Tips

Five Keys to Good Writing

• Clarity—say things simply and directly. Avoid words that add nothing. They only clutter up the landscape.
• Message—put the important stuff first. Don’t save up for the big finish or the reader will finish first by clicking away.
• Focus—stay on point instead of trying to include every thought in your head. If you don’t focus, neither will the reader.
• Purpose—be specific about your goals and then be economical in how many words you spend to get there.
• Accuracy—never imply you have skills, services, experience or products you don’t. It will kill your reputation.

Five Ways to Lose Customers

• Misspelled words—spell check should have made this almost unnecessary. Use it. It makes you seem unprofessional.
• Poor grammar—learn the parts of a sentence use them all in most cases except for slogans. It damages your credibility.
• Incorrect punctuation—punctuation serves as traffic control for sentences. Avoid collisions.
• Jargon—these overused parasitic words and phrases drain meaning from language.
• Bore them—you can only excite your reader if you are excited about what you are saying. Repetition needs to have purpose.