(Originally published April 2017) When it comes to business writing, a lot of us think we are better at it than we really are. If our grammar is correct and we’ve got our facts straight, that’s all that really matters, right?

Wrong. Because our business writing has a job to do. It’s called writing at work because it’s supposed to work. Sadly, much of the writing done in the workplace today fails to work, costing American businesses billions of dollars and keeping employees busy sending pointless emails long after work hours.

I’ll give you a quick example of business writing that’s not working: What’s wrong with this email I copied and pasted below? (Ignore the tweaks I made to keep it anonymous.)

Dear (Job Title),
According to ABC Research, more than XX% of employees in the United States are challenged by topic. Does your business have the tools and strategies ready to meet their needs?

Join us for a webinar on May 6, Webinar Title Here where attendees will hear from a manager from one of the top something businesses in the nation.

For more information, visit URL or click here to register.

We hope to virtually see you there!
Name, etc.

At first glance, maybe you think it looks fine. It’s clearly written, right? Concise, professional, error-free…I’ll give you that. But something is missing. Do you see it—or the absence of it?

The something that’s missing is a common failure in business writing: It fails to answer the “So what?” question, a.k.a. the “What’s in it for me?” question.

And that’s a fail—a major fail—because if your writing is not working, what’s the point? Your writing at work has a job to do. If it’s not doing its job, it’s not writing—its only words on a page (or a screen).

Think about it: Why do we write anything? To communicate.

Whether it’s your to-do list to yourself in the morning, your emails to co-workers during the day, or a text to your mom that evening, all of your writing is intended to communicate something.

Whether it’s your to-do list to yourself in the morning, your emails to co-workers during the day, or a text to your mom that evening, all of your writing is intended to communicate something.

Now I admit that this email I copied and pasted above is kind of communicating. It has the who, what, when and where. But it lacks the why. Not that every piece of writing requires a why. But this one does, because it’s trying to drive action. This email is intended to get the recipient to do something: to register for the webinar. But it doesn’t ever say why someone should register. There’s nothing about what we’ll learn or walk away with or why we should give up an hour of our busy days to listen in. So why would we?

That’s a particularly huge fail for this email because this is a sales email. But even everyday business writing must have a purpose and must clearly answer the “what’s in it for me” question.

When you write something intended to drive action, remember to include the reasons why someone should want to comply.

…the what’s in it for me” should be clear to the reader.

But even if it’s not intended to drive action, the “what’s in it for me” should be clear to the reader. Otherwise your business writing is not working—literally or figuratively.

Sharon Ernst is a retired freelance copywriter now on a mission to improve the business and marketing writing skills of today’s workforce with her blog, newsletter and online classes.