{"id":"2062876058312224972","url":"https://x.com/dickiebush/status/2062876058312224972","text":"","author":{"name":"Dickie Bush 🚢","username":"dickiebush","avatarUrl":"https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1645163605166379011/Wu8UcUGU_200x200.jpg"},"createdAt":"Fri Jun 05 12:35:53 +0000 2026","engagement":{"replies":25,"retweets":117,"likes":1408,"views":222767},"article":{"title":"I Gave Claude David Ogilvy's Writing Rules And Built A Legendary AI Writing Coach","previewText":"Legendary marketer David Ogilvy generated over $864 million for his clients.\nHe was a British advertiser known as \"The Father of Advertising.\"\nAnd in 1982, Ogilvy sent this 1-page memo to his staff:\n ","coverImageUrl":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HKDHdquaEAAkU69.jpg","content":"Legendary marketer David Ogilvy generated over $864 million for his clients.\n\nHe was a British advertiser known as \"The Father of Advertising.\"\n\nAnd in 1982, Ogilvy sent this 1-page memo to his staff:\n\n![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HKDILNFb0AA2ETZ.png)\n\nThese are the 10 writing rules he lived by.\n\nAnd the memo starts with a clear promise:\n\n\"The better you write, the higher you will go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well.\"\n\nNow, replace \"Ogilvy & Mather\" with any company, and this holds true.\n\n## So, I trained Claude on all 10 of these rules and turned it into a free writing coach.\n\nIt audits any piece of writing:\n\n- Emails\n\n- Sales assets\n\n- Landing pages\n\n- Internal memos\n\nAgainst Ogilvy's principles and tells you exactly what's broken—and more importantly, how to fix it.\n\nYou can grab that Skill at the end of this Article.\n\nBut first, I want to break down these 10 rules. Because even in the age of AI, you need to understand these.\n\nLet’s dive in!\n\n# 1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it 3 times.\n\nEvery company on Earth would be a better place if this book was required reading.\n\nIf you are still sending emails with walls of text, read this.\n\n![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HKDH-n6bwAAZkH0.jpg)\n\n# 2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.\n\n\"Finding your writing voice\" is a waste of time.\n\nYou already have your voice — the one you use every day.\n\nHere's how to start using it in your writing:\n\n- Choose a topic\n\n- Record yourself talking about it\n\nThen, transcribe it and start there.\n\n# 3. Use short words, sentences, and paragraphs.\n\nThis one takes practice.\n\nBut the easiest way to find when you're being too wordy?\n\nRead everything aloud before you publish it.\n\nWhen you find yourself getting caught up, it's a sign you need to simplify.\n\n# 4. Never use jargon.\n\nWhen someone uses jargon, they're hiding their lack of understanding.\n\nInstead, pretend you are writing to an 8th grader.\n\n# 5. Never write more than 2 pages on any subject.\n\n99% of books should be blog posts.\n\nAnd 99% of blog posts should be LinkedIn posts.\n\nBut it’s worth keeping in mind:\n\nNever publish more than two pages on any subject.\n\nSo if it can't fit in two pages, it should be simpler.\n\n# 6. Check your quotations.\n\nThis one is simple enough.\n\n# 7. Never send a letter or memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning, then edit it.\n\nThis is the number one piece of writing advice I give people.\n\nIf you are publishing something important, always, always, give it room to breathe.\n\nAnd always read it aloud.\n\n# 8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.\n\nThis pairs nicely with point number 7.\n\nIf it's something really important, write it, give it a day, edit it, then send it to a colleague.\n\n# 9. Before you send your letter or memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.\n\nThis is so simple, but easy to forget.\n\nPut yourself in the reader's shoes and identify exactly the next step they should take after reading.\n\nThen, articulate that step for them.\n\n# 10. If you want ACTION, don't write. Go tell the guy what you want.\n\nLast and most importantly, writing is never a replacement for a targeted conversation.\n\nMost messages should be conversations, especially ones that require action.\n\n## I built a system that helps you apply all 10 of these rules.\n\nBecause most writing feedback is vague.\n\n\"This isn't quite working\" or \"tighten it up\" doesn't help you improve as a writer.\n\nMeanwhile, the principles that produce sharp business writing are well-documented—but scattered across books, memos, and decades of practice.\n\nSo I turned Ogilvy's 1982 memo (plus the Roman-Raphaelson principles he pointed to) into a Claude Skill that audits any piece of writing against all 10 rules.\n\n# Here's how this Claude Skill works.\n\nLet's say I'm writing an email, a landing page, or an internal update—and something feels off but I can't tell why.\n\nInstead of spending 30-60 minutes rereading, second-guessing, and trying to articulate the problem—I run the Ogilvy Skill.\n\nIn seconds, I get:\n\n- A one-line overall read on whether the piece is working and what the single biggest issue is\n\n- Every violation sorted by severity (Critical, Moderate, Minor) with the exact offending quote, why it's a problem, and a specific fix\n\n- What's working (so I don't accidentally edit away the good stuff)\n\nThe skill doesn't rewrite anything for me.\n\nI use it to keep internalizing these rules so I still do the rewriting.\n\nAnd because this has already saved me so much time (and made everyone on our team a sharper writer)…\n\n## I'm going to share this Claude Skill for free.\n\nInside, you'll get:\n\n- **A skill trained on Ogilvy's 10 rules from his 1982 memo—**the same principles he used to generate $864 million for his clients\n\n- **Audits calibrated to severity—**not every violation is fatal, and the skill knows the difference between Critical and Minor\n\n- A shortcut from \"this feels off, but I can't tell why\" to \"here's exactly what's broken and how to fix it\"—in the time it takes to make an espresso\n\nWant access?\n\n## [Click here to grab a FREE copy of my David Ogilvy Writing Coach Claude Skill.](https://app.notion.com/p/David-Ogilvy-AI-Digital-Writing-Coach-37401b956bb680a78140f043e07a5457?pvs=21)"}}