It’s only a guess, but Ernest Hemingway would’ve loved the brevity of texting…
Successful wine marketers tell compelling stories.
Tasting notes often gift us ample room to tell a story. And with social media, a picture says a thousand words.
But with text messaging, space is at a premium. In this medium, it pays to tell our stories like Ernest Hemingway.
Known for the clarity and conviction of his writing, this Nobel Prize winner often used straightforward language in his work. Brevity was his jam.
So, the next time you write a text for your wine business, think like Hemingway by following these rules:
Cut the Fat
Use Simpler Words
It’s Always Wise to Revise
Know Your Audience
CUT the Fat
With a standard SMS message, you have 160 characters. Since “filler words” quickly consume this space, try to avoid using words like this:
Adjective: very, highly, tasty
Adverbs: limited, tasty, authentic
Other fillers: that, maybe, just, in order
Untrimmed
Trimmed
Use SimpleR WORDS
While being economical with words is a good start, your words should also be simple and direct to deliver your message with impact.
Using big words might work in academia, but research in cognitive psychology shows they don’t always make you persuasive. And since they consume more room, using them when you text is senseless.
The takeaway is to simplify your language whenever possible, like:
> Writing “next to” instead of “adjacent”
> Writing “start” instead of “initiate”
> Writing “use” instead of “utilize”
Flowery Language
Simple Language
IT’S ALWAYS WISE TO REVISE
Even Nobel Prize winners ruthlessly edit their work. As Hemingway confessed,
“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit.”
As a marketing professional, writing a couple of drafts of your text messages is often wise. Then take the one that works best and edit anything that complicates the message you’re trying to communicate.
If you need help, our AI overlords are just a click away.
You can try the Hemingway Editor to make your writing bold and clear. Grammarly does something similar. You can even use ChatGPT to re-write your text “in the style of Ernest Hemingway.”
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Creative writing students are often told to “write what they know,” while professional marketers are told to write for their audience. Fortunately, these choices aren’t mutually exclusive.
If you market wine, and you’ve ever sold a bottle face-to-face, you likely know your audience.
So, if you’re texting club members about a new release, don’t be afraid to use common jargon to connect with your audience.
Generic Text
Audience Specific Text
BOTTOM LINE
While these four pointers won’t turn you into a Nobel Laureate overnight, they might help you write better text messages motivating your wine-loving customers to raise a toast to you.
And the next time someone asks you what you do, you can tell them, “I’m no Hemingway, but I write damn good texts.”
Happy Selling!