(Writing Your Way To Riches, Part II)
Tired of writing that sounds robotic? Like something ChatGPT vomited out into a word salad?
In last week’s article we made sure our writing didn’t scare people off from a distance.
If you applied that lesson, chances are people didn’t run away at first sight. That’s great! But now that they’re a bit closer, it’s time to actually make it enjoyable for them to read.
How do we do that?
The same way you’d do that at a bar with your friends.
The “Bar Test” And Why It’s So Effective
Take for example this paragraph I saw in another article:
“As a business owner your job is to solve problems. Someone having electrical issues? It’s a good thing you’re a certified electrician with your own business to solve that customer’s problem. This is the basic principle of running your own business most business owners already know, but what happens when no one knows you even exist? How are we supposed to solve problems if Larry from across the street doesn’t even know who you are as a business? We Market, but we market in a very specific and strategic way that actually allows us to attract clients and make sales.”
If you made it to the end without your eyes glazing over, you might be superhuman.
But I’m guessing your brain immediately started skimming the text, and probably just skipped to the end. I don’t blame you, just look at it.
It’s more bland than British cuisine.
If we had just applied the bar test, things would have worked out much better.
By now you’re probably wondering what this illusive bar test is, and how to use it.
In the ring of writing improvement it’s undefeated. It’s worked for decades and will continue to work as long as humans are writing.
Using The “Bar Test”
First you look at a piece of text (the insiders call this “copy”) and you ask yourself:
“Would I say this to an actual human being in conversation?”
That’s it. Quick and easy, right?
Let’s apply it to our last example to see the improvement:
“As a business owner your job is to solve problems. This is the basic principle of running your own business most business owners already know, but what happens when no one knows you even exist?”
In a real conversation, that would sound something like:
“Most business owners already know they solve problems for a living. But that’s hard to do if people don’t even know you exist, right?”
See how much easier that is to read and understand? Way less robotic, way more authentic.
But Wait, There’s More
Did I mention there was a second part to the bar test? This is my favorite trick and it works every time.
I won’t lie, the first time you do this it might feel weird, and you might even look around the room to make sure no one is watching.
That’s normal, but I promise that once you see the results you won’t publish anything else without doing this first.
Here’s what you need to do after you’ve written something and applied the first part of the bar test:
Read your copy out loud to yourself.
This helps you immediately find stumbling points, places where it sounds weird, and where it just doesn’t make sense. It will drastically improve clarity, conciseness, and overall readability.
You’re more likely to catch that 47 word run on sentence that probably needs to be broken down into several sentences.
Outside of an insane asylum, no one really talks in 47 word sentences.
Real conversation ebbs and flows. Some sentences are long, others are short.
Like this one. Only three words.
We lack authenticity in our digital world–especially with the advent of AI.
You’ll have a clear advantage if people read your work and think “wow this person might actually be a human.”
Get into this habit. It’s going to change your writing for the better. I guarantee it.
Until next time,
Robert
P.S. Want to know how I’d make sure your prospects would be glued to their screen, unable to stop consuming your content?
Get in touch with my agency today. If we’re a good fit I will personally take a look at your company and your marketing, come up with a strategy of what I’d do differently and discuss it with you in depth on a call.
No cost, no obligation.
If you want to work together I’ll tell you exactly how that works, if you don’t want to work together that’s fine too. No hard selling, no pressure, no annoying sales tactics.
Sound good? Then fill out this form.