Write Language – Allan Pease & Paul Dunn

Posted on Feb 15, 2011 |

Write Language – Allan Pease & Paul Dunn

A colleague of mine recently reminded me of this great book that I read quite some time ago and following is a summary of it which explains to us the system of how to write in modern language, to stand out, and get through to people…. It goes against the grain of more traditional and grammatically “correct” thinking that we were taught at school, so here’s a quick summary… It’s not surprisingly an easy read… from memory I read it on a plane journey somewhere…

Think Out Side The Box

Use plain modern English, write like you speak
Use Single word sentences
Use “And” & “But” to start sentences

WIIFM

Just like an ad, readers want the letter to tell them WIIFM (What’s In It For Me)… You should use words and phrases like… ”so”, ”what that means is”, ”so you”, “so that you”, and “you see”, to talk to them.

Grab The Reader

Has to be a great beginning with bite, headline
Start with “Good morning” or “Hi”… Never “Dear XXXXX”, as that’s not how we speak
Make it short, snappy and with a punch
Adapt to who you are writing to, out of pain or towards gain. Different ways to get the same result

Get To The Point

Use phrases like… ”Let me explain” and other links such as “picture this” or “consider this”.

Build a Great Body

WIIFM for them all the way through… eg ”so that you”, and ”what that means to you is”
The more involved the reader is the more likely they are to take action

Involvement Techniques