Writing guide

The essence of our brand to enable, create or engineer ‘environments where innovation thrives’ should also be conveyed through our copy.

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Get your message across

The initial impression we create represents who we are and how we work. It’s the first step to showing a customer why they might consider working with us. Often our written material, whether it is a webpage, a social media post or a brochure, is often their first engagement with Edwards. 

We assume our stakeholders are intelligent, but many are not engineers. Our first mistake would be to assume they have a depth of technical knowledge and understanding of engineering terminology. 

Well written pieces are read through before the reader even notices they have made it down to the ‘call to action’ (what we want them to do as a result of reading it) at the end. 

To make our writing engaging, aim to make it well-structured and concise, but with a warm and confident tone. We are all humans, not automatons, and research shows that people respond to human character and personality, so let that come through your words.

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As usual, planning saves time

Be clear about what you want to say by jotting down a list of bullet points out- lining the key communication ingredients. This helps with story order, the must haves and the nice to haves. 

We have all been twice around the houses in attempting to write something and then floundering. 

Usually a quick plan will save you time. Then, stick to your objectives to avoid going off on tangents and losing the reader’s interest. 

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Structure

A helpful guide is:

• Headline
• Situation
• Challenge
• Solution (and the eureka moment or process that got to it)

The value that was added or created – going beyond expectations

Call to action (what do we want them to do as a result of having read the piece, e.g. contact the author? share it with an associate?) 

Interestingly, it may help to write the headline last. 

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Write for the format and medium

Think about how your audience is most likely to engage with your content. Are they more likely to read a hard copy of a brochure or a magazine, a PDF, a web- page or an article on social media? 

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Tell a good story

Everyone loves a good story. It does not hurt to think about what makes a terrific bed time story for children. Why was the challenge difficult? How were the odds stacked against you? How did Edwards save the day? What was the breakthrough revelation, like solving a good mystery? What amazing results (big picture outcomes) did this achieve? 

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Use annotated visuals rather than lengthy descriptions

If a ‘picture paints a thousand words’ then most stories can be helped substantially by providing annotated or captioned pictures. Don’t be afraid to use simple line sketches (rather than complex engineering drawings) because it feels genuine and people like that. In fact, captions are read more than body text, so exploit them to drive your message home. 

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Headline and titles

A headline is designed to grab a reader’s attention. It can be surprising, funny, challenging or reveal a fascinating insight. The last thing it should be is predictable, as it must get attention. 

Try to avoid generic concept words such as ‘sustainability’, or abstract jargon, as these will not grab your audience. Start by trying out some question headlines; ‘Has smart manufacturing reached a tipping point?’, or list-style headlines; ‘Five ways to recycle in the SubFab.’ Offering intriguing information which contains new news, will get attention, such as; ‘Why semiconductor manufacturing will never be the same.’ 

But be careful. Your headline should always be relevant to the body of the content. To use a subject just for shock value, without that relevance, is known in advertising as ‘borrowed interest’ and the audience feels duped as a result. 

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How does it sound?

Tonally, write and speak naturally as if you are speaking to a friend or relative, but without slang or colloquialisms (or expletives!). And, use exclamation marks sparingly. 

Using simple, conversational language doesn’t ‘dumb down’ the subject matter, but makes content more accessible and ideas quicker to digest. Our writing should give the same impression we do when meeting a customer face-to-face. A good tip is to read your copy out loud. If it sounds awkward or it doesn’t sound like you, then you’re not quite there. Rewrite it as if you were telling the story to the reader in person. 

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Keep your piece flowing with subheads

Drive the reader from one section to the next by using leading or assumptive subheadings throughout. A reader should be able to get the thrust of your story and message by scanning your subheads, but don’t be afraid to use them like headlines to re-hook the reader with a surprise fact or revelation. They also make a long piece look less daunting at the outset. 

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Death sentences and examples

If you want to kill readership run one very long sentence after another, of 20 words or more, because tests show longer sentences dramatically reduce readership and comprehension. (You probably had to take a mental breath as you read that last one at 28 words). 

To cut repetition, use a different word at the beginning of each paragraph. This will force you to review and create diversity in your writing. 

Pepper your piece with metaphors, facts and lots of examples to make it real, otherwise it will all come across as just your theory, which can feel ‘preachy’ and unsubstantiated. 

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Line lengths shouldn’t exceed 60 characters

Narrower column widths make for better reading. As a practice, we give lots of PowerPoint presentations so you should know that bullet point text should not be less than 24pt, especially if using a screen or projector, and ideally less than 60 characters. When line length extends beyond this (counting the spaces between words as one character), readability plummets. 

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Line breaks

Pay

attention to line breaks as

done well they

assist with the flow and comprehension of headings 

Pay attention to line breaks
as done well
they assist with
the flow and comprehension of headings 

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Tips for great writing

• Think about your audience.
• Write for the format and medium. 
• Brands grow with great storytelling. 
• Headlines and titles – should call out for attention. 
• Use plain English. 
• Use more verbs and fewer nouns. 
• Pepper your piece with metaphors.
• Be brief or don’t bother. 
• Review and shorten your copy. 
• Engage your reader with interesting facts and lots of examples. 
• Keeping your piece flowing with subheads. 

Test your own copy at:

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“Writing without reviewing is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear.”

Patricia Fuller

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As we are engineers, our audiences expect care and thoroughness

Always make sure your piece is typo free. Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors may imply we don’t care or that we rush our work, risking the impression that we have the same attitude towards our engineering. 

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The flow of your product or service story should take into account the hierarchy from features to ‘big picture outcomes’

To sort your thoughts consider the differences between the following, which are listed from weaker to stronger: 

• Feature
• Benefit
• Advantage
• Big picture outcome 

Firstly, never discuss a feature without spelling out the ‘why?’ What is the benefit of doing it that way? 

Then, what is the big picture result? (See list below, which highlights the transition.) 

Lots of small features and benefits may add up to a better or safer product, but what does this mean in real terms to the customer? They are interested in their productivity, their safety and their environmental reputation.

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Why think big?

We aim to project a confident visionary view of a market leader. By doing this we can then underpin our approach with any amount of intelligent strategies and innovative thinking. But ultimately, we are seeking to differentiate Edwards and set us apart as the go-to problem solver that actually rethinks the problem, not just arrives at a clever solution. 

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Does your product promise survive this test?

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” The length of this document defends it well against the risk of it being read.” 

Winston Churchill