Your stress-free guide to writing emails, blogs, web pages, LinkedIn posts, Slack and text messages, and everything else
When I write, I imagine I’m having a conversation with you.
I’m sitting with you in a coffee shop or boardroom, and we’re talking.
Maybe you asked me a question or for my opinion on something. I think about the most relevant information and give this to you first.
And then as we continue to chat, we dig deeper into the topic, focusing on the extra bits of information that help you make a decision.
As I’m typing, I see you sitting across from me and I let the words flow—just like talking. The words just come.
This is how I write. I didn’t learn to do this overnight.
It took time and a lot of patience with myself to learn how to get the words from my brain to my fingers with as little stress and overthinking as possible.
And this blog teaches you how to do the same thing—so you can write better, faster, and more easily.
I want you to have the confidence to sit down and write whatever it is you need or want to.
To write emails, blogs, web pages, Slack and text messages, LinkedIn posts, and everything else better, faster, and more easily, you need my five-step writing process:
- Purpose: why are you writing?
- Knowledge: how do your words add value?
- Do It: sit down and write the blog, email, LinkedIn post, Slack or text message.
- Edit: always always read your words before clicking publish, send, or enter.
- Move On: do not overthink or ruminate on the Slack message or blog post—it’s done.
Bonus 6th step: CONFIDENCE AND BELIEF IN YOURSELF—BACK YOURSELF ALWAYS.
1. Purpose: Why Are You Writing?
Everything you write needs to be grounded in purpose.
This is your “why” behind whatever it is you’re writing.
The purpose gives your words shape and meaning—keeping you on track and focused.
Whether it’s a blog, email, LinkedIn post, web page, Slack or text message, book, screenplay—it must start with “why”.
This “why” gets you to your “what” and your “how”.
Open Google Docs and start filling in your ideas for these different “why” categories. And it’s okay if not all of these fit for you right now. If there isn’t a category for your “why”—make one.
- Lightbulb Moments
- Thought Leadership/Opinions
- Product and Services Deep Dives
- Customer Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Why and Who Behind Our Company
- Unique Selling Point
- Barriers To Sale
- Things We Wish People Knew About Our Industry, Company, Products/Services, People
- Random Ideas
- Customer Challenges
- Who Do We Sell To
- What Do We Sell
- Things That Make Us Different
- Fun Facts About Our Company, Products, People, Industry
- Industry Jargon
Don’t stress over the ideas you’ve brainstormed. These are just ideas—a launchpad to help you get to the purpose of the thing you want to write.
Think of this as a living document, when an idea pops in your head—add it to your Google Doc. And when it’s time to write a blog post or schedule some LinkedIn content, you have a bunch of ideas and a reason for writing.
This step really is the hard part. It’s how you get over the blinking cursor terrors.
2. Knowledge: How Do Your Words Add Value?
The Internet is a noisy, bland, and crowded place.
It’s like visiting a coffee shop with only one drink on the menu, where everyone is saying the same thing—just a little bit louder than the person next to them.
Chaos. Boring. Same. Same.
Your content needs to be the opposite of this. You want to stand out.
You want to be the person at the coffee shop who insists on ordering a drink that isn’t on the menu and then gets up on a chair in the middle of the room and tells all the loud talkers they’re wrong and to be quiet.
If your content can’t do this—you’re wasting your time and your reader’s.
Lucky for you, you’re not like anyone else. And this means you have unique knowledge, ideas, opinions, expertise, and random thoughts that no one else has.
This is how your content adds value. How can your words help someone?
- Write the thing no one else can write.
- Write the words you’re thinking but have been holding back.
- Write about what you know.
- Write your stories—and yes, this applies to B2B: how you got where you are, what you learned along the way, and how this informs your products/services and company point of view.
- Share what you know.
- Tell people why your company and products/services are the best choice.
It’s so much easier to write when your writing comes from inside you. The words are not forced. You’re having a conversation with the page.
3. Do It: Sit Down and Write The Thing
This is the fun part. And you’re so ready for it.
You have your purpose and an idea and you know what you want to say. So say it.
Write those words down. Just do it.
Don’t edit. Don’t delete. Just type. Let your fingers fly. Get it out of your head.
If it helps, put on your headphones and turn the music up really loud. Keep typing. Don’t check Instagram or TikTok.
