Word Puking, or How to Say Nothing While Wasting Time and Losing Customers

Word Puking, or How to Say Nothing While Wasting Time and Losing Customers

I’m a little irritated, as you’ll see as you read this post. Why? Because I’ve come across another example of worthless writing that makes all of us who care look bad. As the amount of information inundating us daily continues to increase and our ability to pay attention to it continues to decrease, it becomes ever more important to communicate well…if we want to communicate at all. This is especially true when writing at work as well as writing for sales. Yet I continue to see countless examples of what I call word puking. What is...
The Easiest Writing Tip Ever: Start with “You”

The Easiest Writing Tip Ever: Start with “You”

What’s the easiest writing tip ever? Don’t start with “we” or “I.” This makes me crazy in copywriting, because any time a marketing piece–be it an email, a web page, a print piece–starts with “we” or “I,” we’ve turned off the potential customer. Why? Because people only care about themselves, and that includes you and me, so I’m not dissin’ on anyone here. We are all only human. But, here’s the deal: This is also a turnoff in business...
Successful Writing at Work Means Dropping Out of the Cult of Busy-ness

Successful Writing at Work Means Dropping Out of the Cult of Busy-ness

Originally published June 2020, Updated June 2024 Successful writing at work requires more than typing a lot of emails. It requires solid writing skills and a focus on clear and concise communications. And it’s harder than it sounds. In part, that’s because you might be lacking the three business writing skills no one taught you, as I’ve said before. But you’re also up against the culture of our time—a culture that worships busy-ness and task saturation. And you know what kind of work writing comes out of a culture like that? Sucky...
Wine Labels and the Future of Freelancing

Wine Labels and the Future of Freelancing

The story I’m about to tell is about wine, but it’s also about writing and editing, and your future if you’re freelancing… This story is from a while back, but the message is as pertinent now as then: Years ago, I was visiting friends in Santa Barbara, Calif. They were close friends with winemakers in the area, so I got to see the inner workings of one winery, to learn more about the process. Shipping boxes were piled in the middle of the room full of wine barrels waiting to get branded with labels. The winemaker lamented having to...
11 Common Business Writing Mistakes that Have Nothing to Do with Your Grammar

11 Common Business Writing Mistakes that Have Nothing to Do with Your Grammar

Originally published October 2019, Updated June 2024. Have you ever realized you’ve been making the same mistake over and over, unaware it was a mistake? And I don’t mean business writing mistakes, not yet… Growing up I had a friend who would say “for all intents and purposes.” I thought she kept saying “for all intensive purposes.” I didn’t know what it meant but she is smarter than me so I figured I just didn’t understand her fancy lingo. I was in my mid 20s before I figured out my error—and her saying made sense....