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Business Writing Skills II - A Web Writing Primer
Whatever you would write on paper, cut it in half. The web was designed for quick reading. Studies show that people do not read long blocks of text while surfing the web; reading from the screen is often slower than reading on paper. Therefore, be...
Five Steps To Online Copywriting Success
One of the most important priorities of evey online business should be their copywriting. Online copywriting skills are a "must have" for anyone who is thinking about real success with their online business.
It doesn't matter if you're marketing a...
New to Article Writing - Start Here
The internet articles writer can find thousands of tips and endless advice, much of it is good and some is worth its weight in gold. Sometimes writers get too complicated and try to produce articles that reflect all the great advice they have...
The Top Five Writing Mistakes Professionals Make
Yes, you know your subject. You also need to think about entertaining your audience, and making your book or other writing easy to read. If your writing lacks organization and compelling, vital sentences that convince your readers to keep...
Writing Guarantees that Sell
“This offer is good but can you guarantee it.” Why write a guarantee for your product or service? It reduces the risk in the eyes of your customers, enough to turn a cynical customer into a convinced customer. So, what makes a good guarantee?...
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Golden Rules for Writing
Golden Rules for Writing
By: Sonali Raval, Writer at Work, MBA
Want to add punch to your words?
Want to write copy that gets results?
Here are some golden rules that make for powerful writing....
Oh, before you get all excited - a small note of caution. Not every writer will agree with me. But these are rules I have made for myself after a lot of trial and errors. I follow them no matter what I am writing. Even personal letters and emails. And they work. Always.
Define the "take-away"
First things first. Define to yourself the "take away" - the one single message you want the reader to understand and remember. This will determine what arguments you include and what facts you use to support your position.
The take away could be anything - your opinion on a topic, product benefits, what your company stands for... By the way, in case I haven't made it clear yet - My "take-away" today is to leave you with some tips that will turn your text into "Writing that Works."
Know your audience
Think of your audience as a person, not a customer base. Create a mental picture of ONE individual - her likes, dislikes, preferences, habits etc. Color it with as much detail as you can. Pay particular attention to two things - her understanding of your topic and her language ability. Then, write to HER. Pitch your words at her level, talk to her in a tone and voice she appreciates.
Tell a Story
Stories fascinate us. That's why they sell so much.
If you surf the net, you must have come across tens of sales letters saying the same thing - "I am an average guy, with average skills. Yet I am making tons of money. Buy my book / program / workshop / whatever... and I will show you how to do it." Believe it or not, these letters
work! That's why there are so many floating around.
Another big draw is a "case study". Case studies that describe a real life problem and then offer a convincing solution are being used as very effective marketing tools. An informal survey shows that almost every business professional opens and reads email with "case study" as the subject line.
Benefits First
Q: When is it right to not emphasize benefits?
A: Never.
Enough said.
Be Direct - Make Action Calls
Tell your reader what action you expect.
If she doesn't know what you want, she can't give it.
One of my friends did a survey to find out why people in Ahmedabad do not donate blood. The result was amazing. 88% of the respondents said: I do not donate because nobody asked me to donate.
Don't make the same mistake.
Limit yourself
Ah! This is one rule I have a lot of trouble with J
When writing, less is definitely more. Whatever you do, don't try to cram too many things into one piece of writing. It dilutes your message; leaves the reader confused and you almost never achieve your objective.
Instead, make one strong statement. Back it up with 3-4 credible facts. And then, leave it there. Resist the temptation to include everything you know.
Having said this, I must end my article here.
About the Author
Sonali Raval is a corporate communications professional based in India. An Economist and MBA by training, she is a freelance writer by choice. Sonali's writing credits include motivational & soft skills articles, ad copy, speeches, brochures, business proposals, case studies, & web copy. She helps business professionals craft crisp, convincing copy. mailto:sonali@writeratwork.com or visit her at http://www.writeratwork.com
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| Writing.Com: Writers, Writing, Poetry, Creative Writing, Fiction ... |
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| www.writing.com |
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| grammar.ccc.commnet.edu |
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| Purdue University's Online Writing Lab - The OWL Family of Sites |
| Writing lab and resources. Email newsletter available. |
| owl.english.purdue.edu |
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| OWL at Purdue University: General Writing Concerns Handouts |
| This page contains important links to the writing: planning/writing/revising aspects of the OWL website. |
| owl.english.purdue.edu |
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| Writing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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| Writing.org - Advice for Freelance Writers |
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| National Novel Writing Month - National Novel Writing Month |
| NaNoWriMo is an annual (November) novel writing project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world. |
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| Poynter Online |
| Apply by Dec. 11 Reporting and Writing the Untold Stories Apply by Dec. 11 ... Reporting & Writing for Multi-Platform Newsrooms. Apply by Jan. 10 ... |
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| Pages tagged with "writing" on del.icio.us |
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| BBC Get Writing |
| The BBC's online resource for writing drama and comedy for television, radio and film. |
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| TOC About Writing |
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| 11 Rules of Writing -- a concise guide to important grammar ... |
| A concise guide to some of the most frequently violated rules of writing, punctuation, and grammar. |
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| NAEP Writing Subject Area |
| NAEP assesses student performance in writing periodically in grades 4, 8, and 12 for the nation, and in grades 4 and 8 for the states. |
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| IPL Teenspace: A+ Research & Writing |
| Includes step-by-step instructions on researching and writing, how to find information online and offline, as well as links to useful resources. |
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| Dictionary.com: Writing Resources |
| Free online English dictionary and reference guide. List of sites writers can use. |
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| WritingFix: Home of Interactive Writing Prompts and 6 Trait ... |
| Daily and interactive writing prompts. |
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| Advice on Academic Writing |
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