18 Writing Tips You Should Hang on Your Wall

After several years of experience in growth and hours of research on the internet, here are my 18 writing tips to improve the way you speak to your audience.
Photo de l'auteur
Sandro DA SILVA
Published on
22/2/2024
Update
29/1/2024
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Table of contents

1. You don't sell anything to the customer

You're not selling anything to the customer. You are giving them the opportunity to change.

2. Don't use overly formal language.

You are the customer's friend. And if your friend asked you for a product recommendation, you certainly wouldn't say: “This device synchronizes the efficiency of multi-level floor plan designs.”

3. Avoid the word “better” at all costs

  • A “better” financial plan
  • A “better” way to live
  • A “better” training plan
  • Etc.

“Better” means gradual improvement. Instead, aim for DIFFERENT. And then be specific about what that difference is.

4. Be a pain reliever, not a vitamin

Vitamins are solutions to problems that the customer does not yet know (urgently and painfully), but that they MAY encounter in the future.

Boring. Pain relievers are solutions to the very urgent and very painful problems that the client is experiencing NOW.

5. Sell the result, not the process

Nobody wants to go to the gym. Everyone wants a six pack. Sell the result and then educate the customer about the process along the way.

6. Write a copy for 1 reader

Don't talk to the crowd. “Hi everyone!” This makes each individual feel invisible, unheard, and ignored. Instead, write directly to 1 person in the crowd. “Hey you.” Thus, each customer feels like the center of the universe.

7. Teach, don't sell.

Nobody buys an electric car until they understand why it's good for the environment. Nobody buys a home gym until they understand why working out at home is so effective. Nobody buys a writing course until they understand why writing online is so beneficial. Teach.

8. Never blame the customer.

If someone is overweight, it's not their fault, it's the food industry's fault! If someone is bad at math, it's not their fault, it's the fault of the education system! Always give the customer someone else to blame.

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9. Base your argument on a shocking statistic

“It takes 660 gallons of water to make a hamburger.” 1 powerful statistic can give incredible credibility to your argument and anchor it in reality. Conversely, avoid listing too many statistics. Too many = too confusing.

10. Prove your arguments

“According to science...” People like to know that what they're using is “scientifically proven.” So go find some research that says it. If one does not exist, conduct your own investigation. Now it's supported by research.

11. Organize information into lists

Reading paragraphs is difficult. And listening to someone speak without structure in their speech sounds like rambling. Instead, group ideas into points, X-step plan, Y-week routine. Customers want to feel organized.

12. Don't overestimate the problem.

Just say what it is “Have you ever had an impossible, excruciating, and mind-blowing period of frustration to find something to watch on TV?” There's no need to do the same. Just say: “Can't you find anything to look at?”

13. Don't oversell the solution.

Just say what it is. Conversely, when it comes time to tell the customer “the answer,” don't feel the need to do a big song and dance. Just tell them: to solve X, you need Y. “And Y is our specialty.”

14. Remind the customer what will happen “if they don't”

If he doesn't fix this problem, X is coming... If it doesn't solve this problem, Y will stay the same... If he doesn't do everything he can to solve this problem, Z will remain an unattainable dream... Raise the ante.

15. Sell the benefits, not the features

Nobody cares what your widget does. They only care about what your widget does FOR THEM.

16. Remove the fear of “buyer's remorse”

To make a prospect switch, talk directly to their fear that it won't work. Offer a full refund or a personal guarantee. Make it clear that you are committed to transforming them. If you deliver, they will trust you forever.

17. Compress what you say into bullet form.

Make sure you're focusing on the right points. Then expand on each point in more detail.

In other words: if you don't know the essentials of what you're writing, what you're saying isn't clear.

18. Make your first sentence a short and strong statement.

E.g.: “There is only one way to get rich.” BOOM!! This short and strong declarative statement hooks the reader up and tells them what they are about to dive into.

Conclusion

Business writing is such an art, and I find it's often misunderstood. Bad writers try to sell, sell, sell. But legendary writers educate in a way where the customer sells themselves. If you want to improve your writing game, start here.

Photo de l'auteur
Sandro DA SILVA
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