How to fail at writing / UX

I'm a pretty big failure but something I don't fail at is writing so let’s talk about how to write well, both UX writing and content writing.

A couple of ways to fail at writing I see this all the time - it's really easy to do.

• Wrong audience

• Too vague

• Overwhelming copy

But how can you win?

I'm Terra Milo and I fail a lot.

I recently spoke at a conference for other digital nomads where I talked about how I'm just failing life and business and everything. But it's fun and we learn from failures.

Right?

I do consider myself a pretty epic failure these days but after running my own business since 2013 and helping hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies around technology and marketing, I know what works and what doesn't and I want to help you avoid some mistakes so that you can thrive and really grow your business.

Here are the numbers about how I fail.

2,378 followers

500+ entrepreneurs

200+ products launched

9+ years in business

As you can see, I have a pretty small following and a small email list, but I've been in business for more than 9 years because people keep coming back to me.

I know what I'm talking about.

They trust me and they get good results. I am good at business. I joke about failing but I am really good at this stuff and I want to help you too so let's dive in and talk about how to fail at writing.

Audience

This is my favorite piece of advice. Don't talk to everyone. When we're writing something or even making a video, we feel like we're speaking to a hundred people or a thousand people but it changes things.

It changes your voice. It changes the way you write, so don't try to talk to everyone.

Talk to one person. Literally picture one person in your head and speak directly to them in your writing, in everything you create.

How you write either creates a sense of connection and empathy or it doesn't and when you try to talk to everyone, you disconnect from that one person.

Good writing makes people feel seen, understood, and supported, like you know them personally and you know where they're coming from, you know what they need.

It conveys professionalism. But we don't always have to use the most perfect elevated, educated language. We want to use real human language.

That's why we focus on just one person and have a conversation with them.

Clarity

Write to create clarity. I see people trying to be clever on their website, but they end up being vague.

In the navigation bar, they’re just too clever because they don't want to be the same as everybody else.

There's a reason that things are consistent... that a Blog is called a Blog and not called "my writings" or something like that.

Be clear and use things that work. The word Blog works. We all know what that is, but when you try to make it clever, people don't know what you're going for.

It kind of makes them feel stupid. If they have to figure out what you're talking about, they're not going to feel great about themselves.

People are busy they're relying on you to demonstrate that you understand where you're they're coming from, you can solve their problem, and you make them feel respected.

Don't make them feel stupid like they have to figure out your cleverness because they're not going to. They're going to get frustrated and they're going to leave.

But if you are clear and you emphasize the benefits, not the features, of your offer - but really emphasize the benefits - it shows them that you understand them and you're here to support them.

So being super clear in all of your copy on your website and your emails is going to help people feel supported and they're going to take action.

Lead

Don't overwhelm people but guide them in the direction that you want them to go.

More isn't always better. I've seen About pages that are just like your whole life history.

They don't need all the details. They don't need to know every little thing about you.

They want to know that you understand their challenges and you can help them not only overcome them but excel, so you've got to show that you understand the business case for something or the emotional pull of something.

You have to show that you do understand those things so they know that you can help them.

If you don't spell that stuff out, they're not going to believe in your credibility.

And we want to make it easy for them to take the next step.

That shows them that you're the leader. You're in charge here. It helps them feel supported, like "okay they're guiding me on this specific path. they know where they're going. I want to follow that person."

So we want to write with that end goal in mind, the goal of leading somebody down the right path. I can help you do that.

We can do a Website Review to make sure your copy is engaging and actionable, and I’ll show you exactly how to punch up your writing so you can turn those readers into clients.

Or you can book a VIP Day and we can dive into all areas of your business that are touched by writing.

Book a call to talk about how we can work together.