🚩 Write To Be Trusted - TRUST-able #30 - Mar/Apr 2024
80+ Trusted-Writing Principles.
Hello,
welcome to a new edition of TRUST-able.
This newsletter is dedicated to communication professionals and indie entrepreneurs who want to increase their trustworthiness, both online and off.
There are many ways to build trust and this newsletter attempts to explore each one of them, analyzing the logic, the strategy, the tactics and tools to achieve such an objective.
The focus of this issue is on how to improve one’s own writing so that it helps to build greater trust with one’s own readers.
The content and the specific advice I provide here is the exclusive fruit of my experience and beliefs.
I have not utilized AI to identify what I suggest, nor to help me write it.
I do have consulted ChatGPT (free) after drafting it to assist me in better organizing, categorizing and structuring my own advice.
I hope you find it useful.
Robin Good
In this issue: *Writing for Trust*
How to build trust through writing.
80+ practical tips, based on personal real-world experience, to make your writing more trustworthy.
Tone and Style
Clarity and Conciseness
Audience Engagement
Professionalism and Credibility
Formatting and Structure
Language Usage
1) Trusted Writing Principles
a) Tone and Style
1. Be Informal
Avoid an excessively formal, rigid and academic-like communication style. Lean toward being genuine, human and spontaneous.
Avoid overly formal language to appear more authentic and approachable.
Incorporate humor or personal anecdotes to humanize the writing and connect with the reader on a deeper level.
Use contractions to emulate conversational speech and to create a more relaxed tone.
Address common concerns or objections in a conversational manner to build rapport and trust.
2. Uncle Talk
Write in a manner that simplifies complex ideas, akin to explaining something new to a 12-year-old nephew.
Break down complex concepts into simple, easy-to-understand elements to guarantee clarity and ease-of-understanding.
Use analogies or metaphors to illustrate abstract ideas and make them more relatable.
Provide real-world examples to show how the information applies to real situations.
3. Write Like You Talk
Mimic natural conversation by writing as if speaking to a best client, avoiding artificiality.
Evaluate your writing by asking yourself whether you could say out loud what you have written to one of your best clients without feeling awkward.
Use “transitional phrases” and natural pauses to maintain a conversational flow and to guide the reader through the text.
Use your own jargon and expressions whenever possible.
Adjust tone and vocabulary based on the intended audience, tailoring the writing to resonate with their unique preferences and perspectives.
4. Tell Stories
Use story-telling approaches to facilitate understanding.
Incorporate anecdotes or stories related to the topic to clarify concepts and make them easier to understand.
Utilize stories that resonate emotionally with readers.
Use vivid personal imagery and descriptive language to paint an impactful picture in the reader's mind.
Tie stories back to your key theme or message, strengthening their relevance and importance.
Stories are built on suspense, suspense is built on high stakes, high stakes are built on a character having a strong desire and an obstacle in the way of them getting what they want. (Source: David Perell)
5. Don’t Scream
Avoid giving excessive self-emphasis to your writing to try to make it more convincing.
Use exclamation points very, very sparingly, if at all.
Capitalized text, outside of short titles, has very low legibility. Avoid it.
The more you bold, the less you bold.
Underlining should not be used. In the digital world underlined communicates that there’s an active link to be clicked.
b) Clarity and Conciseness
1. Short Sentences
Utilize brief phrases to maintain clarity and ease of understanding, akin to informal conversations.
Aim for clarity over complexity, prioritizing simplicity and being straightforward.
Break complex ideas into bite-sized chunks.
Use “active voice” and concise phrasing.
Duration: 3’:39”
”Active vs. Passive Voice”
2. Be Concise - Throw Away the Extras, Prune
Edit rigorously to eliminate unnecessary elements and keep the writing focused and essential.
Trim redundant phrases or redundant information after writing your first draft.
Avoid unnecessary modifiers or qualifiers that can clutter sentences and obscure the main point.
Duration: 3’:51”
”Modifiers and Qualifiers: Editing for Concision”
Bring together repetitive ideas or arguments to avoid diluting the impact of the message.
Focus on quality over quantity, prioritizing substance and relevance.
Ask feedback from your peers to identify areas for improvement and to further refine the writing.
3. Put the Meat First
Present immediately your core message to instantly engage the reader and to provide clarity of purpose.
Use the tramezzino approach (inverted pyramid) to present your written content.
Anticipate reader needs and address them proactively, providing valuable insights or solutions upfront.
Avoid long intros. Spoiler the key idea first. Then intro.
c) Audience Engagement
1. First Person
Write in the first person as if you were addressing just one person.
Speak directly to the reader, enhancing engagement and rapport.
Share relevant experiences or insights from your own perspective.
Invite reader participation through interactive elements such as polls, surveys, or discussion prompts.
Respond promptly and thoughtfully to reader comments or inquiries.
Acknowledge reader concerns or objections empathetically.
2. Write Like You Talk
Write using the same language and words you use when you normally talk to someone.
