Produce a fast read that’s exciting to share
Online platforms have changed the way people acquire content, including the way they read it. The Internet has made information readily available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The novelty factor has long worn off, with fewer people bothering to actually read content in full.
They speed read instead.
What does that mean for your organization? It means that your promotional materials – whether hard or soft copy – have to be written so they’re easy to skim and scan. And yet, companies continue to flood their users with verbiage.
A McKinsey Global Institute report on social economy has shown that office workers spend 28% of their average week reading and answering email while searching and gathering information comprises only 19% of their time. In light of constraints affecting today’s workforce, your best bet is to make relevant information easy to find.
According to Richard Branson, all effective pitches must be free of jargon and pithy enough to fit on a glass coaster. “If your pitch can’t fit on a beer mat, a napkin, or back of envelope, I’d rather listen to someone else’s pitch that can fit,” he said.
Plan information architecture so that important bits stand out. Guide users with “document road signs” that are meaningful
for them and pepper the copy with language that grips readers. This will entice users to share content.
More information isn’t always a winning formula. But introducing more understanding of your topic is.
Editor’s corner
You can boost readability by:
- Starting with a jolt. Write the opening paragraph as a summary of your document. This will help users get the gist of your message, especially if they’re reading a long report. Explain briefly the document’s importance and follow up with suggestions and the conclusion.
- Slicing your text in half. Less is more. Reducing your verbosity by 50% will actually double the quantity of data consumed by the readers. And if you’re recycling content from existing sales copy, chop the material ruthlessly before it makes its way to your online platform.
- Choosing illustrative headings. You can improve understanding and increase readability by using headings that specifically describe each section. If you describe each section in your headings, you will create a narrative thread which, in turn, will boost readability.
- Giving oxygen to wordy paragraphs. Pleonasms put readers off so it’s important to punch a few holes in the narrative. Highlighted text, bullets, headings and shorter paragraphs will reduce density and energize readers.
- Applying consistency. When you implement a particular design or document structure, don’t change the course half way. Consistency ensures that readers follow your document like a map, and easily retrieve relevant information.
Convey meaning and value
What’s the primary purpose of your business writing? To decipher crude data for your users.
Statistics and industry-specific terms can rapidly become a regular occurrence for business writers, especially in-house writers. The outcome is that users who may benefit from the narrative, but don’t speak tech, will turn away.
A writer’s job is to always ask, “Why this?” And then provide a wider context. This involves choosing data that’s applicable and timely, and then presenting it in plain words.
Don’t be deceived believing that numbers can tell the whole story. It’s impossible.
Find the right balance between a tech wizard and a laid-back browser. Because you don’t know who’s perusing your website: It may be an admin with tech background. But it can also be a manager who can only pick up the thread of your product line, but may not be as proficient in the sophisticated nuances of your narrative.
Also, don’t assume that prospects understand your company, or the industry for that matter. A writing style that’s easy to follow and understand will ensure your strategy is well communicated.
For highly technical thought leadership documents, the best tactic is to pace the way you arrange information and figures. You don’t want to overwhelm your reader with too many words, or too many numbers. This involves rolling out one powerful detail after another to construct your narrative. It also means planting no number on the page without providing context.
Editor’s corner
Always aim to leave the user better informed. To achieve this you need to produce effective communication hinging on meaningful content that:
- Is data-centric. All prospects are driven by the desire to make money. But unless you convert your data into a message that spells out how your prospect’s business will grow, your efforts are futile.
- Includes real experiences. When you include authentic quotes from real people who have benefited from your product or service, you will connect with your audience on a deeper level.
- Demonstrates rather than declares. Showing facts cements credibility by a case in point. And reduces the possibility of blowing one’s own horn. A demonstration of data is like an x-ray that reveals information rather than describes it.
- Informs. Talk about the functionalities and advantages of your offer, their market relevance and how they solve your prospects’ problems.
- Has an element of surprise. Have the courage to alternate between constancy and disruption. Everyone needs a bit of variety. Meaningful messages that are laced with humor and surprise keep audiences engrossed.
Use words to convey emotion
Just as word-of-mouth fables have stood the test of time, a well-crafted story stirs up your readers’ emotions about the data braided into it.
Regardless of the promotional format you’re writing – sustainability report, white paper or knowledge base – the goal remains the same: influence. As marketing influencers, your job is to convince companies to buy your products. Employees have to be convinced to follow your business plan. Investors must be convinced to buy your shares.