Just type. No, you don’t need a cup of coffee or to check the mail. You’re writing. Keep going.
There you did it. Well done. You wrote the thing.
Take a break—look at Instagram, get a coffee, stretch your legs, and smile at yourself in the mirror.
4. Edit: Do Not Skip This Step!
Always read what you’ve written at least once before sending, publishing, replying, or posting.
No one writes perfectly. Even me. Typos happen. Wordiness is a thing.
How to edit your words:
- Read your words out loud. When we read silently, our brains auto-correct the typos, missed words, or sentence structure errors.
If a sentence is hard to read out loud, it likely needs a rewrite.
If you stumble while reading, you may have dropped a word.
If you feel like you need to read a sentence twice—it needs an edit. - For blogs, web pages, and longer pieces of content, read your content from the bottom up.
Reading your content in reverse forces your brain to focus on the content and the words. You’ll catch issues with sentence flow, messaging inconsistencies, etc. - If you’re not sure about tone or have written a long piece of content, I suggest using ChatGPT as an editing partner.
A well-written prompt can help you find awkward sentences, dropped or incorrect words, and improve readability.
You can ask the tool to check your blog or web page against your brand style guide to ensure you’re following internal guidance on tone, language, product and service branding, jargon, etc.
Hint: use caution when asking ChatGPT to edit your content. Often ChatGPT flattens your voice and suggests generic language. (This is how we ended up with a very boring Internet.)
You do not need to accept every recommendation ChatGPT gives you.
Here is the ChatGPT prompt I use for editing. You may want to give ChatGPT more guidance—it’s up to you.
Once you’ve edited your words and you’re happy with them, it’s time to push the big button.
Click Send. Publish. Enter. Reply.
Feels great doesn’t it? You said what you wanted to say and it really wasn’t that hard.
Here’s an insider tip: the more you write, the better you get at it, and the easier it gets. It’s like dribbling a basketball or playing the guitar—you need to practice.
5. Move On: Do Not Ruminate or Overthink Your Words
Do not fall into the ruminating and overthinking trap.
Trust in yourself. You wrote about what you know. You said what needed to be said. You told your story. You wrote content that adds value.
So stop thinking about it.
You’ll likely need to write something else later today—so you need to keep your brain clear and open.
You can’t write easily, clearly, and quickly when you doubt yourself.
If you can’t stop thinking about what you wrote, I want you to do this:
- Get a piece of paper and a pen.
- Now write down all things in your head about what you wrote.
- Get them out.
- Write them down.
- Fold the paper in half and put it somewhere safe.
- Forget about the piece of paper.
TL;DR How To Write Better, Faster, and More Easily
My five-step process to writing anything better, faster, and more easily really does work.
This blog is proof that it works. I use this process.
It gives me confidence when I doubt myself. I always have a list of purpose-based ideas to turn to when the cursor starts blinking really quickly.
Your five-step write better, faster, and more easily process:
- Purpose: know the why behind your words. Brainstorm a list of topics, ideas, and things to write about that are connected to your why.
- Knowledge: make sure you’re always adding value. Don’t be afraid to stand out. Being an outlier is a good thing.
- Do It: write your words. Ignore the voice on your shoulder. Sit down and write. Don’t judge. Don’t reread and delete. Just write. Get it out.
- Edit: because you’re not perfect. Mistakes happen. You do not want typos, awkward sentences, or glaring grammatical errors.
- Move On: forget about it—really. Do not keep thinking about what you wrote. You wrote it because you believe it and you know it adds value. Stop overthinking and ruminating.
Remember to give yourself a high-five. You did it. You backed yourself. You wrote the thing.
Well done. I’m proud of you.
If you want to dig deeper on how to write helpful content that people want to read, these blogs can help:
- How To Write Your Content So People Read It
- 9 Keys To Formatting Your Content So People Read It
- How To Free Your Writing Voice: Learn How To Write Natural, Helpful Content
- How To Write A Blog (Part One): Get Clear On What You’re Writing
- How To Write A Blog (Part Two): Becoming A Content Wizard
- How To Write A Blog (Part Three): Sharing Your Great Ideas and Content
I’m here to talk about your words, your website, and how I can help your clients find and trust you.
To hire me to write for you–send me an email. I’m always happy to help you out.
Good Words Work 