Incorporate rhetorical questions to stimulate thought and encourage active engagement with the material.
Encourage questions and feedback, inviting readers to engage with the content and seek clarification when needed.
d) Professionalism and Credibility
1. Be Professional
Maintain precision and scrupulous attention to detail while writing informally to uphold professionalism and credibility.
Format for high legibility
Keep content separate and void of ads and other distractions.
Use serious and professional titles. Avoid click-baiting, hype, sensationalism.
Spell-check and verify grammar before publishing.
Caption all PDFs, images, visuals, audio and visuals utilized in your content (citing source and where appropriate file size/type and reading/watching time).
Have someone else proof-read and link-check your content manually before publishing it.
Steer clear of all evident marketing tactics and pushy gimmicks inside your content (pop-ups, excessive CTAs, etc.).
Put a professional signature and link to your bio/about page at the end of all your writings.
2. Show Proof
Integrate statistical data, examples, news, reports and other examples, testimonials or factual data to enhance the credibility of your writings.
Provide evidence or statistical data to substantiate claims and arguments, enhancing trustworthiness.
Share relevant credentials or experiences to establish your own expertise and authority on the topic.
Highlight past successes or failures that corroborate your arguments.
Showcase testimonials to highlight your track record.
3. Cite Others
Include references to experts or sources to add credibility and to demonstrate your commitment to sharing knowledge.
Acknowledge the contributions of others and express gratitude for their support and assistance, building rapport and goodwill.
Credit and attribute all citations, quotes and visuals used in your content.
Proactively search, find and mention who else is on the topic and making valid contributions to it.
4. Be Vulnerable
Let imperfection and failures become assets showing your honesty and transparency. Admitting mistakes fosters transparency and humility, which are key components of building trust with your audience.
Open up about your own struggles, failures, and lessons learned to demonstrate authenticity.
Acknowledge your shortcomings or areas where you've not succeeded.
Allow yourself to express genuine emotions in your writing, whether it's enthusiasm, empathy or vulnerability.
Invite honest and direct feedback from your readers
Let critical feedback come through and reply by welcoming and accepting points of view that are different from yours.
5. Be Transparent
Be open about your goals and objectives, divulge your sources and masters, share the process and methodology behind your work and acknowledge possible conflicts of interest you may have.
Disclose sources and references for any information or data presented in your writing.
Be upfront about your intentions and motivations for writing a particular piece of content.
Openly share your work process and what motivates you to do what you do.
Be transparent about any potential conflicts of interest that may influence your writing or recommendations.
e) Formatting and Structure
Duration: 2’:02”
Source: “This Sentence Has Five Words: A Lesson from Gary Provost On Varying Sentence Length”
1. Chunk
Learn what chunking is and organize your content into distinct paragraphs for improved readability.
Break up large blocks of text into smaller paragraphs or sections to improve readability and comprehension.
Utilize white space effectively to create visual separation between different sections and blocks to enhance overall readability.
2. Break Into (Many) Chapters
Divide longer pieces into chapters and subchapters with clear titles to aid navigation and accessibility.
Use white space to clearly delineate the beginning and end of each chapter.
Provide a brief overview or summary at the beginning of each chapter to set expectations and provide context for the reader.
3. Structure
Create or adopt content templates, writing frameworks to give your content an orderly and logical sequence that it’s easy to follow.
Include summaries or recaps at strategic intervals to reinforce key points and aid comprehension.
Incorporate headings and subheadings to create a hierarchical structure that guides the reader through the content.
Use bullet points or numbered lists to organize information, to highlight key points and to facilitate skimming.
4. Make It Accessible
Make sure your writing is technically legible by becoming aware of information design basic principles like font choice and size, line length and chunking.
Use legible fonts at a big enough size to guarantee readability to all users, including those with visual impairments.
Keep line length to a maximum of 10-12 words per line to keep a smooth reading experience especially on larger screens.
Test your formatted content on a variety of devices and platforms to identify and address any potential usability issues.
f) Language Usage
Pay attention to subtle communication elements which impact the way you are perceived by readers.
1. Limit “My”
Minimize the use of possessive pronouns like "my" to reduce self-focus and ego-centricity.
Avoid excessive use of possessive pronouns such as "my" or "mine" to minimize self-orientation.
Write in terms of problems and challenges you have overcome, not in terms of your achievements and possessions. Let these emerge by themselves.
2. Use Your Own Words (and expressions)
Develop a unique voice and terminology to convey authenticity and originality.
Coin your own words and terms when exploring new ideas and concepts.
Use uniquely recognizable expressions of emotions, you use in real life.
Create your own way of saying bye-bye while reminding what you’re here for.
(Examples: Keep moving… (farewell by physiotherapist), Make yourself heard… (music producer), Look beyond the appearances, analyze and measure…(strategic marketing expert).
For the next issue:
Thanks a million for reading and for supporting this work. Your feedback, comments and likes do make a difference.
Follow a path with a heart.
The time is NOW.
From sunny Holbox island,
Robin Good