Kurt Vonnegut Blessed Us With 8 Rules For Writing. Here's How To Apply Them To Your Business.

If you’ve taken a writing class, you’ve likely seen Kurt Vonnegut's 8 rules for writing.

If not, I’m glad you’re here. 

Because not only are these rules a treasure trove for writers of all levels, they're gold for business owners -- and content marketers -- looking to connect more deeply with their audience.

Sound like you?

Let's see how we can take the 8 rules and apply them to your business.

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

When I’ve run content teams, I’ve tried to have our work live by one principle:

A post is either valuable, or it takes up space.

Great writing explodes with empathy.

So does a great business.fin

Know your audience. See them as humans. Seek to understand them. Then be ruthless in your analytics.

The more you focus writing to and for your audience -- even when you're writing about yourself -- the better. And the quicker you can find out what isn't resonating, the quicker you can stop doing it and what does.

Put it into action 

• Use benefits vs feature language
• Push to make everything you create valuable. Stumped? Think of you 5 years ago.
• Use analytics tools to find your lowest performing posts, and see if you can spot a pattern. Then stop doing it.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

Good news. You (or your biz) get to be the hero!

Everybody has problems. You’re here to solve them. To save the day.

(And get paid for it of course.)

You don't just have a special set of skills. You've got a story that's all your own. Use your writing & content to show what sets you apart. What makes you (not your competition) the hero.

Not just a better product -- a better story.

A better product will get you a sale. A better story will get you a lifelong customer, friend & ambassador.

Give people something they can connect to. One of the fastest ways? A common problem or a common vice.

If your readers see their story in yours, they'll automatically root for you.

Put It Into Action

• Create! Just being top of mind can go a long way. Post daily if possible.
• First-person writing can go a long way. Talk about your own transformation, your hero's journey.
• Use case studies, and have clients sing your praises in reviews. Build your reputation as the hero.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

Here, let empathy dazzle.

Your product WANTS to solve a problem.

You WANT to make life easier for your audience.

Write about those wants and dreams, and how they'll make for a better world.

Your readers, fans and customers want the same thing. Putting those wants out in the world can be a strong bonding agent.

Put it into action

• Use language like 'I tried for years to do xyz. I couldn’t find a solution. So I made one.'
• Write about a common enemy (aka the problem you're trying to solve).
• Ask what your audience would find useful. Polls, direct questions, all of it. Web3's heavy on this.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.

This one builds on #1 above.

Now that you've figured out what your audience wants and needs, now you just gotta execute.

Easier said than done.

On the internet, you’re constantly competing for attention. With billions of people. 

We all lose interest quickly. So as a creator for your business, it's your job to cut anything that doesn't provide value.

Luckily, all sorts of tools exist to help, like YouTube's tech that shows where people drop off more/less frequently.

Put it into action

• Look at your analytics tools -- I find the platforms themselves have the best ones
• Note where YOU drop off
• Find the patterns in your best and worst-performing content -- down to the secomnd
  
• Lose adjectives in favor of nouns & action verbs

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

Don’t be afraid to ask your customers & fans for something.

In fact, ask early and ask often. But Eli ate the steps between asks.

Your story, ultimately, should drive action.

And the fewer steps to get to that action, the better. G

Put it into action

• Use Exit Pages to see where ppl are leaving
• Experiment with diff post types and lengths

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them-in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

Part of owning your story is owning your hurt.

Remember that your reader will take any specific story and apply it to themselves. (That's one of the best parts of writing)

Just like above, let yourself be a relatable hero. More MCU, less DC.

Talk about obstacles overcome. Talk about failures. Talk about how bad you are at basketball. Whatever.

We’re in an era that craves authenticity. Here’s your chance to have readers empathize with YOU.

Put it into action

• Find ways to connect with your audience — IRL or online.
• Don't be afraid to be vulnerable. Authenticity wins.
• Have others tell it. Find storytellers that hit your target audience and approach them. They’re looking to fill their slots too

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

My all-time favorite writing advice.

When I was at the NBA, I oversaw a live newsroom where EVERY POST reached millions.

It’s enough to paralyze you. If you let it.

We had to pretend like we were posting for one person.

Put it into action

• For your story, find someone in your life who fits your target audience. Write directly to them.
• Experiment with being less formal. Look at the emails you open most. For me, they’re the ones that feel like th are from friends
• Don’t make that person a teacher or someone who corrects your grammar
• When you get overwhelmed, just keep that person in mind 
  

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

This doesn’t mean info overload.

What it does mean though is you shouldn’t bury your story.

Lead with it, like Big Stick Willy’s does.

When people see a clear vision, it’s easier to bring them along for it.

They make the vision their own. They get invested. Over time, with more buy-in, they start working with you to see it through.

Put it into action

• Tighten up your mission statement
• Try using that in sales materials more frequently, and less just product forward
• Tell your story wherever you can, with passion
  

When you invite people to come along for the ride, they’re more inclined to join.

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