Warren Buffett's writing secret

Okay friends, check out this picture.

I assume you know the guy on the right.

But do you know the woman on the left?

That's Bertie Buffett.

Her brother, Warren Buffett, is known around the world as one of history's best investors.

So why is Bertie, a mostly unknown 91-year-old from Nebraska, important?

Let me tell you.

Warren is famous for his Berkshire Hathaway annual letters.

Since 1965, he's written shareholder letters distilling what happened at Berkshire in the previous year and sharing his thoughts on various economic topics. They've become regarded as the "gold standard" of business writing. Insightful, approachable, educational and deeply human.

The magic in these letters is Warren doesn't write them for all Berkshire investors.

He writes them for one -- Bertie.

"What would interest Bertie this year?" he wrote in his 2023 letter.

That's his writing lens. He knows that if he writes something interesting for Bertie in a way she can understand, he will have distilled the most important and impactful ideas for his broader audience.

Most business writing is unfocused, unclear or too complex.

It’s why your emails don’t get opened.

It’s why your social posts don’t get read and shared.

It’s why your customer doesn’t make a buying decision.

It’s why your website doesn’t clearly convey your product.

It’s why your team struggles to understand and execute on current priorities.

We could make this list much longer, but you get the point. Almost all of this starts with not having a clear vision of who you’re writing for, what would interest them and what language they would understand.

That’s the genius behind Buffett’s writing tip.

Next time you sit down to write something, ask yourself:

Who is my Bertie?

Then write to her.

A couple ways I can help:

If you want to become a more effective writer and/or build practical AI skills, there are two ways I can help.

1. Simple Writing with AI 

Join our monthly cohort to learn how to write effectively and authentically with AI.

In this two-week live training, you will learn foundational writing skills and build an AI-powered writing system that saves you hours per week and increases your impact at work.

Enroll in an upcoming cohort here.

p.s. The August cohort starts next week - last chance to get in!

2. Team Trainings

If you’re interested in having me train your team on writing with AI, please reply to this newsletter or email me at [email protected].

I am finalizing team training spots through the end of 2025.

Cheers,

Teddy