Never, Mr. Bond?

27 Writing, Editing Tips for Better Contentstorycroft.com /2014/06/20/27-things-to-never-do-if-you-want-your-content-seen-and-shared/

Jay Croft

We talk a lot about storytelling and content in businesscommunications, marketing, websites and social media. Theconversation is often about the Big Picture, and that’s important, ofcourse. But strategies and UX studies won’t help us if our contentisn’t as good as it can be.

Even the little things can turn people off.

If you want your content consumed, understood and shared, hereare 27 things you must never do.

1. Never start a communications project without knowing whatyou’re trying to say, to whom and why. Talk it out.

2. Never oversell. In headlines and links, don’t promise too muchexcitement or information. (Nobody likes click bait.) In text, avoidoverused adjectives like “amazing,” exclamation points and all-caps.

3. Never assume people already know what you’re sharing about. Or where your photo was shot. Or whythey should keep watching your video.

4. Never be needlessly negative. It’s easy to be snarky. But it’s better to be useful and helpful.

5. Never forget to do basic research or to confirm what you’ve heard or read. In the Internet age, we’re allinstant experts on everything. Except that we’re not. And you don’t want to be caught reacting to somethingthat turns out to be a hoax.

6. Never let a reader doubt you know “it’s” from “its” or “your” from “you’re.”

7. Never dump your notebook. You have to make choices. You have to focus.

8. Never try to turn perfectly fine verbs into nouns. “Ask” is something you do , not something you add toan agenda. And it’s the same thing in reverse. When discussing a challenge, do not say, “The way we’regoing to solution that problem…”

9. Never start a sentence with “I think” or “I feel” or “I believe.” If you write those phrases, see how thesentence reads or sounds without them. Better, almost always.

10. Never say “uh,” “like” or “you know” too much. Or this new entry into the genre, “again,” when youare not actually repeating anything. I’m not sure when that one became common. Listen for it. Let me knowif you notice it.

11. Never waste space by metaphorically clearing your throat. Sometimes we want to warm up for awhile, back into a story or a point before stating our business. It’s natural sometimes, so go ahead andwrite all that you need to. And then delete it.

12. Never write headlines full of words that can be verbs and nouns. Readers don’t want to struggle tomake sense of a headline.

13. Never fall in love with a phrase, design or image for its own sake. You’veheard the expression “Kill your darlings.” Yep. You gotta.

14. Never forget to follow a style guide. AP, Chicago, whatever. Consistencyis key. It also helps you write faster.

15. Never publish without having proofread, paying special attention to figuresand proper nouns.

16. Never confuse proofreading with editing. Do both or find someone whocan. (Here are some tips from a master.)

17. Never write or say anything like, “As anyone who knows me can tell you…”

18. Never get political unless that’s your point. Why turn off a substantial portion of your audience?

19. Never use too many figures in a sentence orparagraph. Break them up or put them into a graphic,chart or link.

20. Never be crass or vulgar. Avoid using profanityand showing skin. Even in a tweet or status update.

21. Never use a new digital tool just to show that youcan. Or publish images or quotes or outrageous thingsjust because you can.

22. Never undermine your presentation with heavy-handed marketing. Ease up and let the content do itsthing.

23. Never tell me something is ironic. Especially if you graduated from the Alanis Morissette Schoolfor Wayward Pop Stars.

24. Never pile on the acronyms. It’s like saying, “Call that guy about the place where they have the thingand tell him what I’m thinking.”

25. Never call a car crash tragic. Never call the natural death of an old person tragic. Never callsomething tragic unless it actually is. And then make sure you have a good reason for pointing it out.

26. Never use upspeak. If it’s not a question, don’t say it like it is.

27. Never say never? Never.

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