Writing content can be tricky, especially if you don’t have a background in generating blog posts or studying English. What are the writing techniques and strategies you can use to create compelling content? In this short guide, we’re exploring different writing techniques you can try out for your business writing with examples of each (bonus: we’ll also share our tool that you can use for distraction free writing!). Let’s dive in.
What Are the 5 Writing Techniques?
The five most common writing techniques are narrative, expository, analytical, persuasive, and argumentative. Let’s take a look at each:
- Narrative
This technique is often called “descriptive” writing due to the usage of devices like similes, metaphors, and adjectives to evoke the reader’s senses. Another way to think of this technique is to focus on telling a compelling story. Try to draw people in with an engaging tale fully fleshed out with details and characters.
- Expository
Intended to explain a subject in depth, expository writing gradually reveals the topic to the reader. It is often linear and logical, following a subject from the beginning and building on each fact to create a greater understanding. To mix a metaphor here, with expository writing you’re pulling back the curtain to show how the sausage is made. It’s important to remember that expository writing is factual and that you shouldn’t be inserting your opinion as the author. A good baseline for expository writing is to think about the old chestnut of “who, what, when, where, why, and how.” These questions will help you dig in and uncover all the facts about your topic.
- Analytical
Analytical writing goes beyond describing and stating facts. As the author, you take in the information and present a critical and evaluative response to those facts. You can evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of an idea and show the reader why certain details are significant. When writing analytically, you are taking the “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where” and using them to explain and support the “why” and “how.”
- Persuasive
Using logic and emotion, persuasive writing aims to get the reader on your side. It’s important to have a logical argument and not rely solely on emotion, since most readers won’t be convinced with just a sob story. Remember to back up your logic with specific examples since vague statements are less impactful.
- Argumentative
Many people get persuasive and argumentative writing techniques confused and for a good reason: they’re very similar. The first difference here is that argumentative writing is more academic and formal, using and citing sources to back up your point of view. The second is that the argumentative technique typically doesn’t use many, if any, emotional appeals.
What Are Examples of Writing Techniques?
Let’s look at a few writing technique examples to understand each of the five styles. We’re going to use the example of a business that sells oranges and a sentence from a blog post about their fruit.
Tells a story (Narrative): Jim and Sally never thought they’d end up running an orange grove, supplying bright juicy citrus to locals, but fifteen years later, they’ve built a family business that is thriving.
Reveals their growing process (Expository): At the Sunshine Orange Grove, our oranges are grown organically, without the use of pesticides and harsh chemicals.
Shows why their oranges are the best (Analytical): The Sunshine Orange Grove provides oranges and orange juice to over 100 grocery stores locally and regionally, trusted by grocers and customers to provide a quality fruit product at a low cost.
Tries to get the reader to buy a product (Persuasive): Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and no breakfast is complete without a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
Presents the case for buying their oranges (Argumentative): According to the National Library of Medicine, citrus fruit and juices contain many compounds with a high potential for health promoting properties.
What Are Good Writing Techniques for Business?
The best writing techniques for a business setting tend to be expository and analytical (with a dash of persuasive and narrative!). The reality is that all of the styles listed above are “good writing techniques,” and can easily be applied to business writing, but some are more easily adapted than others. Some industries may gravitate towards other techniques, like an edgy tech company that uses a chatty and informal narrative style or a medical provider who might lean towards expository. In general, using the more fact-based techniques like expository and analytical help to establish your credibility and show your customers that you are trustworthy and reliable.
However, you don’t want to come across as a boring business fact robot! Incorporating storytelling and emotion into your writing will make it more engaging for your readers, helping with conversions and acquiring customers. Don’t go overboard, however, and remember that the writing techniques that you use should be in line with your brand.
Slice: Your Blank Slate For Distraction Free Writing
Ready to try out different writing techniques? If you’re looking for a platform that removes distractions, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Slice, you’ll find a place where you can hold all of your planning, research, and writing in one platform. You won’t have to bounce around to different platforms and tabs, which allows you to focus on trying out different writing techniques to find the one that works best for you. Sign up today or contact us with any questions.
