Successful writing is not just about selling a product or promoting an organization; it is about understanding the audience and creating messages that build trust and inspire action
Great writing doesn’t just begin with the first sentence, hook or lede. It begins with understanding the audience and the bigger picture.
So says Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ann Handley in a recorded training session for MarketingProfs titled, “How to Write Your Face Off: Writing for Non-Writers.” Effective writing is not just for professional writers, she says in the presentation. Anyone can become a strong writer and communicator by first understanding the audience.
Handley used Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White as an unexpected example to illustrate purposeful writing and demonstrate how strong communication can inspire action.
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The audience comes first
One of Handley’s main messages is that every piece of writing should begin with one specific audience in mind. For example, instead of writing for ‘all marketers and communicators,’ you should picture one person they want to influence.
Continuing with the Charlotte’s Web example, Handley explains that Charlotte does not write her messages for everyone who visits the farm. Instead, she writes with one audience in mind: Mr. Zuckerman, the owner of the farm. Zuckerman is raising Wilbur the pig with the intention of fattening him up to be served as Christmas dinner.
Charlotte’s message is simple but powerful. Through a series of single-word messages woven into her web, she gradually changes Zuckerman’s perspective and convinces him that Wilbur is worth saving.
Handley then demonstrates how this same principle applies in real life by sharing how investor Warren Buffett writes his annual shareholder letter. Even though millions of people eventually read the letter, Buffett writes it as if he is speaking directly to one person, his sister, Doris.
Whether writing a social media post, a report, an email newsletter or a blog, effective communication begins with one audience, one goal and one purpose.
Writing earns trust before it earns attention
Building trust begins long before the first sentence is written. Throughout the webinar, Handley explains that marketers often focus too much on capturing attention instead of building trust.
Instead, she encourages communicators to ask a different question:
- How can this message earn the audience’s trust?
Writing requires research, preparation and editing. Handley compares this process to Templeton the Rat in Charlotte’s Web, who searches for the perfect words that Charlotte later weaves into her web.
In the same way, she explains that communicators should research the questions their audiences are asking and understand the language they use. When organizations communicate using words that reflect their audience’s experiences, they demonstrate empathy and build stronger relationships.
This allows organizations to create messages that connect with their audience on a more personal level. When organizations communicate using words that reflect their audience’s experiences, they demonstrate empathy and build stronger relationships
The lasting lesson
Throughout the webinar, Handley demonstrates that writing is much more than simply putting words on a page. She jokes that marketers should “move to Maine,” where E.B. White wrote Charlotte’s Web. Instead, she uses it as a metaphor, encouraging communicators to think like writers first by focusing on the audience before creating content.
Charlotte succeeds because she understands exactly who she is writing for and communicates with purpose rather than promotion. This same principle continues to guide successful communicators today.
Strong writing is not measured by the number of words on a page but by its ability to strengthen relationships, build trust and inspire action.
Attend the session for yourself
This session is freely available, with registration, on the MarketingProfs resources page: How to Write Your Face Off: Writing for Non-Writers
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Alex Austin Vollor is a recent communication graduate from Mississippi State University with a concentration in Public Relations. She is the first-ever participant of the Graduate Jump Start Program (GJSP) by Sword and the Script Media, LLC. Find her online portfolio here.
GJSP is an intensive, yet part-time, paid learning program for new graduates. The program is designed to help new college graduates develop real-world PR and business skills, build a portfolio and provide access to mentoring, while they seek a full-time position.
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