As some of you will know, we have launched our new blog site, Dialogue, to act as an ongoing repository of our thoughts and advice about writing.

This will include our ‘Trade Secrets’ – a series which we have been running for about 15 years now – as well as blog posts about our Structured Writing Method™. It’s aimed at different types of writers (business writers, marketing writers, bid writers and students).

So what’s fresh about our particular perspective? Here, then, are a just a few of the things we shall be writing about in the coming weeks.

  1. When writing, writing is the last thing you do

    Stop staring at a blank page, or writing aimlessly until a good idea starts to form! If you want to improve both the quality and efficiency with which you produce documents, whatever you do, don’t start with writing.
    Read the full blog here

  2. Executive summaries should be called ‘executive propositions’

    Bid writers know how important executive summaries can be. But what if these are the only parts of the submission that the decision makers will read? Surely in those circumstances it makes a lot of sense to drop the word ‘summary’ and replace it with ‘proposition’? Give it the right name and it’ll change what you write.
    Read the full blog here

  3. Don’t write case studies, write credibility packages

    Case studies come in all shapes and sizes. Some are long, evangelical articles designed to grab attention and establish thought leadership and gravitas. Others are used to prove that a product or service actually works in practice. Some are little more than a testimonial. Or even a tweet. So surely the best thing to do is produce all of these different forms in a single go? It’s simple, if uncommon, common sense.
    Read more about case study formats here and credibility here

  4. Don’t position your company for who you think you are; position it for who you aspire to become

    I know this sounds like something you could put on a tee-shirt but it’s a thought that lies at the heart of successful messaging.
    Read the full blog here

  5. Yes you can! 

    Many of us spend a large proportion of our working weeks writing documents of one kind or another. The good news is that there is a simple, tried and tested method which will enable you to produce great quality, professional-looking documents very easily. Yes, you can!

  6.  Let Outline View take care of your layoutNever heard of Outline View? It’s perhaps the most important feature of Microsoft Word that nobody knows about – and it’s at the heart of our Structured Writing Method. What’s more, combined with a suitable template, it does most of your formatting for you. What could be easier?

  7. Editorial processes can transform your team’s productivity

    Some of the most important documents a company produces are put together by teams. So what’s the best way to collaborate? There are simple and hugely effective ways, using editorial definition documents (or storyboards) which can transform the efficiency of team working.

  8. One of the best ways to increase your win rate is to reduce your lose rate

    At Writing Machine we never promise our bid clients that we can improve their win rate. We can’t make their product or service any better and we have no control of the price. But many companies turn to us because they know that bad pitches or bid documents can actually lose business which would otherwise be theirs for the taking. Indeed, in many cases, improving the quality of your writing is one of the best ways to reduce your lose rate (which looks very similar to increasing your win rate). Read the full blog here.

  9. Think about documents in terms of ‘evangelical’ and ‘supportive’

    • Evangelical: Are you trying to grab attention? If so, talk about your audience and their problem.
    • Supportive: Have you got their attention? If so, talk about what you can do to solve their problem.

      10. Types of campaign content

All B2B campaigns need content which addresses these areas:

  •    Positioning
    What is your unique competitive message?
  •    Thought leadership
    How are you leading the debates of the day? (If you don’t lead, you’ll be perceived to be following.)
  •     Education
    What are you offering?
  •    Credibility
    Oh yeah? Prove it!

Paul Ayling is the founder and CEO of Writing Machine.

Writing Machine’s fresh perspectives have been honed by years of writing experience. This experience is put into practice every day in the Writing Machine Agency, producing well-written and successful documents for a huge number of clients.

We also teach them in our Academy with the Structured Writing Method™, which has been developed from those same years of writing experience.