Author: Michelle Troutman

Michelle Troutman has spent more than a decade crafting attention-getting newsletters and other content for service providers. She specializes in creating standout e-newsletters for law firms and economic development organizations. Her marketing and business administration background and education enhance clear and persuasive copy that speaks to the right clients. Through features in publications like "Attorney at Work" and "Law Fuel," and her e-newsletter and YouTube channel, she inspires service professionals to create engaging content. She enjoys helping businesses that sell their expertise reach their ideal customers.

business communication, business writing, clear writing, writing advice, writing more clearly, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Think Clearly to Write Clearly for Your Business

1. State the theme or goal – To write clearly for your business, jot what you want to say and why in one sentence. This sentence may serve as a guide throughout, helping you keep to one topic.

2. Know your reader – Put yourself in their shoes. Marketers often espouse the concept of personas, creating sketches of an average reader. For example, what does your average reader look like? Where do they live? What do they do? Thinking about them can help you refine your concept and the language you’ll use to reach them.

3. Think through it – Consider the 5 W’s and the H of journalism: who, what, when, where, why, and how. As part of critical thinking — based on information gathered from observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, connect these parts logically to each other, building on each point. Follow a logical progression of ideas. Talking to others about these concepts before you begin can help you clarify your ideas and expose you to other views.

4. Set boundaries – Decide on the format and structure — outline the key points. Or, as prewriting practice, write through your concept in a series of numbered steps. Or pretend you’re writing a Twitter post and break each thought into bullet points or numbers. This can help you arrange your thoughts logically.

5. Prime your mind – Before you write, read pithy prose by Ernest Hemingway, E.B. White, William Zinsser, or the greats in your genre as examples of how to keep it simple.

Is your writing as clear as mud? Find out how to turn your gibberish into everyday English to gain the right clients.

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How do you think clearly to write clearly? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” ~ David McCullough

“Anyone who can think clearly can write clearly. But neither is easy.” ~ William Feather

business communication, business newsletters, business writing, newsletter advice, newsletter tips, newsletter writing, writing a newsletter

5 Newsletter Writer Skills for Better Engagement

1. Great writing – Clear, simple, and concise writing maintains interest better than long, rambling sentences and big words. Beyond those basics, a newsletter writer should excel at “writing tight.” Newsletters are often 500 or fewer words. Most e-newsletter content is condensed, such as news, featured blog posts, or upcoming events. A good newsletter writer should have the skills to say more with less.

2. Sticky subject lines and catchy CTAs – Great newsletter writing also involves creating strong headlines and “calls-to-action” (CTAs). The best ones feature a benefit, some urgency, and are clear, concise, and enticing. They do much of the “heavy lifting,” influencing people to keep reading or do something, such as clicking on a link. They help you and your audience get somewhere. Like CTAs, headlines that build curiosity, with “power” words or adjectives, can get results.

CTA Example: Get $5 Off Now
Headline Example: Enjoy Some Brews, Do Good, and Have Fun This Saturday

3. Industry knowledge – Some industries have their own advertising guidelines; sometimes marketers must follow them as required by law. A newsletter writer who understands and abides by these rules can make your marketing life easier.

4. Formatting for scannability – From placing photos to adding links and bullet points in the right places, attractive visual elements make a message a “must see.” Some people are more talented at these aspects than others.

5. Attention to detail – An e-newsletter often involves more elements than other forms of e-content. An ability to see the “big picture” — how all the different parts work together to form a whole — is essential. Beyond editing and proofreading, some easy-to-overlook details include checking links, names, and figures. An eye for color and design can also add to the overall impact of an e-newsletter, and these elements should be consistent, too.

Find out if your newsletter features these aspects and connects with respect for readers to help you gain the right leads.

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Which other skills should an e-newsletter writer have? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“There is no formula for the perfect email — authentic and honest messaging works.” ~ Anonymous

“If social media is the cocktail party, then email marketing is the ‘meet up for coffee’ — the original 1-to-1 channel.” ~ Erik Harbison

business newsletters, newsletter advice, newsletter tips, writing a newsletter

5 Steps to Writing an Engaging Business Newsletter

1. Determine the content – Ask yourself why you want to write an engaging business newsletter. What are your marketing goals? The answer can help you decide on the content to add. You can also address every stage of your buyer’s journey and personalize the content to build a relationship with readers.

According to a study of B2B e-newsletters by research and marketing firm Fenwick, four newsletter formats are common:

The Summarizer: about 69 percent of the emails repackaged pieces the firms had already published
The Hard Sell: 18 percent of the messages focused on product/service benefits
The Homepage: eight percent of the newsletters curated content from across the web and provided analysis/context
The Forwarder: five percent of the emails the firm generated when it published a new piece of content without any context

2. Your first issue –

Make an introduction: explain why you’re sending it, when people can expect to receive it, etc.
Consider where your readers are at: “send the right email to the right person at the right time” (HubSpot); address the “awareness” stage of the buyer’s journey to show how you can help them. Some questions to ask yourself:

When will this contact see value from this email?
Will they be able to do something with it right now?
Is this information relevant to their needs or goals?

