “providing solutions” don’t hook readers. Concrete terms are more likely to paint pictures in readers’ minds. If you can’t create images with words, use AI to sketch details. 


Solutions: ChatGPT or Claude via prompts; Wordtune

Example:

A financial advisor’s solution, which may also work as a unique selling proposition (USP): helping entry-level workers manage their money better to save for retirement.

4. Businessese – This formal language businesspeople sometimes speak reeks of jargon and self-importance. The right editing tools turn this gibberish into everyday English. Given some AI apps’ tendencies to write formally, you’ll likely need to ask them to simplify the wording, do it yourself, or use the following tools.

Solutions: Grammarly, The Hemingway App, Ludwig.guru, Wordtune

Grammarly also measures tone. The Hemingway App shows you where to shorten and clarify sections. For phrases that don’t seem to fit, Ludwig spotlights examples of common usage.

5. Blandness – If your content is as exciting as yacht rock, AI editors can add analogies, examples, facts, quotes, or statistics instantly. Use these ingredients sparingly. And remember to check your sources, because AI sometimes fudges details. Try these apps to add spice to entice readers.

Solutions: Wordtune; ChatGPT, Claude, or Bing Compose via prompts

Want to boost your editing skills beyond the basics? A coach with business writing experience can steer you to the right words, with or without AI.

BOOK A FREE COACHING CONSULTATION

Do you use AI to edit and proofread? If so, what’s your “go-to” software? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“#1 best practice for editors using AI: you MUST fact-check any AI-generated content for plagiarism, falsehoods, outdated information, biased information, and made-up information.” ~ Dragonfly Editorial

  • Published: October 3, 2023
  • Last updated: November 24, 2023

writing advice

5 Ways to Simplify Complex Concepts in Your Writing

1. Find the core – Chip and Dan Heath, authors of “Made to Stick,” believe that “the curse of knowledge” hampers our ability to simplify complex ideas. We struggle to share what we know because we can’t readily recreate our readers’ states of mind. One way around this problem is to make your ideas “sticky” or memorable.

They suggest you find “the single most important thing.” To get to the point, weave this central idea into everything from articles to slogans.

2. Compare – The Heath brothers also recommend you tap into existing schemas. Schemas consist of information stored in our memories, like when someone tells you they saw a sports car, and it brings to mind the image of a red sedan.

Analogies, such as similes and metaphors, draw their power from schemas. Such comparisons also ease our understanding of concepts.

Example: The internet is like an ocean (simile); the internet is a sea of information (metaphor).

3. Reframe it as a story – This method can work well to explain technical terms. For example, in the movie “The Big Short,” singer/actor Selena Gomez and chef Anthony Bourdain periodically tell stories that explain financial concepts.

4. Structure it – Breaking down your ideas prevents you from delivering them all at once, resulting in information overload. Simplify your ideas through:

  • Numbering steps in a logical order
  • Separating sentences or phrases with bullet points
  • Showing a map or a diagram, such as a concept map that shows relationships between different ideas

5. Simplify – The bigger the idea or more complex the wording, the harder it can be to understand. Cut the clutter through:

  • Giving examples
  • Turning jargon or technical terms (gibberish) into everyday English through shorter words and phrases
  • Avoiding puns and other forms of wordplay
  • Writing as if you’re explaining the concept to a 12-year-old; instead of dumbing it down, “show” rather than “tell.” Example: In explaining how to tie a Gordian knot, you could start with the statement “Imagine you have two strings, like the ones you use to tie your shoes. Let’s call them String A and String B.”

For more insights on how to simplify complex concepts in your writing, read 5 Ways to Think Clearly to Write Clearly.

Discover how business writing coaching can help you simplify complex wording and ideas.

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How do you simplify complex concepts in your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Use the ‘Will my Mom understand this?’ testing method before you publish.” ~ Amy Higgins, Senior Director, Content Strategy, Twilio

“The Golden Rule is the ultimate model of simplicity: a one-sentence statement so profound that an individual could spend a lifetime learning to follow it.” ~ Chip and Dan Heath, “Made to Stick”

language, language usage, right grammar, writing advice, writing better

5 More Ways to Find the Right Word

1. Word association – To find the right word, think of a term that sounds like the one you’re looking for. Ask yourself which one pops into your mind first. Words to Use takes this further, providing sentence prompts based on parts of speech to help you find the right word.

