Finimize: common sense financial writing

I got a PR pitch last week that I liked. The site they pitched me on is as clear and punchy as the pitch they sent. It’s proof of my maxim that short, clear writing stands out.

The site is called Finimize.

Here’s the pitch they sent me:

Hi – I noticed your blog post on financial market commentary BS (from March 2015) and I’m wondering whether our new financial news daily email would solve the problem you address. It’s not a market wrap per se (as you say, it’s extremely difficult to make those useful on a day-to-day basis), but it is the two main financial news stories explained and tied into the bigger picture. You can see all of our archives at beta.finimize.com and I’m happy to talk you through our approach if it looks interesting to you? You can of course sign up yourself if you’d like at Finimize.com

If you do like it, we would hugely appreciate a shout-out to those that would have read your article on financial news BS!

Best,
Scott

Scott reads my blog. Scott knows what I’m about. His personal message was sufficiently interesting (and short) for me to take a look. Marketers: learn to pitch like this.

The site itself stands out for its direct, no bullshit approach. Every post is in a “What it is/What it means/Why should I care” format that’s perfect for investors.

Take this recent post. Like all of them, it’s under 300 words and packs a punch. Next time you think you can’t write good stuff that’s short, go read one of these. My comments added in brackets.

The Next Big M&A Deal Is In Gaming

What’s going on here?

The maker of “Call of Duty” (Activision Blizzard) is buying the maker of “Candy Crush” (King Digital) in a $5.9 billion deal that combines two of the big dogs in the gaming world. [Got it? Simple, short, clear.]

What does this mean?

This deal is about increasing Activision’s penetration of the mobile market because most of its games are currently played only on consoles. Activision can now use King Digital’s experience and customer base to bring more of its well-known brands to users’ mobile devices – including perhaps Guitar Hero, which could make for some very awkward moments on the subway… [No question what the author thinks the point is, and I like the humor.]

This deal is also about Activision increasing its number of customers: the combined company will have over 500 million users. Also, King Digital’s user base is 60% female whereas Activision’s games are more male-dominated – so it creates a new expansion opportunity for Activision. [The deal may be about ten other things, but the writer points us to the two that matter — format and audience. Perfect.]

Why should I care?

1. The bigger picture: Like the Pfizer-Allergan potential deal, there is a tax angle here too. Activision has cash overseas that it cannot bring into the US without paying a huge amount of tax. It’s using this cash to fund the acquisition of King Digital (an Irish company) but, as the CEO said on CNBC, it would invest it in the US if the tax code were changed. [Doesn’t stop with the first level of analysis.]

2. For the stocks: Both stocks were up – meaning investors seemed to like the deal. King Digital’s stock was up because Activision agreed to pay a premium for the stock (of more than 15% over Monday’s closing share price). Activision stock was up more than 3%, probably because investors like the new commitment to mobile gaming – although the change in strategy likely makes Activision a riskier company (at least according to this analyst). [Probably is a weasel word, but overall, the whole piece is clear, unequivocal, punchy, and active. Not a passive voice sentence in the entire item.]

by Scott Tindle | Wed November 4, 2015

I like no-bullshit writing, both in my inbox and in my media. So I like Scott Tindle and Finimize.