Jason Fried's Advice on Writing: How Writing Built an Eight-Figure Business

Jason Fried co-founded 37signals in 1999. The company built Basecamp. He wrote Rework and It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work with David Heinemeier Hansson. Both became bestsellers. His blog posts have driven more growth for Basecamp than any ad campaign. His books have attracted more customers than any sales team could.

His writing advice comes from David Perell's How I Write podcast, his writing on Medium, and Basecamp's principles of communication.

Just Say It

Fried's most fundamental writing advice: "Just say it. Forget about writing it, just say it down on paper."

If you can explain something to a friend over coffee, you can write it. The words are already there. You just need to stop trying to make them sound like "writing."

Short sentences. Common words. Conversational tone. He writes like he talks. The result is prose that feels effortless, even though he edits heavily to achieve that effect.

Sam Parr calls this "writing like you talk" and credits it as the skill that built The Hustle to 1.5 million subscribers. Conversational writing is not lazy writing. It is disciplined writing that removes everything artificial.

Writing Is Clear Thinking

Fried believes clear writing and clear thinking are the same skill. If you cannot write a clear memo, you do not understand the topic.

Basecamp hires based on writing ability. When choosing between candidates, they hire the best writer. It does not matter if the role is marketing, engineering, or design. Writing reveals how someone thinks.

At Basecamp, writing replaces meetings. Instead of gathering everyone in a room, that person writes a memo. The memo can be read asynchronously, referenced later, and forces the author to think through their argument before presenting it.

The Avalanche of Email

In his How I Write interview, Fried walked through writing a HEY marketing piece. The opening sets up a problem everyone recognizes: email feels like a chore.

He chose the word "avalanche" deliberately. "I wanted the avalanche of automated because that's how it feels. It feels like an avalanche. Like you're out of control. You're caught in it. You can't do anything about it."

"Avalanche" does more work than "flood" or "deluge" because it implies danger and helplessness. Fried picks words the way a carpenter picks tools. Each one has a specific job.

Then he flips the frame. After building agreement that email is terrible, he reverses direction. He calls this "turning the stage." Get the reader nodding. Then surprise them.

Contrast as a Writing Tool

Fried's predominant style is short and tight. But he breaks his own pattern for emphasis. "Whatever your predominant style is, if you do the opposite when you want to emphasize something, it stands out because it is distinct and different."

If you normally write short sentences, a long sentence hits harder. If you normally write in a measured tone, a sudden burst of emotion stands out. The eye notices change. Sameness becomes invisible.

Opinionated Writing Wins

Rework is a book of strong, sometimes aggressive business opinions. Do not write a business plan. Meetings are toxic. Planning is guessing. Workaholics are not heroes.

Readers do not remember nuanced, balanced takes. They remember "meetings are toxic." Agreement or disagreement, it does not matter. Both create engagement.

Alex Hormozi writes with extreme clarity and conviction. Fried writes with the same conviction but in a different register. Hormozi is instructional. Fried is provocative. Both understand that strong opinions are easier to remember than hedged ones.

Keep It Short

Fried's sentences average between five and fifteen words. His paragraphs rarely exceed three sentences. His chapters in Rework are often one or two pages.

Every extra word is a tax on comprehension. Rework sold millions of copies partly because you can read any chapter in two minutes. Busy people can consume it in small bites between meetings. The form matches the audience.

Zinsser's core principle: "Fighting clutter is the main challenge of writing." Fried fights clutter at every level.

Simplicity Is the Point

At Basecamp, the product philosophy is simplicity. The same extends to Fried's writing. He does not hedge. He does not qualify. He does not add "on the other hand" paragraphs. He makes a point and moves on.

Most business writers soften everything. Fried sharpens everything.

Writing as Marketing

37signals uses writing as its primary marketing channel. Blog posts. Books. Email. No traditional advertising.

When someone reads Rework and agrees with its principles, they are pre-sold on Basecamp. They do not need a demo or a sales call. The book already told them what this company believes.

A blog post costs nothing to distribute and works forever. An ad campaign stops working the moment you stop paying.

Read Your Writing Aloud

Fried reads his writing aloud to check rhythm and flow. If a sentence sounds awkward when spoken, it reads awkward too. He wants his writing to sound like speech. If it does not pass the speaking test, it fails his standard.

Key Takeaways

• Just say it. Write like you talk. The conversational voice is the effective voice.
• Clear writing is clear thinking. If you cannot write it simply, you do not understand it.
• Hire the best writer. Writing ability predicts thinking ability.
• Use contrast. Break your own patterns to create emphasis.
• Be opinionated. Strong positions are memorable. Hedged positions are forgettable.
• Keep it short. Respect the reader's time at every level.
• Write as marketing. Content that demonstrates your values attracts the right customers.
• Read aloud. The ear catches what the eye misses.

Fried built an eight-figure business on clear, opinionated, simple writing. He did not need a marketing department. He needed a keyboard and something worth saying.

Sources: Fried's How I Write interview, his Medium essay on writing advice, and Basecamp's communication principles. Athens is an AI writing editor.