With the explosion of content marketing, marketers are writing more and more. But quantity doesn’t mean quality. Maxine-Laurie Marshall goes through the basics of writing well
‘I have a dream’: Martin Luther King. ‘I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king’: Elizabeth I. ‘If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?’: William Shakespeare.
Words are powerful. The words above have lasted the corrosive test of time. The words above were not thrown together in two minutes because ‘it’s only a couple of sentences’. The sentences were carefully crafted. Can you say the same about the sentences you’ve put together recently?
Words can be incredibly powerful, so be careful with them and learn to use them to your advantage.
When faced with a blank word document and a cursor whose flashing seems to get more aggressive the longer the page remains empty, begin by making a note of the goal for the piece. Scott McLean, co-founder and COO of The Intelligent Marketing Institute, says: “Think of it as a journey for the reader: where are they starting from and where do you want their thinking to be by the end of the piece of content.” Smarayda Christoforou, DMA copywriter recalls advice given to her by a past editor: “Before you start writing, ask yourself what the most interesting or exciting thing is about the story. What really stuck in your mind? The chances are, it’s what will interest your reader.”
Plan and structure
It’s often at the next phase many marketers fall down. McLean asserts: “You really must jot down a rough structure for the article.” This is where a lot of the work takes place. You’ve got an end goal, but without planning your route to get there you’ll end up taking the reader on a laborious, confusing journey and you’ll be lucky if anyone makes it to the end. Break your piece of writing up in to sections and note what you will speak about at each, this is the bare bones of your story.
Every story must have a strong introduction. McLean says: “Dull, obvious or confusing intros to articles are another major problem. Broadly speaking, if you get the intro right then the rest of the article will come together nicely assuming you have a decent structure for what you want to go on to say. However, get the intro wrong and you are pretty much wasting your time. Your reader simply will not read beyond the intro if it is of poor quality.”
When writing, Tilly Travers, head of content at Berkeley PR, uses a three-part formula consisting of story, style and structure. While structure has been covered above, when speaking about story and style she says: “We all know what makes a good story. Imagine you’re at a dinner party, who would you rather be sitting next to? A guest with something interesting to say about a topical issue, expressed in a way that draws you in? Or someone telling you how amazing they are? When it comes to style, it’s worth remembering you are asking someone to give up 10 minutes, or more, of their time to read what you have to say. Make it a pleasant experience for them. Use fresh, engaging words and vary your sentence flow, but keep it crisp and clear. Studies show that people feel more positive towards concepts and words they find easy to understand. Communications professionals can get stuck in jargon or fixed messaging that quickly sounds sterile.”
Common errors
While you’re writing your well structured, goal-orientated piece of content, there are some bad habits that may creep in. One is paying a little too much attention to the advice you learnt in school. Alan Cairns, senior content manager at Jellyfish, says: “Despite what your primary school teacher taught you, it is okay to repeat words in quick succession. If it’s the right word, it’s the right word. You can also start a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but’.” Another common error pointed out by Cairns is not paying attention to the actual meaning of words: “Use precise language and pay attention to the meaning of the words you use. Many words are similar, few are equivalent. Be careful in your choice. It matters. E.g. ‘The government seems sympathetic’ is not the same as ‘The government is sympathetic’.” This ties in to one of George Orwell’s six writing rules: ‘Never use a long word where a short one will do.’ Many people make the mistake of thinking the longer and more complicated the word, the more intelligent they sound. Usually the opposite is true. If I don’t understand your copy, I’m not going to think it’s very good.
It’s also worth remembering if you’re struggling, there’s no shame in taking a break from it. Matt Cowan, director of media at Nelson Bostock Unlimited, says: “The truth is, if you’re any kind of writer or communicator, you’ll get there. Walking away from a computer sometimes gives you the distance to know where to go next. You just know when it’s right. I don’t think there’s one right way to create content.”
After it’s written
Writing your blog, whitepaper, newsletter or LinkedIn post is only half the job. Now you have to get someone else to read it. You will have made mistakes with spelling and grammar, you will have included a hilarious joke that no-one else will understand. You will have included a sentence that does not need to be there. You will have included these because you’re human, we all do it. McLean says: “Pay as much attention to proofing the piece of content as to writing it. As a rule, everything you publish should be proofed by someone else. This is the only way to ensure you have written something that is actually readable.”
The final step is often not thought about at all. Typography can dictate whether your beautifully crafted message will get read. However, don’t be mistaken, good typography can’t save bad copy. Allan Haley, director of words and letters at Monotype, says: “It is almost impossible to look and read at the same time. They are different actions. Good typography can encourage readership, but it is ultimately the words that are remembered.”
With this in mind bad typography can hinder good copy. Haley reveals some of the most common errors he sees marketers make: “The most common typographic errors are those of fashion. Typeface choice, size and arrangement based on what is chic is very often not only out of fashion, but also inappropriate for the message, situation or reader. In 90 per cent of textual communication, classic typefaces and typographic orchestration are the best choice. It’s why they are classic. Typography is about subtle placement of small things. If line spacing is off by one point, if any of its small facets are out of harmony, typography can distract the reader – and the words will be lost.”
Writing is a complicated process, it really isn’t just a case of knocking something together quickly. Hopefully this little walk-through of some dos and don’ts will act as a guide. However, never be afraid to put yourself on a course. Writing is often seen as a basic skill that everyone already has. This isn’t true, but it is a skill that can be learnt. Christoforou concludes by highlighting the fact marketers’ skillsets aren’t a million miles away from those required to be an effective writer: “If you’ve never done any professional writing, I’d seriously consider taking a short course to get to grips with the basics. Marketers are skilled communicators. With the right guidance they can transfer this aptitude to their writing.”
• Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
• Never use a long word where a short one will do.
• If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
• Never use the passive where you can use the active.
• Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
• Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