Word association has been used in psychology and in marketing; Carl Jung’s word association tests explored how the unconscious mind influences human behavior. Marketing researchers have analyzed terms with positive connections, such as power words and sensory words. Use them to find the right word and vary your choices.

2. Play it by ear – Say the word or phrase linked to the term aloud. See if your mind will fill in the gap with the ideal one. If it still won’t come out, ask yourself what the word looks or sounds like. Is it a noun, a verb, or an adjective? Or a person, a place, or a thing? How many syllables or accents does it have? A rhyming dictionary can guide you to similar words.

3. Get specific – Describe the word you’re looking for. The right image might come to mind. Concrete terms also let readers see what you describe.

  • Example: A bowl of fruit
  • Revised: A basket of bananas

If you’re learning English, a picture dictionary can be helpful as it shows images with the words they represent.

4. Try thesaurus tools – Among my favorite alternatives to a thesaurus is Related Words. Beyond word searches, the One Look Thesaurus lets you enter phrases related to the term.

5. Ask – In a roundabout way, this worked for George Harrison. Talk to someone good with English or seek advice in online forums. We’re here to help each other.

For more insights, read 5 Ways to Find the Right Words.

Coaching tailored to your unique writing challenges can help you find the right word.

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How do you find the “write” words? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“I do not choose the right word. I get rid of the wrong one. Period.” ~ A.E. Housman

“The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter. It’s the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightening.” ~ Mark Twain

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

writing advice

5 Essentials of Effective Business Writing

1. Clarity – This aspect tops William Zinsser’s four principles of good English and many writing teachers’ lists. Effective business writing is easy to understand. It leaves readers without questions. Clear thinking leads to clear writing.

As part of effective business writing, a fountain pen writes on a lined sheet of paper in black ink.

Example (blog post): The Elder Law Center of Kirson and Fuller: How Much Money Can You Give Away and Still Qualify for Medicaid?

One way to test writing for clarity is to check the readability level. The longer the words and sentences, the higher the reading level, which goes by grade-school levels. To reach more people, grammar experts prefer writing that reads at a sixth-grade level.

Depending on your readership, aim for higher or lower levels. Measure them with the Flesch-Kincaid scale or the Hemingway App, which calculates the readability and highlights passages in a work that affect it.

2. Conciseness – Concise writing includes only the information a reader needs to understand it. As Strunk and White advised in “The Elements of Style,” every word or sentence doesn’t have to be short, but every word should “tell.” Essentially, remove passages that detract from the meaning of the work, are vague, or repeat the same information. Concise content is written in plain English — like you speak — free of jargon.

Example: In order to process your order, we need more information.
Revised: To process your order, we need your shipping address.

3. Correctness – Effective business writing meets basic grammar rules and contains proper spelling and punctuation. Beyond that, views on style vary. Depending on the style you prefer, you may format words or punctuation differently.

Example: The term “health care”: some organizations don’t place a space between the words (“healthcare”).

Regarding facts, AI software can “hallucinate,” or make up information and sources. Verify any data and prefer reputable sources.

4. Tone – Zinsser calls this “humanity.” Your target audience, your subject matter, and the type of document you’re writing can determine the proper emotion to convey. In some contexts, humor requires care because not everyone can get the joke or find it appropriate. AI software could write in a flat tone. Sentences written in the passive voice are also emotionless, as they avoid referring to the subject (“Mistakes were made.”). While you write to them, slip on your readers’ shoes and imagine how they think and feel.

5. Scannability – Online, people tend to skim rather than read text fully. Formatting for scannability also aids accessibility. If you think more verbally than visually, you can overlook this part of effective business writing.

For example, sort items in a series with bullet points or organize related, but separate sentences into a numbered list. Separate blocks of paragraphs with graphics or subheadings. (If your paragraphs are long, they might need more editing.) Words highlighted with hyperlinks stand out.

To assess whether to format for scannability, the Digital Marketing Institute suggests taking the five-second usability test:

  • If you see a web page for five seconds, can you recall important parts of it?
  • Did you notice the purpose of the content?
  • Did you see which steps the author wanted you to take next?

Boost your business writing with one-on-one advice that solves your writing problems.

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What do you think are hallmarks of effective business writing? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Never use jargon words like ‘reconceptualize,’ ‘demassification,’ ‘additudinally,’ ‘judgementally.’ They are the hallmarks of a pretentious ass.” ~ David Ogilvy

“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” ~ Lee Iacocca

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.