10 rules for

GREAT WRITING

from

David Ogilvy Image: wikimedia commons

…and why technology marketers in 2014 should learn them

Who was David Ogilvy?

“You can’t bore people into buying your product. You can only interest them in buying it.”

Maybe the greatest copywriter of all time.

Founder of Ogilvy & Mather in 1948.

Man of insight and wisdom.

…mmm. Still true in 2014?

His 10 rules

…so how do they apply to

technology marketing in 2014?

1. Write clearly

Roman & Raphaelson is still available

or just read this Forbes article

…the more complex your technology, the clearer you have to write

Write as you speak Be direct Sound like a human

2. Be natural

…the more complex your technology, the more human you have to make it

ACK DHCP FDDI IPS IoT

TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) FLAs (Four letter Acronyms) Industry speak •Drop them if you can •If you can’t, explain •Write for business readers •Keep it simple

3. No jargon

…nothing loses readers faster than forcing them to look up stuff

4. Be short

Sentences 14 words English not Latin words Paragraphs 4 lines

..adds pace and urgency …makes complexity easier to grasp

5. Be brief

e.g. White Papers, reports

•Write an exec summary •Create a 2 page snapshot •Link to the full version

…if the short is compelling they’ll make time to read the long

6. Check quotes

Choose the strongest Discard the rest Check accuracy Attribute them Use numbers for impact

86% of victims had

evidence of breach

96%

of breaches were avoidable

Verizon Business, Data Breach Investigation Report 2013

…less is much more

7. Sleep on it

If: •It’s important but not urgent •You’re angry or excited •It could be misread

Especially for:

•Emails •Memos •Anything affecting others

8. Get it checked

Especially in technology marketing, colleagues can:

•Add insights •Spot lack of clarity •Pick up tiny errors •Be objective (brutal)

…but be sure to ‘smoothe’ input into one voice

9. Make action clear

Especially for:

•Landing pages •Special offers •Marketing emails •Memos

…don’t confuse them with choice. Make one clear call to action

10. Get personal

If you want action right now - don’t write

Pick up the phone Knock on the door Go over and talk

…a 2 minute conversation is quicker than editing a note for 10.

What One of the World’s Great Novelists Learned About

Writing from David Ogilvy (Copyblogger)

The Secret Behind David Ogilvy’s Brilliant Headline Copywriting (Bradley Gauthier) 8 Keys To Better Business Writing (Forbes)

Read more

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