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After reading the last article you now have an idea of what good writing looks like. If you haven’t checked it out then you can do so here: Improve Your Writing (Part 1)
Bad writing is just about everywhere you look, and the reason why no one reads anything anymore.
It’s just a whole bunch of gunk on a page that makes no sense.
But since you understand the basics of good and bad writing, you now need a strategy to make all your writing top tier.
The Bar Test
When I say test I don’t mean a 100 question pop quiz that’ll drive you insane.
But a strategy that can turn your brain into a writing assassin.
If you go on Google and find a random article you’ll probably see there are a million words in a paragraph. It’s something that will fix all your sleeping problems.
“As you progress on your journey to improve business performance - from building a business case, to performing an assessment, to constructing a roadmap and finally, executing against it - our expertise, shared in the below thought leadership, will help you think about how to effectively leverage continuous performance to drive enterprise - wide value”.
This is a real paragraph from an article, and took me two minutes to find, which had me re-thinking life reading it.
This is horrendous and should be illegal, But more importantly doesn’t pass the bar test.
What's This Bar Test Thing?
The bar test has been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth. It still works till this day and always will.
It’s easy. You look over a piece of text and ask yourself a simple question:
“Would I say this out loud and in a normal human conversation?”.
If you go back to the example paragraph in this article, would you say that in a normal conversation?
Here’s how I would word that paragraph:
“As you begin to grow your business and improve results, keep us updated and we’ll give you tips and tricks to get you to the next level”.
A lot easier to read right? Easy to understand?
I can guarantee lots more people would read that.
This is how the bar test can absolutely change your writing going forward.
One More Trick That Can Boost Your Writing
Alongside reading what you write, you should read it out loud to yourself.
It’s simple to spot minor mistakes. See the good and bad parts of the writing.
If you notice yourself talking for too long, you know it needs to be trimmed down.
It’s just another weapon to add to your arsenal.
Get into the habit of reading over your writing, and I can guarantee it’ll change for the good.
You’ll notice more people respond to it as well.
Talk soon,
Michael
P.S. Want to make sure your writing is at its best? And catches everyone's eye?
Feel free to contact my agency today. I’ll personally look over your business to see if we’re a good fit, and let you know what I would personally do differently with your marketing, and we could discuss it in depth on a call.
No cost, no obligation.
If that sounds good, you can contact me here: Contact
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