by Sharon Ernst | May 25, 2026 | Proofreading and Editing
(Originally published Feb 2022. Updated May 2026) Clear writing is sadly lacking in both marketing and business content these days. Here’s why… No matter how many decades I spend working with words, I continue to be shocked by the lack of writing for clarity all around me. I see cluttered and clunky writing everywhere, in marketing content and in business writing. Usually it would only take a little bit of proofreading and editing. Sometimes I wonder if people are getting paid by the word, for goodness sake! But, no, I realize...
by Sharon Ernst | Apr 15, 2025 | Business Writing Skills
Originally published March 2020, Updated April 2025 When writing in business, we are wasting a lot of time and money, at least from where I sit. And the more examples of writing I see, the more I believe no one bothered to teach most of us three critical things about writing in business. What are the three business writing essentials you need to know? You must write for the audience You should know the writing process Details matter I don’t need to keep telling you business writing skills have spiraled downward in this country. You...
by Sharon Ernst | Sep 27, 2024 | Business Email Writing
Originally published May 2020. Updated September 2024. Why should you care about effective business emails? Because they save time, both for you and for the people you email. How do they save time? Because you write fewer emails when you are better at it. When you’re a competent and considerate writer of emails, you cut down on the unnecessary back-and-forth email traffic and the clutter in your inbox. And your reward? You get back time. Better emails = better brand + time saved In my last post on business email writing, I talked...
by Sharon Ernst | Jun 3, 2024 | Business Writing Skills
My friend Brenda sent me an email with an attachment and a cryptic message. The email said simply: “I believe a better word choice here may be hosting an event.” Confused, I opened the attachment to find a flyer for a resort with a huge headline that asked: Are You Having an Affair? I laughed out loud. After all, there’s a huge difference between hosting an event and having an affair. Below the headline, the flyer went on to promote the resort for romantic getaways, family gatherings, bachelorette parties, and so on. So yes, to...
by Sharon Ernst | Feb 5, 2024 | Business Writing Skills
Updated February 2024. Professional business writing tips should include “be wary of trends” because every few years it seems we have some kind of odd language trend that dumbs down our communications. In the recent past, we’ve experienced the persistent “you know” inserted into almost every sentence and now we have the annoying “no worries” that’s currently used in place of “you’re welcome.” Sometimes these phrasings are used in verbal speech only, and are not crossing over into business writing, so that’s a relief. I can’t see any...
