I’m not talking about using the active voice or avoiding passive structures on your website – everyone is familiar with those. Instead, here are four tips straight from the creative writing toolbox.
What do business communication, marketing, and literature have in common?
The goal remains the same: to influence people in some way – spark their interest, evoke emotion, deliver an experience, or drive action. Where authors build worlds and characters, marketers and communicators build brands.
But they rely on the same core elements: clear language, precise observations, storytelling, rhythm, and a sense of narrative.
1. Know your audience like a fictional character
Instead of just listing demographic details, try building a detailed customer persona:
- What are their goals?
- What’s holding them back?
- What do they value or fear?
- How do they speak?
Writers spend a lot of time developing their characters, so why not do the same to deepen customer understanding?
When you know your audience on a deeper level, you can move from generic messaging to meaningful insights. You’ll be able to speak in a way that feels truly relevant and personal.
2. Verb tense shapes experience
In digital content, ads, or email campaigns, verb tense matters.
Present tense creates immediacy and a sense of presence: “Your order is on the way.”
It supports the customer journey when web copy guides the user step by step, as if the company were walking beside them.
Past tense, in turn, adds storytelling or urgency: “Last week, this product sold out in an hour.” It builds a sense of experience and a subtle pressure to act before missing out.
Present perfect connects past and present: “You’ve claimed your benefit – use it before Sunday.” This reinforces a sense of reward, while still prompting action. Meanwhile, “We’ve already helped over 1,500 customers” builds trust and a feeling of continuity.
3. Details make a brand recognizable
Language becomes impactful only when it’s precise. Many business texts remain vague, sticking to phrases like “fast delivery” or “high-quality service.” But what do those mean?
Details build credibility and trust. For example:
- “We deliver within 48 hours straight to your door.”
- “Our service is backed by 20 years of industry experience.”
Details give your brand a human face. That’s when a company starts to feel real, fair, and appealing. And those are the emotions a customer needs before making a purchase.
4. Activate the senses – write so your reader can feel it
Good writing isn’t just informative; it creates an emotional or sensory experience. One effective way to spark imagination is to engage the senses: describe how something looks, sounds, feels, tastes, or smells. Show, don’t tell.
Think about the difference when a product is described like this:
A cozy wool sweater that hugs you in the crisp autumn wind.”
Or when a waiter says:
“A warm, soft chocolate soufflé with molten chocolate oozing from the center.”
Language doesn’t just tell, it resonates. Sensory storytelling adds richness that sticks with the reader.
And when you’re surrounded by visual noise, sensory language is one of the few ways words can still stand out – and even win.
Good writing doesn’t happen by accident
Even in a world of data, algorithms, and automation, words still matter. Storytelling moves, persuades, and drives action.
Yet writing is often undervalued and treated as an afterthought or done in a rush. That’s when your message risks becoming vague, fragmented, or invisible.
Storytelling brings clarity, depth, and relevance to your communication.
It’s not just a stylistic choice – it’s a strategic decision.
✦ Need help with writing, refining your message, or shaping your brand voice?
I’m here to help—let’s connect.