“How to Write Well”
In 1982, David Ogilvy, the creative force behind Ogilvy & Mather, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, wrote a memo to his management team.
“The better you write, the higher you will go,” he explained.
“People who think well, write well.”
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The note later appeared in The Unpublished David Ogilvy, a collection of incisive letters and speeches by the renown “Father of Advertising.”
He went on to say: “Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well.”
(Of course, once you learn how to write, you have a potent, valuable skill at your disposal: you can command attention. What’s more, you can influence free will.)
Ogilvy closed the memo with “10 tips” anyone could apply to make their writing — and copywriting, for that matter — better.
I’ve unpacked each of Ogilvy’s 10 short tips and publish them in a new VeryGoodCopy Micro-Series:
“How to Write Well”
Now…
These are Ogilvy’s original 10 hints:
1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your quotations.
7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning—and then edit it.
8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.
For each hint, I’ll do my best to:
Add color and context…
Provide a clear takeaway…
Give actionable, easy-to-follow steps…
Enjoy!
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)If you want more “micro” content, feel free to explore 100s of articles, interviews, courses, and series — all free. Enjoy!Eddie Shleyner
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