Improve Your Business Writing in Ten Minutes with this Checklist

 

Yes, video is all the rage but good business writing is still essential to your company. From SEO to reaching people who hate watching video, you need good writing to get found, convince people they need you over the competition, and to convert leads into sales.

Here’s a checklist that will help you improve everything from web copy to blog posts:

 

• Have your proofread your work? Grammar issues will cause people to lose confidence in your advice and expertise.

 

• Is there sufficient white space? You don’t need to worry about paragraph rules anymore. Want to create emphasis? Give the sentence its own line.

 

• Can your sentence be simpler? Make it so. Too many people skim. They won’t get your meaning if your sentence is too complex.

 

• Are all of your sentences the same? Same structure, same length, do they begin the same? Yes, you want shorter sentence but if they’re all really short, there’s no interest. Interest comes in the variation.

 

• Are there a lot of I’s and we’s in the piece? Try to speak more directly to the reader and involve them by using “you” more often.

 

• Do you tell a story or make an attempt to get the reader to care about your content?

 

• Do you use passive voice? Ditch the “I’m needing to…” for “I need.”

 

• Do you use words that put people to sleep or cause them to shut down? Please, for the love of marketing dump words like “synergy.”

 

• Are your expressions old and tired? Using phrases that have been around so long they’re old hat (see what I did?) turns people off. Instead look for new ways to say the same thing. It will keep readers interested.

 

• Do you use too much industry jargon that outsiders won’t understand? There’s a fine line between writing for your audience and over talking them. Make sure the language you use is understandable and relatable.

 

Finally, read your piece out loud. Listen to the musicality of the words. Are all of your sentences three words or 25? Variation of sentence structure will make it more interesting to the reader. Don’t be afraid to let your tone shine through. You have a personality. You should use it.