When was the last time you looked at Press Release, Brochure or a Web article about a product and said to yourself, 'Wow" ? Never, huh? That is the story of customers of the world. Why is business writing so pathetic and what can we do about it?

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1. Many Business writers do not understand their product, their market, or worse, both.
The author does not know what to write. Therefore, she/he starts using vague phrases that say everything and nothing.

Moreover, the writer overdoses on buzzwords like "paradigm", and although he manages to have a neutral tone as advised by his bosses, he often ends up creating business communication that communicates nothing.

On the other hand, if the writers fully understand the benefits of the product/service for their customers, they will write text that reflects that understanding.

Lesson: Know all about the product, especially the benefits. Remember, benefits, not features.

2. It is a product of bad writing education in College.
It has been often argued that the academic kind of writing taught in colleges is verbose and pompous.

Most importantly, college writing is not enjoyable and engaging. It may put-off the customer, who might end up thinking, "What the hell was ll that about?"

Lesson: Read good writers. Lots of them are online - Seth Godin, Brian Clark (Copyblogger), Guy Kawasaki, Hugh Mcloed (GapingVoid) and more.

3. Blame Google.
Google's focus on keywords, search ranking, SEO and what not has resulted in numerous content farms to produce keyword-rich (and thus ugly) copy by the thousands.

Instead of engaging, unique content, there is vast sea of deadening blandness everywhere.

Lesson: Write articles that explain the benefits and importance of the product, so that customer knows an actual person wrote it. In the end, you will also find that you have automatically taken care of Google-friendly things.

4. It is tough to stand out in a market where everything is commoditized ASAP.
First, the creative types went into the advertising business. From there, they went on to do build good copy for clients who wanted to cater to a well-off customer base with engaging, funny copy and idiosyncratic brand images.

But, I disagree than good copy is only reserved for high-end customers.

Good Business copy is a right of every customer. Humanness is writing is more valuable than ever before. Add ‘humanness’ to your business plan.

Lesson: Believe that your writing can stand out. Believe that no matter what industry, commodity or high-end, the customer demands to be informed elegantly and warmly. Start with writing a Press Release like it is a Customer Release.

Related
On Awful Business writing
The Bible of Business Writing: How to write memos, letters, e-mails, press releases, business reports, newsletters, articles and tip sheets

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