Professional Writing

Imagine sitting down and writing all day long. Every day of the week. And sometimes on weekends too.

The thought of doing that turns most people off. Not me though. I am a professional writer and that is what I love to do!

Writing is something most of us take for granted. But good writing requires effort. Professional writing is worth the effort because it is a pleasure to read and conveys meaning perfectly.

It will surely come as no surprise to most people that good writing involves planning. You need to get your thoughts together, clarify exactly what you want to say and make a list of subject areas or topics to be covered.

Many experienced writers would say that planning is the most important stage of the writing process, yet is frequently overlooked or poorly executed. Attempting to save time is often the reason. The urge to get started and produce something prevails.

However, good communication is always the result of good planning and preparation. It’s a good example of the 80/20 rule: spend 80% of the time on preparation, 20% on the writing and editing.

Most writers spend some time making random notes about the subject, without attempting to edit or explain. At this point, the aim of the exercise is to produce ideas. Quality comes further down the track.

Jotting down random notes is a very effective way to allow thoughts to flow. One of the main reasons our minds go blank when starting writing projects is the linear format we were taught to begin with. When writing, start with the end in mind. What are you trying to achieve? Who are you speaking to? What key message or messages do you need to communicate?

After all your thoughts are on paper, arrange them logically into groups. This is the time to create the outline and to delete obvious subject repetitions.

Obviously, professional writing involves the use of clear language. Simple, everyday words that can be easily understood by the intended audience. Just plain language used well.

Professional writing in business stands out a mile. I can immediately see that an organisation has used a professional writer. That’s because the copy flows smoothly, I can understand what is being communicated and I feel convinced by the proposition.

Excellent writing helps to build trust and make a good impression.

Have you ever visited a website that contains typos or long rambling paragraphs? What about a shopping site that doesn’t clearly explain how to obtain a refund?

Do you feel like handing over your credit card details and doing business with the organisation? I know that I don’t.

If a website is poorly written I immediately get nervous. I don’t think the business can be reputable or reliable. Professional writing of web content therefore makes a big difference to my impression of a business.

It’s the same with reports or newsletters. Professional writing adds the polish and finesse to company communications. It tells me the organisation cares about attention to detail. And cares about having a reputation for getting things right.

So if you want to make a good impression and influence how I behave towards your organisation, you should use a professional writer.

Writing that is prepared and executed well, is more likely to convince me your product is worth buying. And it will help sway my opinion if you are seeking my support.

When you think about it, professional writing builds a competitive advantage. The advertising of leading brands is carefully constructed by professional writers. And the political speeches from our leaders originate from the keyboards of professional writers.

Professional writing also helps to reinforce your message. When the words, tone and style are consistent, your message grows in stature. It becomes recognisable and more readily accepted. It gains traction and momentum with your audience.

Of course, written communication is not just about creativity and inspiration. Sometimes it comes down to the most basic communication objective: to be understood. Professional writing can help you untangle complicated and technical documents into plain English. That will broaden audience accessibility and comprehension.

You’ll notice that when writing is done well, it is also free of jargon. Acronyms don’t get much of an appearance either. That’s because they don’t add clarity to the message. All they do is confuse and cause the reader to stumble. Or worse still, give up altogether.

I’ve mentioned how professional writing can sway opinion. This is an important aspect to consider if you work in a not-for-profit organisation.

It is critical for a charity to convince people of their worth in order to build donor support. A fundraiser will usually do this by sending a letter to potential donors.

A professionally written fundraising letter will have a much better chance of success than a letter written in-house. It will incorporate a number of emotive elements, as well as practical tools to make it easy to respond.

In fact, a fundraising letter that is not professional writing can do more damage than good.

It’s a big challenge to ask someone you don’t know to give you money so that you can give it to someone else. But a letter crafted by a professional writer will convince the reader:

• that the cause is very worthy;
• that person who will ultimately receive the help is very needy;
• that giving money is very easy; and
• that they will feel really good about donating.

As a professional writer, I have written many highly successful fundraising letters. Even if a letter does not result in a donation, it will leave the recipient more favourably predisposed to the organisation’s cause.

I hope I’ve convinced you of the merits of using professional writing in business. It really does pay off.

Just think about the other professionals you employ in life. You wouldn’t visit a dentist for heart surgery, would you? So you should look at the health of your business in the same way.

For a competitive edge, make sure you put your business communications in the hands of a professional.