3. Getting Started –

Outline using AIDA, which stands for “attention, interest, desire, and action.”
Put the most important information at or near the top.
Start with a compelling subject or headline.
Stick to one topic.
Use simple words, short sentences, and action verbs.
Keep each e-newsletter article to 300 words or fewer.

4. Saying “Goodbye” – Campaign Monitor recommends you show some personality at the end of your newsletter. Your final message should match the tone of the rest of your content. Overall, they suggest you:

Know your audience
Keep it pleasant
Show gratitude when it’s appropriate
Keep it short and sweet

5. Looking Professional – Edit and proofread before you click “send.” Follow these tips to catch errors:

Check all links.
Go over the design elements, such as font sizes and colors, to make sure they’re consistent.
Check the readability level. Some grammar experts recommend that your content read at an eighth or ninth-grade level.
Make sure everything makes sense and is correct, including any names, dates, and times. Figures should add up.

Need help writing an engaging newsletter? Not happy with what you have?

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What are your tips for writing an effective e-newsletter? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“Always. Add. Value. The subscriber is paying for the newsletter with their email address and attention. So think of it like a product with value. The actual elements vary with the audience.” ~ Ann Janzer

“The vast majority of newsletters get struck by the email marketer’s kiss-of-death: “Mark as read.” ~ Margo Aaron, HubSpot, “How to Write Email Newsletters That People Actually Want to Read”

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

tone

5 Ways to Warm Up Your Writing

1. Use contractions – Unless you intend to write statements as a form of command (e.g., “Do not trespass”), in many contexts, contractions warm up your writing. For example, the statement “It is time to party” sounds too formal for the intent behind it. So, loosen those writing muscles for when “It’s time to party.” And we’ll be more likely to join the fun and perhaps sip a pint or two.

2. Write to your reader – When you refer to your audience in your writing, the word “you” is more likely to maintain their interest. There’s a reason why some songs top the charts, often because a singer is singing about “you,” even if it’s not really about you (are we so vain?). We might like to imagine the artist is singing to us. It gets our attention so we will purchase the song or buy into its concept.

3. Be specific. Vague words can come across as “empty,” without any meaning.

Example: I facilitated the project.

Some of us might scratch our heads after reading that sentence. We could understand it better if the writer was more specific — perhaps they “led” the project instead. And we would be more interested if they had something to say about the results of their leadership, like if it generated $35,000 in sales.

4. Shorten your words – “Big” words — like “facilitated” (above) — can be hard to read. They also seem stuffy. They can make you appear to attempt to be more clever than your readers. If you’re writing to an educated audience, you might be able to get away with it. But if you want to reach more people, it’s better to use shorter words with fewer syllables or accents in them. Aim for three or below.

5. Talk to your readers – If you stare at your screen constantly when you write, your writing can seem as inhuman as the technology you use. You can spend too much time in your head and not in the world around you. “Talking out” your rough draft while you record it may set a more conversational tone and help you catch mistakes your mind’s eye misses.

Need help warming up your writing? Contact me for advice.

How do you warm up cold writing? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“You can’t actually write like you talk. You can, however, put a reasonable facsimile of your ordinary talking self on paper. You can purposely put into your writing certain things that will make it sound like talk.” ~ Rudolf Flesch

“Write like you speak with ‘rhythms of human speech,’ as William Zinsser said, and in as few words as possible. Use action verbs to carry water.” ~ Sandra E. Lamb

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

writing advice, writing better

5 Ways to Write Transitions Well

1. For flow – As the Little, Brown Handbook suggests, if a series of sentences lack a clear connection in-between, write transitions to link your sentences and paragraphs together.

2. In comparisons – When you compare two similar things or ideas, sometimes a transitional word or phrase can help readers understand the connection between them.

Example: “Onions are root vegetables, as are carrots.”
Revised: “Like onions, carrots are a root vegetable.”

3. To contrast – If you’re describing two different things or ideas, a transition can ease your explanation.

Example: “Carnivores eat meat only. Herbivores follow a plant-based diet.”
Revised: “Carnivores eat meat only, but herbivores follow a plant-based diet.”

4. To explain – Transitions can help you define and clarify a concept.

Example: “A sandwich contains a filler placed between two slices of bread. Popular sandwiches include bologna, peanut butter and jelly, or tuna.”
Revised: “A sandwich contains a filler placed between two slices of bread. For example, peanut butter and jelly is a popular sandwich filler.”

5. To summarize or end gracefully – A transitional word or phrase shows readers they’re near the conclusion of your piece.

Example: “All in all, a cross-country trip can open your eyes to the world around you.”

Need help making your writing easier to understand? Contact me for advice.

How well do you use transitions in your writing? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“Transitions are critically important. I want the reader to turn the page without thinking she’s turning the page. It must flow seamlessly.” ~ Janet Evanovich

“If we encounter ‘thus,’ ‘therefore,’ ‘consequently,’ and the like, we know that the next statement should follow logically from whatever has already been presented. If we see ‘nevertheless,’ ‘still,’ ‘all the same’ or the like, we must be prepared for a statement that reverses direction.” ~ Bonnie J.F. Meyer, Ph.D., Professor of Educational Psychology, Penn State

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.