How to make your writing feel like a hug
Our words are a proxy for everything we can’t do at the moment.
We can’t meet people; touch them, hug, laugh, persuade, smile, show, flirt, reassure, explain, commiserate, calm. We can’t just be with each other, passing the time doing nothing in particular, sharing the everyday mundane things that connect us - but our words can do at least some of that for us.
The communications gap
I’m writing this because I can see a widening gap between the people who are communicating through this world turned upside down time and the people who aren’t. And I have a feeling that in three months time it will be the people who have kept talking who will be in a stronger position.
Of course, there are lots of valid reasons why you might not want to be doing your usual marketing right now. If you think that whatever you were planning on saying this week strikes the wrong note today, I’d trust that instinct and not say it. I’ve ditched my scheduled blog for this one, because I think this might be more useful right now.
This crisis is affecting every one of us. You might well be feeling low, or anxious, or overwhelmed. You might be hugely busy, and feel like you don’t have the time. Or perhaps you’re caught in the no-man’s land of paused projects, so you don’t know what to do with these unscheduled empty hours. It’s so far from business as usual that we’ve almost forgotten what usual was.
Silence isn’t the safest path
You might not have the time or the energy or the headspace to say much, but complete silence might not be the safest path. Here’s how to navigate onto surer ground.
If you’re in the business of expertise, or leadership, or if building trust is key to your business, then it’s good to keep talking and stay connected wherever you can. Keep lines of communication open with clients, potential clients, and your wider business community. Share what you know, and what you’re learning.
And one of the simplest ways of doing that is through your writing. Writing builds bridges from one mind to another. It’s a shortcut that links my heart to yours. It can be the hug your people want from you.
6 tips to make your writing pull readers towards you
Be practical, clear and unambiguous. If it’s essential that people understand your message and act on it, strip out any layers of complication. Anyone can catch it, anyone can spread it is a much clearer message than the ones we were hearing a couple of weeks ago. Nice repetition of anyone too. Repetition is a good tool if you want to make your writing magnetic and memorable. Clear messages feel safe, we all want to know what to do.
Be conversational. Want your writing to feel like a one-to-one chat? If you’re aiming for the informality of a conversation with a friend, try writing it on paper first. Sometimes it’s easier to connect with what you really want to say if you step away from the keyboard. Magic can happen in the connection between your mind and your pen.
Use voice typing to transcribe your scribbles and edit those words. (Also a good way to start any blog. This one started like that.)
Evoke memories. We can’t be together, but sharing memories can pull people close like a big warm bear hug or a shot of tequila. Weaving some shared memories into whatever you’re writing will make it come alive.
Likewise lyrics work wonders for diving into pools of shared feelings and emotions, like the genius we will meet again in the Queen’s speech.
Tapping into the past you share with your reader gives you a huge palette to paint with, and is a powerful connector.
Play with sentence length. I’m usually a fan of the short sentence. And the even shorter one. Like this. Short sentences are easy to read.
Like telling yourself you’re just running as far as the next lamppost, short sentences catch the eye and encourage you to keep going. Pace it right, and you’ll keep people with you for longer.
But right now, I’d advocate weaving in some much longer sentences. Firstly, because it makes your writing more conversational. But secondly because it seems to me that people are craving more substantial stuff to read. Readers will slow down and pay more attention to what you’re saying, and that means you can afford to write in a way that’s more considered and more nuanced.
Drop the breathless staccato, no one’s going anywhere. Slow your writing down and let it breathe.
Be vivid. We’re all trying to make sense of this weird here and now, and we like people who capture it for us.
Paint a picture of your surroundings. Find the universal in the particular. You won’t be the only one staring at the dust in the corner of your room and wondering how long it’s been there, but by sharing details like that you instantly shorten the distance between you and your reader.
Sensory words are good for painting vivid pictures. The sound of the dawn chorus, the feel of the grass under your bare feet, even the taste of that strange meal you ate standing at the fridge because what’s the point of plates?
Sight, smell, sound, touch, taste, pull them into your writing and you’ll make people feel like they’re right by your side.
Clear structure. Good beginnings, structured middles and positive endings are welcomed right now. We’re all looking for a happy ever after in all this chaos, and writing is one place that you can safely deliver.
Where to use your magnetic writing powers
Your blog and your newsletter are the obvious places. Anywhere you post regularly will benefit from warm and vivid writing. Keep sharing your expertise. Keep answering potential clients questions. Chronicle this time. Lead with your ideas.
The old Valuable Content marketing mantras still hold true, whatever you’re writing for your business. Help, don’t sell. Show, don’t tell. Talk, don’t yell.
You can use your magnetic writing super powers to connect on LinkedIn or Twitter, or to start conversations via other people’s content.
Or use it to send individual emails to people in your network. Don’t underestimate the power of one-to-one messages to check in with your community. More private writing benefits from an injection of immediacy and empathy too.
Make those connections, help your people, and keep writing.
