I loooooove me some typos.<\/p>\n
This makes all the writers bristle, of course. But if I listened to what “writers” say I’d be as broke as most of them are. Their anal retentive ways are necessary for writing books, essays, articles, etc. But, can get you killed writing emails.<\/p>\n
How?<\/p>\n
Because the best communicators are human, not androids<\/span>.<\/p>\n They communicate like people.<\/p>\n Are more interesting to listen to.<\/p>\n And, thus, more persuasive.<\/p>\n Like it or lump it, great communicators don’t always use perfect grammar. They butcher words to make a point. Keep going without pausing. And, yes, gleefully abuse repetitive words and phrases (like, you know, Winston Churchhill and Martin Luther King Jr. did) that make spelling nazis grumpy.<\/p>\n I remember hearing Matt Furey say writers are rebels.<\/p>\n (Or should<\/em> be, anyway…)<\/p>\n And that means… rebelling.<\/p>\n Including against the strangling rules choking the creativity out of people too scared to color outside the lines.<\/p>\n I can already here the diehard writers:<\/p>\n “Bullshit, Ben!”<\/p>\n Fair enuff.<\/p>\n Maybe you’ll believe these world class writers and copywriters.<\/p>\n Like Mark Twain, who said:<\/p>\n “I don’t give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Or John Carlton, who once said:<\/p>\n “In all my years of mauling the English language, I have never lost a known sale to someone because of either “bad grammar” or typos.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Or David Deutsch, who taught:<\/p>\n “Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, olny taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pcleas. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by ilstef,but the wrod as a wlohe.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n More:<\/p>\n I once wrote a series of “spelling nazi” emails.<\/p>\n And at least 2 people showed me examples how removing blatant typos (one in a headline!) *hurt* their response.<\/p>\n Finally…<\/p>\n An “inconvenient truth”:<\/p>\n Proof readers earn peanuts<\/span> compared to even mediocre copywriters who can’t spell to save their lives.<\/p>\n Am I saying to be sloppy?<\/p>\n To riddle your emails with mistakes?<\/p>\n Not at all, babycakes.<\/p>\n I’m saying don’t obsess over every jot and tittle.<\/p>\n Learn how to write your emails fast.<\/p>\n And, in a way people want to buy from.<\/p>\n The rest’ll take care of itself.<\/p>\n Anyway, I’ve got more to say about this.<\/p>\n And, I do on tomorrow’s “Ben Settle Show” podcast.<\/p>\n Until then, download past shows here:<\/p>\n