Deslopify your comms: 5 writing and editing tips for messaging that doesn’t suck

Stand up.

Imagine yourself as a narrator, creator or brand spokesperson.

Read the draft aloud as that character, and try to capture their delivery and expressions.

That’s David Quiñones’s test for writing that sounds like a person and gives a brand voice a body.

Quiñones, founder of All Points West, will join Brenda Duran, director of external affairs for Los Angeles County; Jyoti Sharma, director of communications at Genmab; and Daniel Paulling, senior director of corporate communications at U.S. Masters Swimming, at Ragan and PR Daily’s Writing & Content Strategy Virtual Conference on Dec. 3. We caught up with them ahead of the event for some hot tips on choosing stories, shaping a brand voice and showing leadership what the writing can do.

Your customers’ vocab is also your brand’s

“The most important thing in producing brand-aligned content is having a clear understanding of the language your customers and employees use,” Paulling writes. “If what you’re saying to them isn’t resonating with them, your content isn’t going to stand out.” Start the brief with the words and questions those audiences use to give the writer something sturdier than a list of brand adjectives to work from.

To firm up that vocabulary and integrate it naturally, Duran said an editorial style guide is indispensable. “It establishes a consistent voice, tone and language while giving writers the flexibility to tell compelling stories across different platforms.”

Give each story idea the three-question grilling

Paulling and Sharma’s advice suggests three questions to ask before developing or assigning a writing assignment.

1. What does the audience care about?
2. What does the organization uniquely know?
3. Which strategic goal can the story advance?

“I look for the intersection of business priorities, audience needs and what’s happening in the industry,” Sharma said. “A story earns investment when we can clearly explain why it matters to the organization, why the audience should care and why now is the right time.”

Duran prioritizes stories that elevate voices that might otherwise go unheard and have the potential for meaningful impact.

“The stories that deserve my company’s time and resources are at the intersection of what our audience cares about, what my company uniquely knows, and what advances my company’s strategic goals,” Paulling said. “You need to offer a fresh perspective, answer a meaningful question and inspire action.”

Get leadership buy-in by showing first, then telling

When pitching ideas, set aside the vague strategy explanation and put a finished example on the table. “Cut to the good part,” Quiñones writes. “As much as modern brand leaders claim they are data-driven and focused on hard KPIs and ROI, what they really want is for you to show them how a finished product would look. Game out your strategy to its conclusion and lead with that.”

Then connect the example to an outcome leadership cares about. “Translate content performance into organizational outcomes by showing leadership how storytelling builds trust, influences behavior, increases engagement and advances strategic priorities,” Duran said.

“The strongest case connects content to outcomes leadership cares about, beyond the volume of material produced,” Sharma advised. Paulling advises teams to “tell the story behind the numbers, so leadership understands why what you’re doing matters.”

Deslopify with people power-ups

Surveys are your friend. “It’s so useful to get a glimpse into what people on the inside of a brand and people who patronize it already think the brand is about, whether they’re right or (oftentimes) wrong,” Quiñones said. Comparing those responses with the organization’s intended voice shows where audience perception and your team’s intent have diverged.

Sharma says AI tools are handy in the initial stages of the writing process, but with a caveat. “They help me explore angles and develop first drafts, but getting a useful result takes thoughtful prompting and very careful editing.” She added, “Their value is in creating more room for strategy and judgment, with people accountable for the final work.”

One of Paulling’s best editing tools is time. Step away from the strategy or draft, then return with fresh eyes. That second pass exposes missing information and unanswered questions. “We can easily be victims of the curse of knowledge if we rush something, so be sure to take the time to make sure your audience understands what you’re trying to say.”

Would you still like it if you heard it read aloud or in an online video?

As you read each line aloud (per Quiñones’s test), listen for the sentence that doesn’t flow right, the phrase that sounds wooden, the bit of corporate-speak that would sound strange coming from an actual person. Then cut or recast it until it sounds genuine.

“The days of snarky faceless online brand personas are as dead as flash mobs, so stop trying to sound like @Wendys and instead write with a face in mind,” Quiñones writes.

And this is especially pertinent given the ubiquity of video content today: “Make it a regular practice to imagine everything you write existing in that 1080×1920 pixel box.” After all, whether or not you’re making the videos, those words could end up in the mouths of reporters or creators.

Learn more advice from these speakers and many more during Ragan and PR Daily’s Writing & Content Strategy Virtual Conference on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. Register for the virtual conference.