How to do creative and interesting writing… about ‘boring’ businesses

Granted, not every business naturally lends itself to creative and interesting writing.  Or at least, not at first glance.

I’m always reminded of this when I meet business people at networking events, or if I’m discussing the potential of writing about whatever it is they do.  “Oh, it’s a bit dull,” some of them will say, glancing down at the floor.

Or: “People’s eyes glaze over when I tell them I’m a (insert stereotypically ‘boring’ job title here), so why would they want to read about it?”

If you’re thinking the same thing, you could be surprised.

Your readers certainly could be!

Whatever you do for a living, there will be interesting aspects to it.  You might have worked in the same field for so long that you’ve forgotten what they are.  But all the same, they’re there.  Captivating stories, waiting to be told.

Here’s how to find and tell them.

Sprinkle anecdotes into your writing

Whatever you’re writing about, try to connect it with a personal tale.  Even if it’s just a few sentences to help set a memorable scene.

You can do this by thinking about the people who use your business: often, they’ll feature in the most interesting bits of an average working day.   So think about the questions they ask.  The details they share as part of your “getting to know you” conversations.  How they talk about your work and what they say.

Weave some of these details into your blog posts and social media updates to give them life.

(Note: you don’t have to use their actual names, or the full details of your conversations.  I often recreate client sayings and stories in this very blog, but I do it in a way that camouflages the actual people concerned).

Share your obvious

What’s completely obvious to you can paint a unique and fascinating picture for others.  It can set your business apart from the crowd and make it memorable.

I learned this at the start of my writing career, when I read a (very) old book called Scientific Advertising.  It was written by Claude Hopkins in 1923 – which is the same year my Nan was born – but a lot of what he writes is still relevant today.

Take this passage:

“In the old days all beers were advertised as “Pure.” The claim made no impression… (until) one brewer… told how he went down 4,000 feet for pure water. How 1,018 experiments had been made to attain years to give beer that matchless flavor. And how all the yeast was forever made from that adopted mother cell.  

All claims were such as any brewer might have made. They were mere essentials in ordinary brewing. But he was the first to tell the people about them, while others cried merely ‘pure beer.’ He made the greatest success that was ever made in beer advertising.”

Think about your origin story – what led you to where you are now? – or explain something you do that your competitors don’t. 

Ask a newbie – or a child! – for creative ways to write about your business

My fiancé presents science parties for children.  Whenever he asks the kids if they have any questions, something unexpected and funny always comes up.  (“How many sandwiches could you eat in an hour?” a little boy asked him once, apropos of nothing whatsoever).

If you’ve got or know any kids, try asking them to explain what they think you do, or describe what they think your job title means.  Their answers might spark a creative way to describe your business, or at least inspire a funny story to share.

If you don’t have or don’t know any children, you could try asking the same questions of people who aren’t familiar with your industry or profession, instead.  You’re still likely to hear things that may not have occurred to you, as the established ‘insider’.

That’s where writers like me come in, by the way.

We probably won’t know your profession inside out, which means you’ll have to explain it to us.  Hopefully, it’ll be part of a fun and relaxed conversation that will help you understand even more about your business – and perhaps even yourself.

In my case, I’ll ask questions, do my best to make imaginative connections, and mine your mind for content gold… if there’s coffee and cake involved, so much the better.  Then I’ll write those creative and interesting business stories for you, in words you’d naturally use yourself.

If you’d like to know more, just ask.