That Time Apple Said "F*ck Grammar." (And then their stock soared 211%)
And 5 content ideas that don't require writing good.
TL;DR
As a book editor, I know I’m supposed to care about grammar, but I really don’t. Three things more important than correct grammar:
Storytelling
Clarity
Voice
If good grammar helps achieve these, then great. If not, totally optional.
Scroll down to see this week’s 5 content ideas, none of which require you to swear an oath to the Grammar Police.
In 1997, Apple said "F*ck grammar."
And then their stock went up by 211%.
You know the story:
Steve Jobs was publicly ousted from the company he co-founded in 1985 (a.k.a., the greatest year of all time).
The company struggled for the next 12 years, hired him back in 1997.
One of his first decisions was to have the company implement a new slogan:
"Think different."
English teachers everywhere gasped and clutched their pearls. How could a major company that prized a relationship with schools promote bad grammar???
See, the grammatically correct version of the slogan would be: "Think differently."
But it's the wrong message. (suck it, Grammarly.)
Upon his return as CEO, Steve Jobs wanted to emphasize "different," not "think." With this new strategic direction, their stock was up 211%. The rest is history.
On the heels of doing a LinkedIn post about this same story, I then posted a poll where I asked “What writing topic should I teach about in a webinar?” Someone pointed out that the question should be “which, not what.”
I thought about changing it. But then left it alone, following Apple’s lead. F*ck grammar. If you know what I mean and it’s in my voice, that’s all that mattered to me.
When I edit books, sometimes I correct grammar, sometimes I don’t. These are the three filters I use:
Storytelling. I ask, “Would correct grammar diminish the storytelling?”
Clarity. I ask, “Does correct grammar make this sentence lose clarity?”
Voice. I ask, “Would correct grammar steal the author’s voice?”
If the answer is Yes to any of these, I don’t correct the grammar. I used these same filters when considering whether I should correct my post and decided that it would change my voice, so I left it alone.
No one else seemed to care. No clients called to cancel projects. No prospects turned me down over the post.
Results don't come from great grammar. They come from bold ideas executed through storytelling, clarity, and voice.
So if you want to join me on the run from the Grammar Police, then feel free to come with.
Now, here are some content ideas for you this week:
What’s a writing/grammar rule you ignore and why?
Do you use any tools/programs to help you edit yourself?
What did you learn about yourself from your last writing/speaking mistake?
What’s your writing/grammar pet peeve?
How are you “thinking different”?
And if you’re a subscriber, I’ve got bonus content ideas for you down below.
Still looking for content ideas? Visit my Stan Store to Go from Zero to 100+ Content Ideas with 25 Questions.
Until next time, keep changing the world—one story at a time.
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