Three things matter most in any type of writing intended for an audience: content, style and correctness. Getting those three things right is paramount to your work’s success.
- Know your audience. If you know who you’re writing for, you can get a better idea of what matters to them. What do your readers value? That should be your content.
- Grab the reader with a good lead. Hooking the readers in is a quality all good writing is able to do. Your lead has a lot to do with that.
- Focus on details. Move beyond the big picture and drill the story down to the particulars. Most of the time, these specifics are what will truly draw people in, as they’re the components that give any story a very human edge.
- Use a natural, conversational style. Unless you’re writing with specific instructions to write in a formal style (such as in academe), use a regular tone. It’s a default that works best in most situations.
- Check for accuracy. Getting one or two facts wrong can affect your story, such that even accurate information becomes suspect. Always check quotes and facts you include for accuracy.
- Don’t leave any language errors. At bare minimum, use a software to check writing mistakes. We don’t have to tell you how unprofessional errors look, especially easily avoidable ones like grammar and spelling.
