10 Items or Less

 

"10 items or less" ... somewhere, a grammar lover is gripping the shopping cart extra hard.

Technically, it should be "10 items or fewer." Countable things get fewer. Uncountable stuff gets less. Less patience. Fewer bananas.

I like good grammar, but I don’t get worked up over the sign … cause I’m too busy being annoyed by the person ahead of me with 17 items. 

Anatomy of a Paragraph

Saw this on Course Hero. Don't know the source. Monmouth University writing lab perhaps ... but I couldn't find it on their site. Even though the source is unclear and it's focused more on academic writing (as opposed to marketing writing), I found spending some quality thinking time on it a worthwhile exercise.

And once you've finished wrapping your brain around this,

do yourself a favor by spending some time with the short piece: Rhythm in Writing.

Steak with a side of questions

Don’t make 'em dig through a word salad to find the steak.

Nobody’s showing up for the garnish; they came hungry for the meat.

Keep your message lean and properly seasoned, or your audience will drop their fork and head for somebody else’s drive-thru.

 

When in the groove, my fingers fly and writing appears on my monitor like the three lines above … when all I’m trying to communicate is: If you’ve got something to say, say it simply and directly.

Then, when I review it, I question whether I should’ve just stuck with the simple statement or if my “voice” makes it more interesting and memorable.

Typically, I can’t answer that question so I stick with the original direction, arguing there’s more “me” in it … but the question never feels properly answered.

Is it overthinking? Yes. 

Is it imposter syndrome? Probably.  

Will I ever move past this inner uncertainty? Doubtful.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

 

Questions are one of the most valuable weapons in a marketing writer’s toolbox.

They’re the crowbar that pops open the stuck door. The flashlight in the basement.
The quiet little key that unlocks the “Ohhh … that’s what we should be saying” moment.

Without the right questions, you don’t get answers (duh). But more importantly, you don’t get insight. And without insight, your writing becomes nothing but decorative noise.

Ask the wrong questions, and you’ll fill your pages with fluff. Ask no questions, and you’ll fill them with guesses. But ask the right questions -- questions that dig, that press, that annoy just a tiny bit -- and suddenly you’re not writing anymore.

You’re uncovering. You’re discovering. You’re revealing the truth your audience actually cares about.

Behind every strong headline, every landing page that converts, every sales deck that doesn’t put the room to sleep is a writer who refused to write until they had asked enough questions to see the whole landscape clearly.

So before you write your next sentence, pause and channel your inner detective. Ask boldly. Ask relentlessly. Because the writers who win aren’t the ones with all the answers … they’re the ones who won’t stop hunting for them.

_________________________

Some examples of questions to ask clients:

• If your competitor said this exact same thing, would anyone notice?
• What are you not saying because you're worried it's too honest?
• Who is this definitely NOT for?
• What's the story you tell yourself about why this hasn't worked before?
• What do your best customers know about you that your marketing doesn't say?.
• What would you do if you weren't afraid of what your industry thinks?
• When was the last time a customer surprised you — good or bad?
• What objection do you dread most, and what do you usually say to dodge it? 

Some examples of "taking it to the next level" questions:

• Why does that matter?  
• Who says so? 
• What happens if we flip this entirely? 
• Have you considered that the thing you think is your weakness might actually be your most interesting story?