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business blogging, business communication, business writing, tone, writing better, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Boost Your Writing Style and Tone for Business

1. Know the purpose of your document. Let it determine the appropriate writing style and tone.

Emails: People often write them like they speak, with relaxed language, using contractions and slang (“Let’s talk soon.”). Depending on company culture, internal memos may use more formal wording, forgoing humor and emojis. It may use neutral pronouns to remove potential bias.
Articles, web pages, newsletters, social media, and blog posts: Those that inform can include more neutral wording than those that entertain. If you want to interest people in buying a product or a service or to support something, you may use persuasive wording with psychological triggers, like emails warning of a sale that will end soon.
Crisis communications: When an emergency strikes on a mass scale, consider the gravity of the situation. Serious topics, such as widespread layoffs, a mass killing, or a harmful virus need care and sensitivity. Depending on the circumstances, it’s more empathetic to deliver the news by phone, video, or in person.

2. Simplify. Large blocks of text can be hard to read online, especially without proper formatting. Shorter words, sentences, and paragraphs free of jargon are easier to read. Add a list or bullet points to reduce blocks of text to improve scannability. Write in an active, rather than a passive voice, which fosters complex words and phrases.

3. Clarify. Explain complex concepts. Use examples. Add links to boost comprehension and save words. Insert images if they will enhance your explanation.

4. Show empathy, respect, and sincerity. Think about who your reader is, where they’re at, and what they struggle with.

End your email with a greeting.
Use the words “please” and “thank you” as appropriate.
Consider writing for inclusivity: different races, ethnicities, and people with disabilities.
Consider how readers from another culture may interpret your message.

5. Proofread. As a Forbes article declared, typos, especially lots of them, can make you look sloppy or “kill your brand.” Spell-checking software maker Grammarly reported in their study of 100 LinkedIn profiles of native English speakers that it can affect a professional’s ability to be promoted. They found that the profiles of people who weren’t promoted to a director-level position in the first ten years of their careers had 2.5 more errors than those who advanced.

Need to improve the tone or other parts of your writing to boost your image and your success? Consider a business writing coaching session.

BOOK A COACHING SESSION

What kind of tone works for you in your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Don’t you type at me in that tone of voice.” ~ Anonymous

“A writer doesn’t have a soundtrack or a strobe light to build the effect she wants. She has conflict, surprise, imagery, details, the words she chooses, and the way she arranges them in sentences.” ~ Adair Lara

subheadings, titles, writing, writing advice, writing better, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Hook Readers With Your Subheadings

1. Move from the general to the specific. As one whiskey maker put it, “Don’t be vague — ask for Haig.”

Example: Scenarios for Changing Trusts
Revised: How to Divide Trust Assets Fairly

Another way to clarify your subheadings (and improve SEO) is to use questions people ask from Google’s Instant or Answer box or Answer the Public.

Example: When Should You Decant a Trust?

Several subheadings in a long article can form a table of contents.

2. Keep count – In a study of 100 million article headlines by digital marketing experts BuzzSumo, the top two most engaging headlines began with a number.

Example: 7 Ways NOT to Win an Argument

Numbers in headings can also help your SEO. For instance, many top-ranked pages have numbers in the titles and subheadings. They’re timeless attention-getters in ads and on magazine covers.

3. Add benefits – Think of subheadings as part of the content that helps promote your piece throughout. Feature a different benefit in each subsection.

Example: Sharpening Your Subheads to Build Engagement

4. Get active – Through action verbs and persuasive wording, subheads can lead into a call-to-action.

Example: “Listen to music ad-free and offline, free until December 6, 2022. Cancel anytime.” (Spotify)

5. Use moderation – Explain, but not too much. Leave some mystery with simplicity.

Example: How Sears Keeps its Promise

Interested in repurposing or re-posting your existing content? Consider a makeover to help increase impressions.

BOOST YOUR ENGAGEMENT

How have you used subheadings effectively? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“Subheadings are like signposts for your readers.” ~ Cinden Lester

“Write subheads that reveal, rather than conceal, your contents.” ~ Ann Wylie, Wylie Communications

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

business communication, business writing, clear writing, writing advice, writing more clearly, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Think Clearly to Write Clearly for Your Business

1. State the theme or goal – To write clearly for your business, jot what you want to say and why in one sentence. This sentence may serve as a guide throughout, helping you keep to one topic.

2. Know your reader – Put yourself in their shoes. Marketers often espouse the concept of personas, creating sketches of an average reader. For example, what does your average reader look like? Where do they live? What do they do? Thinking about them can help you refine your concept and the language you’ll use to reach them.

3. Think through it – Consider the 5 W’s and the H of journalism: who, what, when, where, why, and how. As part of critical thinking — based on information gathered from observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, connect these parts logically to each other, building on each point. Follow a logical progression of ideas. Talking to others about these concepts before you begin can help you clarify your ideas and expose you to other views.

4. Set boundaries – Decide on the format and structure — outline the key points. Or, as prewriting practice, write through your concept in a series of numbered steps. Or pretend you’re writing a Twitter post and break each thought into bullet points or numbers. This can help you arrange your thoughts logically.

5. Prime your mind – Before you write, read pithy prose by Ernest Hemingway, E.B. White, William Zinsser, or the greats in your genre as examples of how to keep it simple.

Is your writing as clear as mud? Find out how to turn your gibberish into everyday English to gain the right clients.

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How do you think clearly to write clearly? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” ~ David McCullough

“Anyone who can think clearly can write clearly. But neither is easy.” ~ William Feather

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.

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

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