Business Writing: 10 Tips for Professional Copywriters for More Effective Written Communication

Do you spend most of your day writing? If the answer is yes, these tips from a professional copywriter in Gloucestershire, UK, could help make writing anything from a simple email to an important business proposal more effective and enjoyable.

As Julie Andrews sang in The sound of the music, Lets start by the beginning. Good writing—effective, engaging writing that gets results—starts with your mental focus before pen touches paper or fingers hit the keyboard.

1. What is your writing business goal?

Sounds obvious, but how many times have you thrown yourself into writing, only to be headed straight for a metaphorical dead end at 90 miles per hour? Whatever you need to write, always allocate time to think about it first. Also don’t be afraid to daydream because the mind often comes up with innovative and creative ideas when we relax. That’s why so many good ideas come up in the shower or on a long car ride. Although your words gain permanence from the keyboard or pen, the most important part of effective business writing is done with our brains.

Sometimes it takes weeks, other times just a minute to capture ideas and structure your business writing. Try mind mapping or another brainstorming technique. By working non-linearly (like our brains), mind maps help us make connections and structure effective documents. The good thing is that a mind map does not need expensive resources. Even an old envelope or paper napkin will do.

Above all, remember that effective business writing is virtually impossible unless you know what you want to accomplish. After thinking about the project, you should have a clear idea of ​​your goal. It’s simple: figure out what you want to achieve and then how to get there.

2. Let your thoughts linger for a while

Often you have to move fast. But if you can, let your ideas rest for a while: ideally an hour or two, overnight or more. Get away from your writing for a while. It’s difficult, but often by going back to it you’ll add additional information.

3. First steps

This is often the hardest part of business writing. But, as someone once said, even the longest journey begins with a single step, so if in doubt, write something down; you can always edit later with the Delete key.

4. Rewrite

And then there is the idea of ​​rewriting. A few years ago, as a copywriter for a public relations agency in Gloucestershire, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was the benefit of rewriting, rewriting, rewriting. It’s like making a rich sauce; as the volume decreases the flavor intensifies.

That said, don’t get sucked into the writer’s version of ‘analysis paralysis’. Effective business writing is about writing something worthwhile and presenting it in front of your audience. Ultimately, 95 percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing. Almost perfect is usually good enough. Remember the law of diminishing returns. Is the effort required for that last percentage of improvement really a good use of your time? Know when to say ‘enough’, then hit the print button.

5. Proofreading for Effective Business Writing

No matter how great the pressure to publish, always proofread your document. Even for email, check carefully because mistakes slip in easily. And don’t be afraid to let an important email stay overnight.

For longer documents, try trying a hard copy. This becomes more important with the importance of the document and the cost implications of getting it wrong. You have been warned.

6. Good writing counts

Even in business writing, it’s easy to get lazy in this age of informality and text language. While there is a place for more casual writing, it probably isn’t in a serious email or on your department’s intranet page.

I have noticed a growing trend for basic grammatical and punctuation conventions to disappear in much of today’s business writing. Even at a high level, among people who should (and are paid enough to) know more, apostrophes, hyphens, exclamation points, ellipses, and dashes are often used incorrectly. This leads to ambiguity, a more difficult reading for the recipient of the message, and an apparent lack of professionalism. The ideal answer is to hire a copywriter to help you, especially with major projects like brochures, case studies, and website content.

7. Headlines and Subtitles

Headings and subheadings help your readers quickly understand the content of your document. Even in a simple email, a strong headline and a few well-placed subheadings can dramatically improve the likelihood that your message will get through. In effective business writing, subheadings help speed readers to quickly assess the content. Particularly in our modern world of short attention spans and information overload, your readers will thank you for using subheadings. And don’t forget the power of a strong email subject header.

8. Don’t try to be too ‘smart’

Sensible formatting and the use of styles in word processing software can often improve your business writing. But remember that ultimately it is the quality of your message rather than the visual appeal of your word processor that will win over your reader. For effective business writing, less is often more, so put most of your effort into a persuasive message rather than a fancy format.

9. AIDA, six W’s and an ‘H’ and FABS: the editor’s friends

In the past, when working in technical sales, I learned about the ‘friends of the salesperson’: the classic AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action) model, and the Six W’s and an ‘H’: Who? What? Where? When? Which? Why? and how? Used in open-ended questions, these will help you understand the purpose, structure, and content of your business writing.

And then there are the Features and Benefits (FAB). Regardless of what your business writing sells, always ‘sell the sizzle, not the sausage’. Features are great, but people buy benefits. Effective business writing focuses on benefits and “what you offer your reader.” If you’re struggling, a good copywriter will have a well-trained eye for the benefits of your product or service. They may even help you find some new ones.

10. The final effect

And finally, there is the bottom line, the discipline introduced by setting time constraints for your business writing. Have you ever had to write something for a very tight deadline? Most likely, it worked surprisingly well. Make use of the final effect; Set yourself a goal and write.

Regardless of what you want your business writing to deliver, these tips should help you plan and write better documents. They are easy to learn and you will quickly see the benefits.

Sometimes, though, there’s no substitute for a professional copywriter when you need effective business writing. Because professional copywriters write day in and day out, they’re in an ideal position to help you with your business writing and free up your time to do more of what you do best, whether it’s running a business, a department, or a project.

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