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They say three’s company (don’t they? It might be two, but for our sakes, let’s say three), and when it comes to fluid, high impact writing, three is certainly the magic number.

The rule of three is simple. It says that when you’re describing something - the features of a new service or the benefits of a new product - a list of three characteristics is always the most effective.

Two isn’t quite enough, and leaves readers thinking, is that it? While four is too many, and sounds ungainly, if not desperate. Three, in contrast, is powerfully modest.

Something that’s described as innovative, cost effective and simple to use, sounds more alluring than something which is just innovative and cost effective, and less desperate than something which is innovative, cost effective, simple to use and reliable.

Three strikes the right balance of comprehensiveness, clarity and conciseness. And as a result, the sentence sounds stronger, more memorable and far more hard-hitting. (Do you see what we did there?)

Some of the most effective tools for clearer business writing are so obvious we tend to overlook them. Take bullet points, the unsung heroes of the print world.

Bullets work because they:

• Add structure and organization to your writing
• Provide multiple entry points in to the text
• Help simplify information
• Emphasise key points
• Improve comprehension

How to use bullets:

• Begin with a header/title followed by a colon (as above)
• Make sure that text and bullets are properly aligned
• Try to apply some sort of logical order, perhaps based on the alphabet, chronology or priority.

But watch out for these common bullet mistakes:

* Having too many of them: bullets should be used for emphasis, but if you emphasise too much, the emphasis is lost.

* Using different colours or fonts: the strongest colour is always black. Simplicity makes for clarity.

* Avoid non-parallel construction: bullet points still need to make grammatical sense and fit into the context of the paragraph. You’ll notice that the first two items in this list begin with a present participle ending in -ing. The third item (this one) doesn’t, and as a result it jars. It would have been better to start with ‘avoiding’ rather than ‘avoid’.

Bullets aren’t the answer to every writing problem, but they are a useful structural device to make your writing clearer, more readable and give key points greater impact.

It’s funny how certain words or phrases become fashionable. I’m not talking about obvious mots du jour like groovy or wicked, but more discrete verbal fashions. Iteration, last month’s word of the month, for example, seems to have been popping up all over the place in the last few months, as people presumably try and find a more high falutin’ way of saying version.

Take fit for purpose. Ever since John Reid, then Home Secretary, condemned the immigration service as ‘not fit for purpose‘, it’s become a phrase of choice for everyone from politicians to small business owners. A quick Google throws up, among millions, Sequence diagramming that’s fit for purpose and a cover sheet for small guest accommodation businesses to use as checklist when applying to be ‘Fit For Purpose’. We’ve even received press releases about ‘fit for purpose compost’.

Now, we’re all for rediscovering new words and improving our vocabularies, but it does become a bit annoying (not to say cliched) when everyone suddenly starts using the same phrases. Not to mention that there are numerous single words that could make the same point more concisely and just as, if not more, clearly.

 photo: jorgemejia

Readers - like all of us - are busy people. They want to know if and why they should continue reading your text. So in your copywriting, you need to grab their interest quickly, and not make them read through several lines of secondary information before you get to the point.

Forget what you learnt at school or university about starting an essay with a nice nuanced introduction to set the scene. We’re not writing essays. We’re trying to create business writing that grabs and retains the attention of busy readers with a clear and concise message.

The way to do that is to hit them immediately with the key point of what you’re trying to say so that:

Examples:

Not: John Solicitor studied law at Weeble College, Oxbridge. He qualified in 1987 and proceeded to specialise in property law. He spent the next ten years with a leading Magic Circle firm advising a range of clients. He was made partner in 1997. He joined ABC Solicitors in 1998 as a partner in the property finance team, of which he became head in 2003.

But: John Solicitor is head of our property finance team. He joined ABC Solicitors in 1998 and became head of the team in 2003. Prior to that, blah blah

Not: With 17 partners and 34 other fee earners spread across three offices, our employment team advises a range of clients from local owner managed businesses to national and international PLCs. It is the largest team in the North East and recognised as one of the leading teams outside the Magic Circle.

But: Our employment team is the largest in the North East and recognised as one of the leading teams outside London. We advise clients ranging from owner managed businesses to national and international PLCs, blah blah

photo credit: Melody.loves.you

We were doing one of our writing workshops in London earlier this month. One of the most illuminating exercises we do is headline appraisal. May sound dull, but it’s actually good fun. We take a bunch of headlines from local, national and trade press, and discuss what makes some of them work and why some of them just leave us cold.

Now, there are probably dozens of different ‘formulas’ for headlines, but we’re not big fans of formulas at Wordsworks. We prefer to keep our business copywriting plain and simple. And with headlines that means keeping it specific.

Take this headline: ‘Why writing skills are key.’

It’s OK I suppose. It does a job. But it’s vague. It leaves me thinking, key to what?

