 Ten Tips for Advancing Your Work Through Great Writing(Page 3 of 4) 4. Refine your messages. Catch your readers' interests with your priorities, in the context of your purposes. This process of refining your messages usually takes a while. Your first draft should not be perfect. Even though I've been a published writer since childhood, most of my pieces still go through at least three drafts. 5. Turn features into benefits. The old business adage of "What's In It For Me?" is the focus here. You want to emphasize how your product or service (full of features) improves the lives of your customers and satisfies their needs (benefits them). 6. Focus on clarity. You know all about your products and services, but your readers don't. Clearly explain everything! That means avoiding vagueness and adding a healthy dose of anecdotes, examples, and quotes. 7. Divide your piece into readable chunks. Use sub-headings, bullets, numbering, and white space. Information must be accessible at just a glance. 8. Cultivate conciseness: Less is more. Every word should work; delete freeloaders. All sentences and paragraphs should be necessary to make your point. 9. Let ideas germinate. Take a break from your first draft for a few hours or overnight. Give your subconscious mind some time to undergo the creative process! Jot down ideas whenever they visit you. 10. Do a reality check. It's a great idea to ask a colleague or outside expert to read your piece as if she/he were your intended reader. You'll get valuable insight into how your messages come across. More things to think about: ï Flow | ||
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