Want to accelerate your career?
Write better.
THREAD: The principles of powerful business writing:
Write better.
THREAD: The principles of powerful business writing:
What do Buffett, Musk, & Bezos have in common (besides $$$)?
They know powerful writing isn't an accident—clear writing is clear thinking.
The principles of great business writing:
• Draft Fast, Edit Slow
• KISS
• Clear Target Reaction
• Storytelling
Let's cover each:
They know powerful writing isn't an accident—clear writing is clear thinking.
The principles of great business writing:
• Draft Fast, Edit Slow
• KISS
• Clear Target Reaction
• Storytelling
Let's cover each:
Principle 1: Draft Fast, Edit Slow
There's nothing more daunting than a blank page.
So start fast—get a draft down (and don’t fret if it sucks).
My friend @Julian said it best: “Making something bad then iterating until it’s good is faster than making something good upfront.”
There's nothing more daunting than a blank page.
So start fast—get a draft down (and don’t fret if it sucks).
My friend @Julian said it best: “Making something bad then iterating until it’s good is faster than making something good upfront.”
My "Write-Rest-Review" framework:
Get the first draft down as quickly as possible.
Walk away for 5 minutes—go for a walk, grab a coffee, whatever.
Come back and review it.
What's missing? Where are the logical flaws?
When you review with "new" eyes, good things happen.
Get the first draft down as quickly as possible.
Walk away for 5 minutes—go for a walk, grab a coffee, whatever.
Come back and review it.
What's missing? Where are the logical flaws?
When you review with "new" eyes, good things happen.
Principle 2: Keep It Simple, Stupid
Most people assume that longer, more complex writing will impress and inspire.
It doesn't.
Great business writing is simple and direct. There's no fluff or handwaving—it's tactical.
A few actionable tips to tighten and simplify:
Most people assume that longer, more complex writing will impress and inspire.
It doesn't.
Great business writing is simple and direct. There's no fluff or handwaving—it's tactical.
A few actionable tips to tighten and simplify:
Cut the Fluff
In school, we were taught to heap descriptors into our writing—we were told it made it more vibrant.
(It also helped fill out the word or page count we were forced to hit!)
In the real world, those fluff words are assassins of punchy, powerful business writing.
In school, we were taught to heap descriptors into our writing—we were told it made it more vibrant.
(It also helped fill out the word or page count we were forced to hit!)
In the real world, those fluff words are assassins of punchy, powerful business writing.
Review your draft with an eye towards removing any unnecessary words & sentences.
Some common fluff:
• "I think X"
• "very" (or similar adverbs)
• Acronyms
• Jargon
• $10 words (fancy for no reason)
Be ruthless in identifying and eliminating the fluff words & sentences.
Some common fluff:
• "I think X"
• "very" (or similar adverbs)
• Acronyms
• Jargon
• $10 words (fancy for no reason)
Be ruthless in identifying and eliminating the fluff words & sentences.
Shorten Everything
Powerful business writing is very similar to powerful Twitter writing.
Shorter is better.
Use short sentence structures.
Space sentences or paragraphs out to make the writing more optically pleasing.
Great business writing should be engaging to the eye.
Powerful business writing is very similar to powerful Twitter writing.
Shorter is better.
Use short sentence structures.
Space sentences or paragraphs out to make the writing more optically pleasing.
Great business writing should be engaging to the eye.
Add Data
This is a classic principle instilled by @JeffBezos in Amazon's writing-centric culture.
Replace fluff words with data.
Before: "The majority of viewers loved the show."
After: "95% of viewers rated the show with 5-stars."
Clear & much more impactful.
This is a classic principle instilled by @JeffBezos in Amazon's writing-centric culture.
Replace fluff words with data.
Before: "The majority of viewers loved the show."
After: "95% of viewers rated the show with 5-stars."
Clear & much more impactful.
Principle 3: Clear Target Reaction
Great business writing has a clear target reaction—a deliberate purpose or aim.
That target reaction should be experienced by the reader immediately.
As my friend @SamParr says: "Punch the reader in the face with your first sentence."
Great business writing has a clear target reaction—a deliberate purpose or aim.
That target reaction should be experienced by the reader immediately.
As my friend @SamParr says: "Punch the reader in the face with your first sentence."
Amazon calls it the "so what?" test.
Before you share any piece of business writing, identify the "so what?" of the piece.
What reaction, value, or takeaway should the audience have?
Is it coming across loud and clear?
If not, go back to the drawing board and punch harder.
Before you share any piece of business writing, identify the "so what?" of the piece.
What reaction, value, or takeaway should the audience have?
Is it coming across loud and clear?
If not, go back to the drawing board and punch harder.
Principle 4: Storytelling
Storytelling is a foundational skill—but it's one we don’t learn in the traditional education system.
It's no coincidence that the greatest CEOs & founders are the greatest storytellers.
High-leverage storytelling is a supercharger for all endeavors.
Storytelling is a foundational skill—but it's one we don’t learn in the traditional education system.
It's no coincidence that the greatest CEOs & founders are the greatest storytellers.
High-leverage storytelling is a supercharger for all endeavors.
Humans are storytelling creatures—we developed around campfires. Lean into it.
Adding a story to a memo on a dry topic can bring the entire piece to life. Simple, crisp stories enhance the power of the message.
Here's a thread I wrote on principles of effective storytelling:
Adding a story to a memo on a dry topic can bring the entire piece to life. Simple, crisp stories enhance the power of the message.
Here's a thread I wrote on principles of effective storytelling:
https://twitter.com/SahilBloom/status/1414202782538678273
A few ideas (without contradicting the KISS principle):
Add a mini anecdote to illustrate a point.
Use a folksy one-liner to draw people in (Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger are the MASTERS of this).
A storytelling touch will make your writing punch well above its weight.
Add a mini anecdote to illustrate a point.
Use a folksy one-liner to draw people in (Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger are the MASTERS of this).
A storytelling touch will make your writing punch well above its weight.
Better business writing can change your life.
To summarize, the key principles:
• Draft Fast, Edit Slow
• KISS
• Clear Target Reaction
• Storytelling
Start using these and I guarantee you will see improvement.
Follow me @SahilBloom for more threads on business and finance!
To summarize, the key principles:
• Draft Fast, Edit Slow
• KISS
• Clear Target Reaction
• Storytelling
Start using these and I guarantee you will see improvement.
Follow me @SahilBloom for more threads on business and finance!
I write deep dives on these topics in my newsletter—enhanced by audio versions and visuals—every single week.
Join the 45,000+ others and subscribe below so you don’t miss them. sahilbloom.substack.com
Join the 45,000+ others and subscribe below so you don’t miss them. sahilbloom.substack.com
And if you are a job seeker looking to leverage improved business writing to level up your career, check out my job board, where I share unique roles in tech and finance every single week. sahil.pallet.xyz/jobs
For more on business writing, I recommend following @Alexgarcia_atx—his work has been foundational to my own development and thinking on these topics.
A few more of my favorite accounts for learning about writing:
@amandanat
@david_perell
@wes_kao
@ShaanVP
@amandanat
@david_perell
@wes_kao
@ShaanVP
Check out the new show and community I just launched with @gregisenberg.
We explore the most fascinating trends and ideas in business and tech.
The community is 🔥 TRWIH.com
We explore the most fascinating trends and ideas in business and tech.
The community is 🔥 TRWIH.com
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
