6 Writing Lessons from Amazon

Incredible things happen when you write in public.

Based on feedback from Chapter 1 of Great Founders Write, it was clear people loved the stories about Jeff Bezos and Amazon.

Then out of nowhere, Jamie Russo — author of The Underdox Paradox — reached out.

"Amazon is maniacal. Truly a one-of-a-kind culture built around writing. I have a ton of stories to share if you’re interested."

Umm… YES

So Jamie and I jammed about the writing lessons he learned during his time at Amazon. (By the way, Jamie is a great follow on Twitter)

I turned our conversation into a Tweet thread. I’ll add more context and 💥 action items 💥 below.

But first, if you like this post, please click the 🖤 and share with ONE person who will love it. Thank you!

✏️ Train your employees to write

Ben Putano 📚🚀 @BenjaminPutano

✏️ Train your employees how to write. "Every new hire essentially goes through writing school," said Jamie. Amazon provides mountains of writing resources and live workshops. If communication is important in your company, train your employees on it.

March 24th 2021

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In addition to writing resources and workshops, Amazon has a swipe file of great writing - from emails to 1-pagers to 6-page roadmaps.

💥 Action 💥

Start saving examples of great writing in all forms. Compile your own writing resource hub on Google Drive.

✏️ Complexity and concision

Ben Putano 📚🚀 @BenjaminPutano

✏️ Complexity and Concision During the hiring process, Amazon screens for a person's ability to explain complex ideas in concise ways. This concept is at the core of Amazon's documentation culture.

March 24th 2021

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Imagine the complexity of conversations within Amazon.

• Machine learning

• Global logistics

• International marketing campaigns

• HR decisions for 575,000+ employees

Mind-boggling. It’s no wonder they screen for the ability to explain complex ideas in concise ways.

Or as Jamie put it: “How many layers deep can you go on a complex topic while still making it accessible?”

💥 Action 💥

I believe anyone can learn this skill. Start with asking three questions about any complex topic:

1. Why does this thing exist? i.e., What is its purpose?

2. Who benefits from this thing and why?

3. What principles is this thing built on?

✏️ Narratives > numbers

Ben Putano 📚🚀 @BenjaminPutano

✏️ Narratives > Numbers When presenting a new idea at Amazon, the narrative is more important than numbers or logistics. "I once spent 3-4 months crafting the narrative of my program's roadmap," said Jamie. If the story isn't right, nothing else matters.

March 24th 2021

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As a logistics and technology company, you’d think Amazon was ALL about the numbers. Not so (at least initially).

For any new project or feature, Amazon employees spend a ton of time on the narrative.

Why?

Narratives are naturally people-focused. You can’t tell a story without a person (or something personified) at the center of it.

So Amazon, by focusing on narratives instead of numbers, keeps customers at the center of every product or feature.

💥 Action 💥

When considering a new idea or feature, write a story about it from the customer’s perspective. Ask yourself:

• What problem did they face?

• What emotions were they feeling?

• How did they find this new product?

• What enticed them to buy it?

• How did their life change after buying this product?

✏️ Voice of the Customer (VOC)

Ben Putano 📚🚀 @BenjaminPutano

✏️ Voice of the Customer At Amazon, people are obsessed with the Voice of the Customer (VOC). Jamie uses real-life customer reviews to illustrate problems and opportunities. VOC is the epitome of writing with empathy.

March 24th 2021

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Amazon’s mission is to be the most customer-centric company in the world. That’s why they NEVER makes decisions without considering the Voice of the Customer (VOC).

💥 Action 💥

When writing your customer-focused narrative, include real-life customer testimonials, reviews, emails, and support conversations.

Make VOC a central consideration in your business.

✏️ BLUF - Bottom Line, Up Front

Ben Putano 📚🚀 @BenjaminPutano

✏️ BLUF - Bottom Line, Up Front Amazon teaches a technique called BLUF - Bottom line, up front. People are busy. Share the most important information first. Immediately answer the question, "Why should I care?"

March 24th 2021

3 Likes

BLUF is a concept that fits right in with Chapter 1 of Great Founders Write: Writing with Purpose.

The lesson is simple: Share the most important information first.

💥 Action 💥

When writing anything, start by asking yourself:

1. What is my goal? Am I writing to inform, educate, entertain, or persuade?

2. Why should they care? Why is this information important to my reader?

3. What am I really trying to say here?

Clear writing requires ruthless prioritization of ideas.

✏️ Lead with stories, end with results

Ben Putano 📚🚀 @BenjaminPutano

✏️ Lead with stories, end with results. Amazonians use stories to present new ideas. But then they focus on the outcome. "The results should speak for themselves," said Jamie. Don't spin a narrative to hide poor results. Share bad news as clearly and concisely as good news.

March 24th 2021

3 Likes

“Whenever possible, focus on the results,” said Jamie during our call.

You may be temped to hide bad news behind a long, winding narrative. Don’t do it.

For example, look at Warren Buffett’s Shareholder Letters. For 44 years, he started almost every letter in the exact same way: A one-sentence update on the company’s net worth.

Up, down, good, bad. It doesn’t matter. Buffett always focuses on results before diving into more detail.

💥 Action 💥

When writing to inform, always lead with results — ESPECIALLY when delivering bad news.

It will be hard at first, but you’ll earn the trust of your team, investors, and customers.

—

After my talk with Jamie, I’m even more certain that great founders write.

They write with purpose, empathy, clarity and courage. They use stories, rhythm, and empathy to connect with customers, investors, and team members.

Most importantly, great founders write to better understand themselves.

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