writing advice Archives

5 Ways to Personalize Your Writing

1. Use pronouns – “I” or “you” can personalize your writing. In marketing, the age-old advice is to write less about yourself and more about your reader and their “pain points.” In some cases, the word “me” can resonate more as it comes from the reader’s perspective (like a call-to-action that says, “Tell me more”). But, that doesn’t apply if you’re writing about a personal experience. Choose pronouns appropriate for the material.

2. Speak naturally – Resist any urges to lapse into jargon or use “big” words that sound pompous. The best writing speaks to people like you’re having a conversation with them. Write how you talk. If it helps you feel more comfortable and less self-conscious, record yourself and transcribe the results.

3. Add personality – When appropriate, show some personality. You don’t have to give too much information, but telling people how you feel about something can build rapport. Your personality is essentially your brand and makes you and your business or organization stand out.

4. Try humor – Depending on your audience and subject matter, a funny and tasteful comment, whether it’s one you made up or a classic quote or meme, can make a positive impact.

5. Be yourself – Don’t lean too heavily on “swipe” files or templates. Write in your own words, with your own examples; in writing about your views, don’t shy away from offering advice that differs from others in your industry. Your own words and experiences are more powerful, distinct, and personal than something repeated often elsewhere.

How do you personalize your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Not sure how to connect with your customers or donors? Contact me to fix the flow and sound like a pro.

Quotes

“Actually talk to your customers. Use the language that they use. Talk about the things they talk about. Never feed salad to a lion.” ~ Jay Acunzo

“If you can take your personality and inject it into the message you share, you’ll be one step ahead in the content marketing game.” ~ Jason Miller

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

business communication, business writing, editing, editing your writing, wordiness, writing advice, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing well

5 Ways to Say More With Less in Your Business Writing

1. Cut the qualifiers – “Very,” “really,” and other qualifiers can bloat your writing. Remove them to say more with less.

2. Watch your adverbs – These words usually end in “-ly.” Use them sparingly, only when you need to make a point. They’re usually a sign you should trim the fat.

Example: “The car rolled down the driveway slowly.”
Revised: “The car crawled down the driveway.”

3. Look at adjectives objectively – Like adverbs, adjectives aren’t always necessary. Often, you don’t need them unless they’re relevant to your subject matter.

Example: “Made of high quality steel, these knives are tough enough to slice tin cans.”
Revised: “Made of quality steel, these knives slice through the toughest tin cans.”

4. Be less specific – Instead of writing a long description or explanation, link to another article on the topic to give readers more info. Also, in your wording, you can move from the specific to the general:

Example: “We looked at three houses on Elm Street and one on Forest Avenue before we made an offer on our current home.”
Revised: “We looked at four houses before we made an offer on our current home.”

5. Think visual – Focus on how best to format blocks of text for easier reading. Especially for items in a series or lists, numbers and bullet points are your best friends. For a practical and attractive way to simplify complex information, try using columns. For a more visual approach, infographics can attract attention to your topic.

Advice from an experienced wordsmith can help you learn how to “weed” your words for better growth as a writer and gain you the right leads.

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What are some of your favorite ways to say more with less? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” ~ Blaise Pascal

“The poem is a form of texting…it’s the original text. It’s a perfecting of a feeling in language — it’s a way of saying more with less, just as texting is.” ~ Carol Ann Duffy

building trust, web copywriting, writing advice, writing better, writing in plain english, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Steps to Trustworthy Website Content

1. Double-check – According to the Nielsen Norman Group (NNG), a trustworthy website has error-free copy. “Fuzzy” facts and spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes can make your business or organization look sloppy.

2. Transparency – Upfront disclosure — giving patrons information they need — helps increase the chances of a sale. This can include listing prices and any taxes or shipping fees or a return policy. You don’t need to go into great detail, but offer enough information to satisfy people’s curiosity.

3. Thoroughness – Like the NNG study, a report by Huff Industrial Marketing, KoMarketing, & BuyerZone reveals visitors want more details about a company or organization. Contact, product, or service info, and an “about” page with team bios can help. Research reports, news releases, and client lists or testimonials may also add to your credibility. Show your full range of products or services to appeal to as many people as possible.

