Business writing review

Your writing should get read, understood and acted on.

Many long-form business documents include writing that's vague, cluttered, and unnecessarily protracted. This adds to the reader's cognitive load, ultimately making it harder for them to reach the decision you need. Write for Work shows you, using your own writing, how to fix that.

Upload a document you have written. It will be reviewed against six principles that separate effective business writing from the rest, and you will get practical feedback you can use on your next draft.

Upload your writing sample

Effective business writing has six principles

The review looks at two things: what your document does, and how it reads.

It has

A focused message

Summaries at the start, the end and in every section. Headlines rather than headings, and a value proposition that answers "so what?"

A persuasive structure

A promise up front, written about the reader. Their issue, your solution, their benefit and your proof, closing with a clear call to action.

And it is

Clear

Short sentences and plain words. Direct phrasing that leads with the news. Specific, not vague.

Concise

One word instead of a phrase. No repetition, no stating the obvious, no padding.

Forceful

Strong verbs instead of weak nouns. Active voice instead of passive.

Appropriate

The right tone for the reader: the right level of detail, formality, and balance between reason and emotion.

How it works

  1. 1

    Choose a sample

    4-5 pages of a work-related topic, aimed at persuading someone of something. Preferably it's something more than a document simply providing information about something. Ideally it's a proposal, a board paper, a submission or a recommendation to take a certain course of action. This should be the draft you wrote, rather than the final version which was edited by someone else.

  2. 2

    Upload it below

    Word, PowerPoint or PDF, up to 15 MB.

  3. 3

    Get your feedback

    Your document is reviewed against 19 criteria that together form the six principles of effective business writing. Ben will provide you with the results of the review during your scheduled workshop.

Upload your writing sample

Your document is sent directly and privately to Ben Reid. It is used only to review your writing and is not saved on this website, nor shared or published. Ben uses your document only for the purposes of conducting the requested review and delivering your workshop.

Please remove or replace anything commercially sensitive or confidential before you upload, or check that you have your organisation's permission to share it.

Choose a file or drag it here

Word, PowerPoint or PDF, up to 15 MB

Privacy note

When you upload a document, your name, email address, phone number, organisation, note and file are emailed to Ben Reid. They are not stored on this website. Your details and document are used only to review your writing and to contact you about it. They are not sold, shared, used for marketing or any other purpose. If you would like to discuss how your document is used by Ben, please contact him on ben@benreid.com.au.