From Blank Page to Business Impact: 4 Business Writing Tips for Professionals

We’ve all heard that words have power. Margaret Atwood said it best: “A word after a word after a word is power.” Writing a word after a word after a word is how professionals from project managers to data analysts make names for themselves, their agencies and their side hustles on LinkedIn^® and other social media.

In the business world, writing is a valuable skill, because well-written documents prevent misunderstandings. Effective communication also builds trust and confidence with external stakeholders and partners.

In corporate learning and development, written documents are essential for training, upskilling and reskilling teams around the clock and across time zones.

For busy project managers, writing leads to better prioritization and delegation.

Marketing campaigns depend on strong writing. Thoughtful word choice creates brand identity and voice.

From crisis communication to talent acquisition, there’s no shortage of applications for strong business writing skills. But when many of us copy what we see in the business world, we get writing that feels stilted, burdened with a highly formal tone, in passive voice. And that kind of writing makes your content harder for the reader to understand.

So what exactly does strong business writing look like? Sure, we all know the obvious business writing tips: Watch out for grammatical errors. Don't use too many exclamation points. Proofread. Avoid slang. Write in a professional tone.

But, those tips miss out on the heart of good business writing. The real question is how to communicate with your audience. Here's what you need to know.

4 Business writing tips you can't afford to ignore

1. Follow the AIDA formula (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)

AIDA stands for attention, interest, desire, action. It’s a well-known framework in the marketing and advertising fields, but it’s also useful for writing business documents. This framework is a type of audience business writing, where you prioritize your readers.

Using AIDA helps you communicate new ideas, solutions and policies to your readers. Better yet, it encourages them to respond.

What does AIDA for business writing look like in action?

Let's say Miriam is a junior project manager in a tech firm. She sees the time wasted by inefficient processes and workflows. Because of these inefficiencies, teams have missed deadlines and managers and external clients are frustrated. Using AIDA to propose a new workflow allows Miriam to organize her thoughts and persuade her audience—even though she doesn’t have the strongest writing skills.

• Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action

Attention

Miriam begins her proposal to update the workflow process with an attention-grabbing fact:

“Did you know that 30% of our project delays are caused by our outdated workflows? What would you be willing to do to cut that in half?”

Now that she has everyone’s attention, Miriam can spark interest in her idea.

Interest

“Currently, our workflow bottlenecks at unpredictable times because too many tasks converge. There is new AI-supported project management software that can predict when those bottlenecks will occur. It optimizes workflow to align our tasks with goals while streamlining the entire project lifecycle. Two of our close competitors have used this software and increased efficiency by 20%.”

Individual contributors, managers and leaders are typically interested in increased efficiency and keeping up with or surpassing competitors. So, Miriam has their interest in her idea. Now she can work on creating desire.

Desire

“With this new software, every member of the project team will enjoy efficient task delegation as well as real-time updates on tasks and other team members’ priorities. When a task impacts two projects, everyone on both teams will receive updates. If there is a critical incident or a task is in danger, everyone will receive notifications. Imagine how many meetings and redundant emails we can eliminate. We can all use our time to finish the actual work and focus on creative problem-solving or new initiatives we want to work on.”

Miriam knows people want to use their time on creative and fulfilling projects, instead of transactional tasks like chasing down overdue work. She’s shown her team how the desired outcome compares to their current situation.

She can move to the action stage of AIDA.

Action

“I’ve asked for demo of the software with a rep. They can meet this Thursday at 3:00 p.m. or Friday at 10:00 a.m. I’d prefer Thursday, so we don’t waste another day on inefficient processes with outdated tech. I’m sending an invite to each of you for Thursday. Please accept it and join me Thursday so we can see this software in action together and make a decision that benefits us all.”

Even Miriam’s call to action is persuasive. More importantly, it’s specific and communicates a sense of urgency. People tend to act when there is a deadline closing in. Effective writing should lead your readers to some kind of action, even if it's as simple as considering a new idea.

Although Miriam feels as though her writing skills are lacking, she communicated her idea in a way that grabbed attention, which is a crucial first step.

Then, she created interest and desire to make her writing persuasive.

Finally, she called the team to action, so they knew what to do with her information.

Using the AIDA framework allowed her to accomplish this all and stay on task while avoiding irrelevant comments and unnecessary information.

2. Explain your message in terms even a five-year-old could understand

Imagine being new in the banking industry and receiving a jargon-filled message like this from a higher-up:

As we approach YE close, it's imperative we align on the latest KPIs to ensure optimal NIM and a streamlined ALCO strategy. Please prioritize the P&L review for core products, focusing on fee-based income from DDA, MMDA and RMs' cross-selling metrics.

When it comes to business communications, clarity is everything. And that’s why effective business writing makes use of the ELI5 (explain like I’m 5) framework.

ELI5 helps break down complex information, so everyone on the team or in the organization can understand the message. Unlike AIDA, which is specifically for writing persuasive messages, ELI5 is appropriate for various types of written communication.