Try making it more specific:

‘Why writing skills are key to attracting more clients.’

Now that’s immediately going to grab my interest. But you can take it further still. As well as being specific, qualify the statement, too:

‘Why writing skills are key to attracting more high-paying clients.’

Its short, specific and clearly explains to readers why they should carry on reading. If you can make all your headlines do that, you’re half way there.

Anyone who subscribes to Write Words, our tips newsletter for better writing for business, knows how we feel about conciseness.

Conciseness is the foundation on which all good business writing is built, while wordiness and unnecessary verbosity are the enemies of clear, effective communication.

It’s not only us that say that, honest! Check out this great post on Vigorous Writing by Jesse Hines, another writing blogger waving the flag for better written communication.

Since when did revert mean the same thing as reply? In business communication, the use of ‘revert’ in emails is becoming scarily prevalent - e.g. ‘Please revert as soon as you have obtained a copy of the contract.’

It seems to be a classic case of over-inflated language, deliberately used to try and sound more impressive. Well it doesn’t sound more impressive. It sounds silly. And pompous. And just plain incorrect. What’s the matter with reply? It’s shorter. It’s easily understood. It’s language we use every day.

Does anyone actually use ‘revert’ anywhere other than work? I mean, when was the last time you ‘reverted’ to a letter from your granny? Or used ‘revert’ in a normal, non-work conversation with your pals?

The foundation of effective business writing is clear, concise, simple language. So, please, can we all stop reverting and get back to replying?

When he wasn’t busy painting masterpieces or inventing helicopters, all-round-Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci found was one of the leading thinkers of his day.

He was a simple man though, Da Vinci. The illegitimate son of a country girl and a rural notary, he regarded simplicity as the foundation of his genius. His motto was: “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Although writing wasn’t one his greatest strengths, we can learn a lot from the bearded Florentine.

Simplicity is at the core of great copywriting. The sentences that work best are the ones that use simple, clear, straightforward language and structure. A sentence doesn’t get better the more words you stuff into it. On the contrary, it almost invariably gets worse.

Many people fall in to the trap of over-writing, trying to sound more impressive or to demonstrate their knowledge by using unnecessary words or flowery phrases.

But the most effective corporate writers make their point quickly and clearly. They use precise words and simple phrasing.

Don’t write:
“The company does not intend to remove the automatic bollards, but it is necessary to carry out repairs to the bollards for the purpose of keeping them operating effectively.”

Keep it clear and simple:
“The company does not intend to remove the automatic bollards, but it must repair them to keep them working properly.”

Or how about:
“Overestimating on one type of the relevant material could have a detrimental impact on cost-effectiveness for the client.”

Instead of:
“Overestimating one type of material could cost the clients more.”

So next time you’re tempted to throw in a few ‘corporate’ sounding phrases or flowery language to sound more sophisticated, just remember the words of our old friend Leonardo da Vinci. If simplicity was good enough for him, it’s darn tootin’ good enough for me.

There is no standard list of rules to follow that is guaranteed to turn us all into first class copywriters. (Or if there is, I haven’t found it yet.)  There are, however, dozens of ‘non-rules’ that can hinder even the most accomplished writer. 
Drilled into us at school by overzealous English teachers, or trotted out by misinformed friends and colleagues, many of them can be safely discarded. Doing so usually results in simpler, more flowing and engaging writing.
Here are six of the most common ‘writing myths’, as collated by Martin Cutts, author of The Quick Reference Plain English Guide:

As well as being a business copywriter with Wordsworks, I’ve been a journalist for over 12 years now (yikes!) And if there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to irritate a journalist (all of them, not just grumpy old men like me, honest), it’s bad quotes. I’ve seen so many press releases where quotes are used as an excuse to reproduce a sentence or two of marketing spiel or some bland self-congratulatory nonsense. Keep it snappy and make it sound like a quote.

Instead of saying: “It’s evidence that the integrated, holistic partnership approach implemented by John Smith Ltd in delivering dynamic sustainable engineering solutions to a range of clients across multiple industry sectors is continuing to reap rewards for the company.” Which a) isn’t a quote, unless the speaker is an android and b) is dripping with meaningless management jargon. Keep it brief, to the point and above all, quotable: “It’s a big boost. It was hard work and there were more than a few late nights involved, but the whole team worked very hard to secure the new contract.”

Similarly, why bother with something like, “We’d like to welcome Joe Bloggs to the team. He’s a lovely man and we’re all looking forward to working with him.” It’s hardly going to set any news editors or readers alight with excitement. Always try and make sure that your quote actually adds something to the story, or don’t use one at all.

This entry is taken from our monthly WriteWords newsletter. Each month, WriteWords contains a top secret tip that you can use to improve your writing. You can sign up here.