On January 14th, LETS Americas sat down with tax reporter Mattias Cruz to discuss best practices on how to write better and more effective content on tax.
The full conversation can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RhtCidvMBY&feature=youtu.be
We have also summarized a few main questions from the conversation below.
LETS Americas: What would be your one main piece of advice to someone who is looking to produce better content?
Mattias Cruz: It’s going to sound almost unbelievably simple but it is know your audience and what you want to say. Everything else stems from that. You need to figure out exactly who you’re writing for and what you’re trying to tell them.
Writing is a skill, that gets better with experience and exposure. The more you read and write, the better the writing will become. I would recommend looking for other people writing similar things? What are things you like? What could improve?
Alongside is practice and putting your ego aside. You may think what you wrote is brilliant, but at the end of the day the writing is not for you- it is. for your target audience.
LETS: Do you suggest writing on more niche or more broad topics?
MC: Balance depending on your aim. Striking that balance is part of the challenge and it very much goes back to who you are writing for
Particularly for legal and tax content, there are trade offs of doing broad concept pieces vs technical pieces, but you can always mix and match a bit of both.
Generally however, for tax content you would want to focus on one tax problem or jurisdiction.
LETS: What is the best way to self-promote one’s content? Is publishing personal articles on linkedin/ website effective enough of a platform?
MC: The more platforms you are on, the better. Different people use different audiences, but in my experience LinkedIn has become a hub for sharing tax content. It carries well because it is often presented well within the LinkedIn format.
With having your own website, you have to pay more attention to the visual as well as the content. You could have the best content in the world but if its hard to find and hard to read, it’s rubbish. So the choice really depends on what works best for you.
Basic Journalism/Marketing techniques – Clear angle – what does your article say, consistency – publishing around the same time in whatever time period, immediacy – some content has to be published while a topic is hot.
Other simple things, like when is the best time to publish in your timezone?
Use all social medias if you can/different styles of content. In the modern world, professionals simply don’t have time to read thousands of words, so maybe try podcasts, videos, webinars.
LETS: Are there any apps or software platforms that people should be aware of, to help them produce better content?
MC: Well I am have been a write so im a bit biased, so I think nothing can replace or supplement a good writer. However, I understand that for many, they may be writing in second languages so something like a grammar checker would help, such as Grammarly or Hemingway. Microsoft word can do its best too, but at the end of the day you need a good editor.
LETS: How do you write in a way that promotes your practice, but also that comes across as technical versus purely for marketing?
MC: Your firm/ yourself cannot be the focus of the piece, the information comes first. Weaving in your expertise or comments from high profile individuals will be what motivates people to come to you, but at the same time avoid writing puff pieces about how great you are!
For firms in particular, bringing a fresh perspective is more valuable. Has anyone written about what you are writing? Are you saying the same thing? Can you frame it in a way that is more interesting or relevant to your audience?
LETS: What are best practices for busy tax professionals to find more time in their day to write? How does one best motivate themselves to write content?
MC: Setting aside that time is hugely important. You have to see content as an opportunity for you to show off your expertise in a certain subject or provide an opinion on a topic.
But for firms, content is a great way to show they are connected to the market. What are the clients facing as obstacles and how are you helping them overcome those issues.
One example is looking at interesting judgments, can you simplify the information while still maintaining the technical strength of the piece.
LETS: What is the ideal length of an article? How should one best structure an article to ensure it is read in entirety?
MC: In this day and age the shorter the better. Make sure each word counts but I understand some technical concepts have to be elaborated on. I would say generally a minimum of 400 words and a maximum of 1,500 words. It really depends on your subject matter.
One thing I do want to emphasize is that context is not valuable. Most times you can shorten the context to one paragraph, and ideally including a link to whatever it is referring to. Just get straight to the point
Structure is a journalistic endeavor, but essentially what is the most important information, and any supplementary information comes after. So that means: What is the angle? Who does it affect? And why is it important?
There are different styles of writing and I would encourage people to be creative with how they approach tax content.
LETS: What are best practices to create a catchy title/ caption for an article?
MC: Keywords – if people are searching for this, how would they find it? What search terms would they use?
Title: 7-9 words, keep it in the active form, let people know your angle.
Caption: You should be able to read this and know exactly what the article will tell you! about 30 words.
LETS: How important are images to go alongside written content?
MC: Depends on audience but generally its good practice! if you can include graphs and charts that supports your points, that’s great for breaking up text. bBt often that may not be available for the legal profession.
I wouldn’t add an image unless it added something. So really, I think a graphic would be best for tax content.
LETS: Tax professionals are usually quite technical when they write, how does one adapt their writing style to appeal to a more general audience?
MC: Striking a balance between technical details and general readability. get in the habit of asking yourself what are the key points? Does it need this technical detail right now? Will a non-tax person understand this? That is a big part of the job of a tax reporter!
I would recommend working alongside people who know how to write!
LETS: Are there any tips you can share on how to format your writing to reach an international audience?
MC: If you include an acronym, be sure to reference what it stands for. For example IRS could refer to Internal Revenue Service (in the US) or the Indian Revenue Service.
LETS: Should firms adopt their own firm wide style guides for writing content?
MC: Yes, its good to gave the same style, because you’re representing the firm not just you. Also it just looks tidier.
LETS: Any tips for how to be a better editor of ones own work?
Take a good break away from it.
And this one trick will save you, READ IT OUT LOUD
LETS: Is there a particular non-tax publication whose writing style you most admire?
MC: The Economist
LETS: What do you personally find most interesting about tax? What topics have you most enjoyed reporting on this year?
MC: The taxation of space and environmental taxation to tax risk insurance and cannabis taxation.
LETS: Ways to get your name into articles/ publications without paying? What opportunities are there for expanding/ exposure in tax writing without cost?
MC: Work alongside tax journalists, reach out, create that connection
LETS: To wrap it up, what are the top tips/ takeaways do you have for anyone looking to best improve their tax content writing?
MC: Know your audience. Work with strong writers. Be Creative – don’t be afraid to do something different
The full conversation can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RhtCidvMBY&feature=youtu.be