As all writers know, words are immensely powerful. You can make readers laugh or cry with fewer than a hundred of them. You can part people from their money. You can make someone’s day. You can change the course of lives.
You don’t have to be a super hero to know that “with great power comes great responsibility.” Of course, not everyone knows what that means, so here are some tips for responsible word power:
Your writing should be honest
Of course, you should check facts and, where possible, cite sources in your articles. That’s just the basics. Being honest in your writing goes further than that.
It means you’re responsible for including information that you might prefer to omit. If you’re reviewing a product on your blog, for instance, you need to give the bad as well as the good. It actually builds your credibility and often increases sales to admit the downside. Any good copywriter will tell you that. Being honest also means sharing something of yourself with the reader. A lot of companies do that by using testimonials
Your writing should be good
Along with every other company, yours is responsible for the content that you put into print. You should do your best to produce a polished piece of writing without getting lazy or sloppy in your rush to finish the job. Good writing means different things to different people, but at least hold yourself to your own standards.
Your standards should include:
- Don’t use words that make you cringe when you read them.
- Don’t go for the easy cliché or stock phrase.
- Avoid woolly language and euphemisms. Be confident enough to say what you mean, and where appropriate, don’t pull your punches.
- Don’t make or leave grammatical errors in the material.
Your writing should be clear
A piece of writing might be perfect, but incomprehensible. Take care to express your words in a way your audience understands. Unless you’re writing an academic paper, or a very technical software manual, express yourself in layman’s terms.
No reader will struggle through advertising copy that makes them feel stupid. Avoid jargon. Spell out acronyms – even if you think everyone knows them. What will better engage your readers: using long words to show off your vocabulary, or using short, direct words?
Your print material is a reflection of your company
When you’ve finished a piece – article, blog post, direct marketing letter – consider whether you’d be glad to have your name associated with it. Even if it’s ghost-written, is it something you’d want people to know was yours?
If you have reservations, take a good hard look at what you’ve written. Are there places where you’ve misled readers? Have you exaggerated the benefits of a product in a way that’s only going to lead to an unhappy customer? Don’t send out something you are not proud of. What about you? Do you have other criteria that guide the use of your word power?
This is right here, in the present, not the future.
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