Remember What’s Most Important When Writing: Your Reader

Writing for business is like any other writing intended for other people to read.

Hard as it might be to accept, the writer is not the most important person in the equation.

Is it important to have some skill in stringing words together, in the correct order, and using proper grammar? Absolutely. Should you not be proud of that skill? Of course, you should. Real skill in writing, and the ability to provide a real human touch, are vital to setting your work apart from the lowest-common-denominator content generated by AI.

That said, don’t get so caught up in being a clever writer that you forget your reader. Whether you’re crafting a marketing campaign, a social media post, or an email to a prospective client, always remember who you’re writing to — and why.

If you’re trying to open a door for your business, anticipate a reader’s questions and do your best to address them up front. If you’re advertising that you’re #OpenToWork, think of who you want to know that and what they’ll want to know about you. If you’re rolling out a new product, consider who each message is intended for: Is it a potential investor, a possible retailer, or a coveted early adopter in your target market?

And once you’ve done that, craft your communication in a way that gets the message across in the way that your reader really needs. Often, that can be quite different from how you would prefer to read the same general message.

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So, without sacrificing your writing skills, you might have to give up some things you might think make for lively, engaging writing — or, on the other hand, cut out some things you think you need to include to get every possible bit of detail into your writing.

Three ways to make sure you’re considering the reader first

1. Skip the wordplay.

   Yes, it’s clever. Maybe. But even if it is, you know who that’s most likely to impress? You.

   This obviously means no puns, but it doesn’t stop there; you’ll also want to avoid metaphors and colloquialisms in non-creative writing, for the simple reason that not everyone’s going to get them.

   Chances are that your message is going out to people with varying degrees of fluency in American English — from native speakers, to those who grew up speaking a different sort of English, to those for whom English is a second (or more) language that they’re still learning.

   Other people might not easily grasp wordplay because they’re not wired that way. They’re hyper-literal thinkers. Puns read like incorrect word usage, and figurative language — especially metaphors and colloquialisms — reads as unclear.

2. Don’t try to “fit in” with jargon or slang. 

   If you’re writing exclusively to people who do what you do, that’s one thing. (Even then, keep the jargon to a minimum. Some of your readers might be new to the field and still learning the terminology.)

   But if you’re writing to people outside your field, you’re not one of them. Don’t try to act like it. It doesn’t make your writing seem relatable. It makes it look like you’re pandering.

   The same goes for generational slang. Whatever generation you might belong to, don’t try to co-opt another generation’s phrases in your writing. That just makes you look like you’re trying too hard, and that’s not an impression you want to leave, especially with younger readers.

3. Give the readers the details they need.

   This can be difficult for both big-picture writers and those who thrive on every bit of information they can get. This goes back to the natural inclination to communicate with others in the way that works best for us, because that’s what we know.

   Give strategic thinkers and creatives too much detail, and they’ll either get bored or feel like you’re trying to show off. Give detail-oriented readers too little detail, and you start a back-and-forth chain of follow-up questions and answers that eats into the time both of you need for other things.

   What’s the best way to find out just how much detail your reader needs?

   If it’s one-on-one communication, ask them. If you’re writing for public consumption and interaction, monitor your engagement and the comments you get — or don’t get. Then adjust accordingly.

Above all, treat every bit of feedback you get, whether positive or negative, as a valuable gift. That means your readers care enough about your message to let you know whether or not it’s landing.