Write Like You Talk

The #1 Problem People Have With Marketing Writing

Let’s talk about writer’s block – that thing that hits almost everyone the moment they sit down to write.

And I don’t just mean writing a book. I mean a blog post, marketing content for a website or a pamphlet, an academic paper, an article, a professional guide – sometimes even a simple post on social media.

People get stuck. They forget their own vocabulary. And in the best case, if they ever do write something, it takes them forever to get going again. In the worst case? The whole experience puts them off writing anything, ever again.

So What’s Really Going On?

After many years working with clients and their writer’s block, I’ve discovered the #1 cause:

People try to be too sophisticated.

Think about it. These same people use simple language every single day. They give advice and explain their material clearly and coherently out loud. But the second they have to put it in writing, they suddenly try to become Harlan Coben or John Grisham – writing in some “literary,” sophisticated style that isn’t them at all.

The Solution: Write Like You Talk

This is my #1 rule for good marketing writing.

When you write, imagine you’re just having a conversation about the topic with someone. Then write the words down exactly as you’d say them out loud.

Here’s another trick I always give to lecturers: record yourself and transcribe it. Now you’ve got ready-made, written marketing material – in your own natural voice.

A Quick Example

If I’m talking and I say:

“Take this story, for example…”

That’s exactly how I should write it.

But if I try to get fancy and write:

“Let us examine this example, which illustrates…”

I’ll bore and irritate my readers – because nobody actually talks like that!

The bottom line: Use simple language. Write the way you speak in real life. That’s it.