“…set against the backdrop…”

Really? Is that the best you can do?

Think about that phrase for a minute. How many times have you read it? How many times have you written it? How many times have you approved marketing materials that contain it? Is it the best way to express whatever it is that you’re trying to describe? Or is it a convenient crutch that enables you to crank out blurbs that conform to “that’s the way we’ve always done it” expectations?

“Join us for a compelling drama about a failing industry desperately clinging to tradition and fatally unwilling to learn how to save itself. It’s a tragic story of self-absorption, laziness and stubborn ego set against the backdrop of economic upheaval and the explosive birth of the digital age.”

Try this. Google these four words: writing tips avoid clichés.

I got over five million results. You?

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Next up: “We’re Wonderful!”