But most business communications fail to convince.
Much of today’s corporate literature doesn’t provoke even the slightest emotion because business leaders stick with predictable language. This tactic can best be summed up like this: Our main business problems remain sluggish economic recovery and lower-than anticipated projections. We are taking the following steps to minimize risks going forward.
The company then rolls out communication initiatives in support of this justification. Sadly, this tactic is full of holes.
- It sounds like an excuse.
- Your readers have their own set of assumption which, more often than not, collide with your own.
- Audiences are less likely to be inspired by a narrative based on a set of macroeconomic indicators.
A powerful story, however, can combine strategy and passion effectively. This is one of the best recipes to peak your readers’ curiosity and invoke appropriate emotions.
Even so, write in moderation. Avoid going on a tangent saying great things about yourself. You’ll only risk venturing into fantasy terrain and arousing skepticism in your audience. Remember than even candid accounts packed with facts are often viewed with cynicism.
If the story sounds too good to be true, expect readers to be suspicious.
Editor’s corner
You don’t need a built-in flare for drama to produce a compelling story. Just adopt the following simple rules:
- Give structure to your story with a beginning, middle and end. Without structure, contents will be scattered like a bathtub overflowing and your readers will think you’re rambling.
- Pick the right villain: paint your client’s problems as the adversary. Then empower your customer with the superpower that is your solution.
- Don’t give a laundry list of your business departments – tell your readers why it was founded in the first place. Show how it creates value for stakeholders and society. What it believes in and where it’s heading.
Finally smile often and have fun with your copy
If this paper demonstrated anything, it’s that fostering credibility and writing effectively is serious business. Now and then, however, injecting a bit of humor can be just as valuable.
Former Twitter chief operating officer Dick Costolo, who trained in improvisational comedy, sent out a tweet in 2009 saying the following, “First full day as Twitter COO tomorrow. Step one, undermine CEO, consolidate power.” As it turned out, Costolo really did become Twitter’s chief executive the following year. He held that position for five years before leaving the company.
Now consider the standard executive bios. A good many of them are written with a monotony equivalent to queuing up at the post office. Plus, writers routinely persist on hoarding a whole life’s chronology into a biography when few hand-picked details will do.
As Maurice Schweitzer of University of Philadelphia’s Wharton School points out, humor can boost status. Being funny means taking a risk, and being risky shows confidence. And in the corporate world, people look up to those who are confident.
What’s more, a Robert Half survey found that 91% of executives believe a sense of humor is important for career advancement; while 84% feel that people with a good sense of humor do a better job. Plus, an academic paper has confirmed that humor has a positive influence on a range of desirable organizational outcomes – group cohesiveness, team performance, employee resilience and coping, citizenship behaviors and leadership effectiveness.
Editor’s corner
Jokes are no laughing matter. They’re great devices for cajoling a chuckle from your readers and inciting positive feelings about your company. Sprinkle your text with:
- Details. Details. Details. Avoid broad statements and focus on authentic moments that jump off the page.
- Dramatic contrast. Polarizing opposites provide texture and reduce dullness (a rugged man in a flannel suit picked up the baby and started spinning around).
- Exaggeration. You don’t have to blow things out of proportion, but inflating things beyond their real scope can create a powerful comic effect (my big tummy is actually sunken muscle).
- Unusual words. Used sparingly, words that aren’t part of our daily verbal traffic add vigor to the narrative (credulity, noisome, vitriol).
- Eccentric hobby. Sharing information about your unusual pastimes shows authenticity (you may see my collection of red-lipped batfish photos here).
About Vera Ovanin
Not many writers have Vera’s breadth of experience, business acumen and tech- marketing savvy. A writer by training, but equipped with an MBA and know-how gained in the software trenches, Vera brings a unique spin to stakeholder messaging during every project.
From small companies to medium-sized firms and industry associations, Vera has helped organizations launch successful communication initiatives for their prospects and clients.
Business communication services
If you need help reaching your stakeholders more effectively, Vera will be happy to provide the following services:
- Corporate writing. Build stronger stakeholder relationships with thought leadership materials that connect your service offer to your prospects’ bottom line.
- Editorial services. Improve your existing marketing communications whether your documents require a complete revamp or few light touches.
Visit all Vera’s blog posts here, view samples of her work and find out more about her services.