It is intended to consider the reader’s perspective, particularly when they have limited background knowledge of the topic at hand. The ELI5 framework is also appropriate when a message is quite technical, or when readers need to learn something fundamental to understand more advanced material.

This is also helpful to remind you to use active voice. Instead of saying "Two extra crates of the product were purchased last month," just say "We bought two extra crates of the product last month."

A manager can instantly become a better writer by remembering ELI5 to fill their audience in and eliminate unnecessary jargon, as this message demonstrates:

As we get closer to the end of the year, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page about the key goals we’re tracking. This will help us keep profits strong and make our financial planning smooth. Please focus on reviewing how much money we’re making from our main products, especially from fees on checking and money market accounts. Also, check how well our relationship managers (RMs) are doing at selling additional services to customers.

3. Don’t forget about PIE

Sometimes, all you need to craft a strong business document is PIE. No, not cherry or chocolate cream. PIE stands for point, illustration, explanation.

PIE micro-lesson #1

Point: Clear communication is key for a productive workplace./p>

Illustration: For example, when we use concise language and practice active listening during meetings, we can complete tasks faster and have fewer misunderstandings.

Explanation: Employees with strong communication skills work well in team settings, which is good for morale.

PIE micro-lesson #2

Point: Constructive and timely feedback helps employees improve. It also makes them feel valued and motivated.

Illustration: Imagine a team member completing an important piece of a project and not hearing any feedback from the project lead. Left wondering if the work was on target or requires improvement, they might assume the project lead either didn’t care for the work or doesn’t appreciate their effort.

Explanation: Without constructive and timely feedback, employees question whether their work is satisfactory, which has a negative impact on morale.;

PIE is a straightforward framework. It allows a writer to share their point, provide an example that illustrates it, and close with a brief explanation of the point’s significance or relevance. PIE is especially helpful for business writing because it doesn’t require the writer to be verbose or flowery.

4. Always answer these three crucial questions for your reader

Every field requires some form of business writing. Educators write progress reports. Scientists write research reports. And business managers write analytical reports. But, for any professional who lacks strong writing skills, authoring even a single paragraph—let alone an entire document—can be daunting.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to organize ideas into a well-written document.

The What? So What? Now What? framework helps professionals create pieces of writing like reports, analyses and reflections. In this framework, what? refers to the current state or situation.

So what? refers to the significance or relevance of the situation described in the So what? section.

And what now? refers to the next steps the team or organization should take, based on the current situation and its significance.

For example, let's say Zara’s boss asked her to write a progress report, because she is the co-lead on a project that’s severely behind schedule and over budget. The situation’s already stressful, and Zara’s the first to admit her business writing skills could be better. She hated English classes in school and received harsh criticism on her writing at a previous job.

But, rather than panic, Zara can use the What? So What? Now What? framework.

What?

The New CRM Implementation project is 45 days behind schedule and over budget by 22%. Unforeseen technical issues and delivery delays from vendors are the root causes of the delays and cost overruns.

So What?

We’ve experienced reduced team productivity and higher operations costs as we’ve continued to use the current system. The technical issues and delivery delays have forced us to delay going live with the new CRM system. This delay has resulted in negative feedback from clients.

Now What?

We have reallocated sources to the CRM project, and we’ve tasked a team member with completing weekly check-ins with all vendors to discourage further delivery delays.

We’ve also revised our timeline for the project, and we’ve distributed the updated timeline to stakeholders.

We scheduled a meeting with stakeholders to communicate our commitment to mitigating further delays and cost overruns. This meeting will allow our team to rebuild trust, as well.

In three relatively short paragraphs, Zara provided a clear picture of the situation, details surrounding why it matters and an outline of her team’s plan to move forward. Using What? So What? Now What? kept her focused on three key areas which, when put together, tell the story of the project in a concise and organized way.

Business writing doesn't need to be a headache

Writing in business isn’t about perfection. It’s about connecting with readers, understanding your audience and inspiring others to take action. With the right framework, you can transform a blank page into a powerful tool for organizational change.

Writing business documents can sound like a massive endeavor, especially for professionals who don’t see themselves as writers. Once you realize that merely getting rid of grammar errors or trying to avoid passive voice isn't enough to really help your reader, it can be hard to actually start writing.

But frameworks like AIDA, ELI5, PIE and What? So What? Now What? can empower professionals to communicate effectively and persuasively. These tools help organize ideas, simplify complex topics and create impactful documents that drive business results.

Whether you're a project manager proposing new workflows, an HR professional crafting training material or a team leader reporting on progress, these frameworks will help you draft your business documents with ease.

Business writing is one of the many things business students learn in a good degree program. If you haven't had the chance to pursue that foundational knowledge yet, you might be wondering if getting a business degree is worth it for your situation.

If so, check out Is a Business Degree Worth It or Worthless?

Rasmussen’s online Business Management Bachelor’s degree program can be completed in as few as 18 months and even offers you the option to complete Master’s-level coursework, with the accelerated Master's Pathway option.¹ Sharpen your business writing skills as you explore the landscape of the modern business world.

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¹Completion time is dependent on transfer credits accepted and the number of courses completed each term.