All of us have to write. We need to write well. We need to write content that has to be engaging and actionable.

“Well, I know how to write. I don’t need to be a content writer.” Well, Yes, you are. Everyone is. Let me ask you this question. Does your daily routine encompass any of the following activities:

  • Writing E-Mails Requesting for a particular service/activity to be done
  • Writing Minutes of Meeting with action points
  • Writing Documents/ Proposals
  • Writing Reports
  • Creating Presentations

If that is the case, then you are a content writer. Let’s understand that first. In today’s world, all of us are content creators. Every post you put up on Instagram, every snap you send in Snapchat, all those pieces of content you created. Now, shift this back to your professional life. You needn’t be one of the thought leaders who churns out thought leadership content every day on Linkedin ( Although I would recommend that you do so) to be a content writer par excellence. However, it would help if you were a good content writer to be good at your job. It is one of the core soft skills required to be employable in the 21st-century corporate setup. You need to say/write what you are thinking, and you should do it well.

If you have answered Yes to any of the points in my previous question, then try answering any of the below:

  • Have you ever been at a loss as to how to construct the E-Mail or the Document ( The so-called writer’s block)
  • Has there ever been a situation where you intended to convey one message, but the end-user perceived the content in a totally different way
  • Have you ever felt you have too much fluff in your writing?
  • Have you ever felt your presentation or E-mail request has not been taken seriously?
  • Have you ever sent a piece of content ( E-mail/Document/Proposal), and ten minutes later, you send another mail correcting the content you have already sent? Then you worry if that corrective mail and the error you initially made would have put a dent in your credibility.

I am pretty sure that we will answer yes to any of the above questions as well. During my time at Kaar Tech and coaching the Sales, Marketing, and Pre-sales team, I was sometimes roped in by the L&D team to run sessions for the Delivery team. Over the last two years, after working with this team of knowledgeable individuals, I have come up with these10 tips that I believe could help everyone get better at Business Writing.

  1. Grammar and Spelling Errors: The easiest and the most obvious thing to say. Yet, most writing suffers from this. Esp. the content is written in E-mail clients from your smartphone. Putting in “Pardon my Brevity and typos” at the end of the message is a complete No-No. Make sure your Grammar is right, along with no spelling errors even when you type the email or other content from your mobile. Also, make sure punctuations are also done right.
  2. Know why you are writing: Always ask yourself, what’s the reason for this content? Am I sending this in the appropriate medium? Will the necessary action I want to be executed if I send this message?
  3. Understand the tone of your Message: How will the reader perceive it? Is the end reader’s perception the same that I want to convey? Should I be friendly or firm or be authoritative? Ask yourself these queries. Then write down your messages.
  4. Understand what your end reader wants: If you are a UX designer, you will always be worried about the usability of your web interface. In the same way, as the writer of the content, you should be worried about whether the reader will actually read your content. For that, you should answer the given question as well as the query “By helping me, will my end reader also be in a position to achieve his or her goals?”. Your content should be based on the answer to this question. Remember, your content should be engaging to read and prompt the reader to act on the given information/content.
  5. Do not use Business jargon as much as possible: Always write as if you are talking to a five-year-old in simple, easy-to-use terms. Of course, it might be difficult if you are in highly technical fields, but always ask yourself if a five-year-old can understand what you are trying to communicate when in doubt.
  6. Get to the point directly: Understand that people are always busy. Which means you need to get your point across as soon as possible. If you have multiple points, consider splitting your content into multiple parts like bullet points, with each point conveying one piece of information. Remember brevity is required for all forms of content.
  7. Always have a storyline: Does one sentence move smoothly into the next? Is your content disjointed? Are similar points grouped under a single heading? Is it in chronological order? Remember, humans, are tuned to remember stories. So people will remember your story.
  8. Make your content short but not too short: Remember Winston Churchill saying, “A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.” So make sure you say what is needed. Not more, but not less either.
  9. Emotions are good for movies, not written professional communication: Do not send any written communication when you are in an emotional state. It will save you much distress down the road.
  10. Proof-Read, Revise and Reread: Once your content is written, Re-read it, Revise it, and if possible, ask your colleague to proofread it.

Now that I have spoken about some of the ways you can be a better writer, please find below some of the tools you can use to better your writing:

So now I have shared some of the tips and tools which I think will be useful, my next suggestion is that you use them as soon as possible. Because this content above is the easiest for you, I am pretty sure 99% of you will be sending some form of mail across in the next 12 hours. So this content is easiest to implement, and remember no longer is content writing a point of differentiation that will make you noticed in your career. It is a point of parity. It defines whether you will have a career in that given profession or not. So good luck! And most importantly, keep writing.

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