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Cynical Sally presents · Nº 1
Cynical Sally at her desk, working on your draft

The Full Truth

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How to (and how not to) write the things you are currently ruining.

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01
📜 CV / Résumé

How to Write a CV (and How Not To)

Most CVs are two pages of someone describing a job they clearly hated.

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In This Issue

38 teardowns
Words for Money
28
Property Listing

How to Write a Property Listing (and How Not To)

"Cozy" means small. "Characterful" means broken. Everyone knows the code, including the buyer.

30
Pitch Deck

How to Build a Pitch Deck (and How Not To)

Most pitch decks are eleven slides of confidence and zero slides of evidence.

32
Product Descriptionvague

How to Write a Product Description (and How Not To)

Most product descriptions are a thesaurus having a panic attack while forgetting to mention what the thing actually does.

34
Cold Email

How to Write a Cold Outreach Email (and How Not To)

Most cold emails are a stranger asking for fifteen minutes of your life to hear about a problem you don't have.

36
Business Proposal

How to Write a Business Proposal (and How Not To)

A proposal is not a price tag with feelings. Most read like a hostage note written by someone who wants the project less than you do.

38
Grant Applicationtry again

How to Write a Grant Application (and How Not To)

Most grant applications read like a hostage note written by a committee that has never met the people it claims to serve.

40
Ad Copy

How to Write a Paid Ad (and How Not To)

Most ads read like a product brief that escaped a meeting and wandered onto the internet.

42
Crowdfunding Campaign

How to Build a Crowdfunding Page (and How Not To)

Most crowdfunding pages are a love letter to the product, addressed to nobody who has to use it.

44
Complaint Emailvague

How to Write a Complaint Email (and How Not To)

Anger feels like leverage. To the person reading your email, it is just noise wearing a tie.

The Front Page
58
Website / Landing Pagevague

How to Write a Landing Page (and How Not To)

Your hero says 'Empowering synergistic solutions'. I still do not know what you sell.

60
Restaurant Menu

How to Write a Restaurant Menu (and How Not To)

A menu is a sales document pretending to be a poem, and most read like a thesaurus had a panic attack.

62
Email Newsletter

How to Write an Email Newsletter (and How Not To)

Most newsletters are a founder talking to themselves in public and charging you the unsubscribe fee in guilt.

64
Press Releasetry again

How to Write a Press Release (and How Not To)

Most press releases are a company shouting "we exist" into a void that already knew, and didn't care.

66
About Page

How to Write a Company About Page (and How Not To)

Most About pages are 400 words explaining that the company exists, which the reader had already assumed.

68
Tagline / Slogan

How to Write a Brand Tagline (and How Not To)

A tagline is a promise you make in seven words. Most brands write a sentence they're scared to be held to.

70
Instagram Captionvague

How to Write an Instagram Caption (and How Not To)

Most captions are a thesaurus, a sunset, and three hashtags pretending to be a personality.

72
App Store Listing

How to Write an App Store Listing (and How Not To)

Your app does one useful thing, and your listing managed to hide it behind three paragraphs about your 'journey'.

74
Podcast Description

How to Write a Podcast Show Description (and How Not To)

Most show descriptions read like a press release that nobody, including the host, will ever finish.

76
YouTube Title & Descriptiontry again

How to Write a YouTube Title and Description (and How Not To)

Your title promised a 10-minute fix and your video took 40, eight of which were you asking for the like.

78
Restaurant Menu

How to Write a Coffee Shop Menu (and How Not To)

A menu is not a vibe board, it is a sales document that happens to be standing next to an espresso machine.

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Printed with disdain · Cynical Sally