Deciding where to begin is often the hardest part of writing

The facts may all be correct. The message may be clear. The story itself may be worth telling. But if it begins in the wrong place, readers can find themselves trying to catch up before they’ve even understood what they’re reading.

The people writing a website, brochure or press release already know the organisation inside out. They know how it started, why decisions were made and the conversations that shaped the business long before the words appeared on the page.

Someone encountering that organisation for the first time knows none of this.

They’re simply trying to understand what the organisation does, whether it’s relevant to them and whether they’ve come to the right place.

A service page explains the process before explaining who the service is for. An About page tells the story of the organisation without making clear what it does today. A news article announces an achievement but leaves the reader wondering why it matters.

Nothing on the page is necessarily wrong. It simply assumes knowledge the reader doesn’t yet have.

That’s surprisingly easy to miss from the inside. Familiarity fills in the gaps. Connections feel obvious because the writer already understands them. The reader only has what’s on the page.

Reading your own communication with fresh eyes is difficult. It means putting aside everything you already know and asking whether the story begins where someone else needs it to begin.

Sometimes the story doesn’t need rewriting.

It just needs a different starting point.