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This week, we welcome Josh Bernoff on the show to discuss his book Writing Without Bullshit. Sean and I have been reading through it recently. It was one of 11 recommended copywriting books by Digital Marketer.
Josh has been a professional writer since 1982. He’s co-authored three books on business strategy, including a bestseller Groundswell. Josh is passionate about clear, brief, fascinating communication.
This comprehensive book gives you the tools for writing in today’s noisy world where the average news story now gets only 36 seconds of attention.
On this episode, we’ll be discussing some key takeaways from it such as:
- How to front-load your writing with pithy titles, subject lines, and opening sentences.
- Simple ways to purge weak and meaningless jargon, wimpy passive voice, and cowardly weasel words.
- How to write directly to the reader to make every word count.
- How to master every modern format from emails and social media to reports and press releases.
You can learn more about Josh and read his blog at https://withoutbullshit.com/.
Featured Beer
On this episode, I’m having an Old Fashioned from Anderson Valley. This 8.3% ABV brown ale is brewed with orange peel and Hersbrucker hops, which naturally have orange-like flavors. Cherry puree is added at the end of fermentation, then this brew is aged in bourbon barrels. The citrus was a little overpowering for my taste; a little too hoppy at 45 IBUs. I gave it 2.2 pints. 🍺🍺
Sean is having a Harviestoun Old Engine Oil. This 6% ABV beer is a Scotland- English Porter dark in color, like engine oil, but without the aftertaste of grease. Sean gives it a solid 3 pints 🍺🍺🍺.
