How To Make Your Writing Above Average

 

The power of saying more with less.

That’s the philosophy behind this brief book, “Smart Brevity”, written by the founders/journalists - of Axios.

You’re wondering, “Will this book’s tactics and principles improve the readability of my emails, my LinkedIn posts, my Twitter posts, my advertising copy, etc.?

Yes.

WHY IT MATTERS: your audience wants you to put them first in anything you write.

They want to know something new and exciting.

But, our “average” writing achieves the opposite:

  • Our writing is self-centered, meandering, and dull.

  • We compose emails that take two paragraphs to get to the point.

  • Our PowerPoint slides are filled with long sentences that do nothing but detract from the presentation.

DO THE “SMART BREVITY” PRINCIPLES WORK? Yep.

  • Using the principles of the book, our October Market Force email campaign returned a 100% higher “click rate” than any of our previous campaigns (click rate = how many links were clicked).

  • Our favorite tip from the book? “A muscular tease: whether in a tweet, headline, or email subject line, you need six or fewer words to yank someone’s attention…

To download the six “Smart Brevity” principles, click here >

Need examples of “Smart Brevity”? Here are some “BEFORE AND AFTER”:

Example: A tough conversation with a co-worker

After: Here is one thing you need to improve fast: put more effort into your core tasks.

Before: “You do so many great things, and I know I have my flaws, and life is hard and unpredictable, but I really need you to show a little more effort on the projects we assign to you. If you continue to struggle with effort, I will need to put you on a performance plan.”

Example: Email subject line

After: Our chief of staff quit

Before: Staff update to share with you this week when you have time…

Example: Opening sentence of an email

After: I’m throwing an epic bash with a live band.

Before: I know you’re busy and have so much on your plate, but I was hoping to let you know that I am throwing a party and hoping to have a live band to play at it and might need your help in putting some stuff together.

GO DEEPER: Learn more about “Smart Brevity” here >

 
Matt Gauerke