4. Go jargon-free – The Huff study also states that website copy should be free of terms that appeal only to others in your industry (unless they’re your target market). It should be clear and easy to understand.

5. Stay up-to-date – Both studies suggest that trustworthy website copy should be current. Old content can make your business or organization look “out of touch,” like you don’t care enough to update it.

What do you think about building trust through your website? Feel free to comment below.

Need to improve your web pages to increase trustworthiness? Contact me.

Quotes

“What we now consider a ‘quality’ website design looks very different from a reputable website of the past, but what influences the perception of quality has not changed and will not change in the future.” – Aurora Harley, Nielsen Norman Group, “Trustworthiness in Web Design: 4 Credibility Factors”

“State what your company offers — and the challenges you solve — in jargon-free language.” ~ Huff Industrial Marketing, KoMarketing, & BuyerZone, “2015 B2B Web Usability Report”

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

writing advice, writing better

5 Ways to Find the Right Words

1. “Google” it – Search for terms similar to the one you’re looking for. The right words may appear like magic in the page summaries.

2. Try a thesaurus or a dictionary – Thesaurus.com and its cousins can come to the rescue in a pinch. One of my favorite hacks is to type “define:” into Google and the word I’m looking for to get synonyms (for example, “define:help”).

3. Search Google apps – If you’re struggling to choose between two words, to see which ones people search for the most, go to Google Trends. (Thanks, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.) Google Ads’ Keyword Planner can also lead you to popular SEO keywords.

4. Use filler – While you search for the right words, jotting down whatever comes to mind can help you find them later. These filler words maintain the flow of your writing.

Follow the lead of one of the best songwriting teams in history, Lennon and McCartney. While George Harrison struggled to finish the lyrics to “Something,” Beatles bandmate John Lennon suggested that George say whatever came into his head each time.

For example, to complete the line “Something in the way she moves / attracts me like…,” John added the word “cauliflower.” George eventually arrived at the perfect phrase to end the lyric: “…no other lover.”

5. Get moving – Sometimes activities like washing dishes, sweeping the floor, or taking a shower, which let our minds wander, can help release the right word.

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

Struggling to find the proper phrases for your newsletters, blog posts, and other content? Contact me.

Quotes

“One day I will find the right words and they will be simple.” ~ Jack Kerouac

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” ~ Mark Twain

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words, writing advice, writing better, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing redundancies, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Make Your Writing More Interesting

1. Variety – We all tend to repeat certain words. Repetition isn’t always bad, but if you use the same terms often and they seem redundant, try different ones. They can make your writing more interesting.

Example: “John’s Nursery and Greenhouse offers everything for your gardening needs in its new heated greenhouse.”
Revised: “John’s Nursery and Greenhouse offers everything for your gardening needs in its new heated store.”

2. Challenge yourself – Mix things up. Move from general to more descriptive terms, such as “German Shepherd” vs. “dog.” Adding minor details can make your writing less generic and more specific.

3. Cut the glut – If you’ve written several passages with the same meaning or that point to obvious information, remove them.

Example: “My conclusions are at the end.”

4. Rehab your vocab – Open a dictionary and point at a page and read about the word you land on. Do crosswords and other brain teasers. A game of Scrabble on your smartphone or with a partner can be fun. Read classic books such as “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power” and “30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary” to expand your verbal horizons.

5. Use more pronouns – When you refer to a person, place, or a thing more than once, use a pronoun (“him,” “her,” “it,” “them,” etc.).

Example: “George kicked the can down the road. George then hopped on his bike to go to the store.”
Revised: “George kicked the can down the road. He then hopped on his bike to go to the store.”

How do you make your writing more interesting? Feel free to comment below.

Do your newsletters, blog posts, and other content have all the ingredients they need to engage readers? If you need to add some “spice” to keep people coming back for seconds, contact me.

Quotes

“The key is using repetition deliberately, consciously, and strategically. If you don’t think it can be effective, imagine if Shakespeare had had Macbeth say: ‘Tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that, creeps in this petty pace from one twenty-four-hour period to another.'” ~ Ben Yagoda, “How Not to Write Bad: the Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them.”

“Duplicate, sequential words result from fairly common sentence constructions, and repetition is often recognized as a typo.” ~ Writer’s Relief

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