How to Write Luscious, High-Protein Explanations

I rarely watch the news.

I prefer reading.

Yet, Ros Atkins’ explainer videos have attracted my attention on social media.

His videos are clear, well-paced, and engaging—even if the topics are complicated.

How does he do it?

In his book The Art of Explanation, Atkins shares his process for crafting clear and compelling explanations.

Atkins’ advice is applicable to most writing. For instance, on a sales page, you explain how your product works. In a blog post, you explain how to achieve a particular goal or solve a problem. We do a lot of explaining.

Atkins suggests explanations need to be high in protein.

What’s that?

High-protein yogurt is strained to remove excess water.

Compared to more traditional yogurt, each spoonful of high-protein yogurt contains less water and more protein. The result is a creamy, tasty yogurt.

High-protein explanations are similar: Readers receive a lot of useful information in return for the time they spend reading. The longer an explanation is, the more useful information it needs to contain.

High-protein explanations are essential in a world where we face tough competition for people’s attention.

How to craft high-protein explanations

Writing high-protein explanations requires more than just cutting excess.

First comes clarity of purpose. Without knowing who we write for and why our writing matters to them, we can’t create highly useful content.

Next, write simply without shying away from complexity. Relevant details need to be explained. Irrelevant details can be left out. These decisions can be tricky.

Lastly, be concise.

Shall I show you?

How to go from low to high-protein

Wikipedia’s guidelines state that texts needs to be clear and concise.

So, you’d expect Wikipedia to be a showcase of high-protein writing, eh?

Not quite.

Many Wikipedia pages aren’t easy to read. For instance, here’s the opening paragraph for the page on impostor syndrome:

Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon or impostorism, is a psychological occurrence in which people doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as frauds. Despite external evidence of their competence, those experiencing this phenomenon do not believe they deserve their success or luck. They may incorrectly attribute it to the Matthew effect or the Dunning–Kruger effect, or they may think that they are deceiving others because they feel as if they are not as intelligent as they outwardly portray themselves to be. Impostor syndrome can stem from and result in strained personal relationships and can hinder people from achieving their full potential in their fields of interest.

Uh oh.

That’s not quite like a luscious yogurt sliding down your throat and tickling your taste buds, eh?

So, what’s going on?

First, the worst mistake in the Wikipedia paragraph above is the decision to include the Matthew effect and the Dunning-Kruger effect WITHOUT explaining what these effects are. If you include a detail, you must MUST explain.

My recommendation would be to take these two effects out of the opening paragraph, and then create a separate section (or even two sections) to explain the differences between impostor syndrome and the Matthew and Dunning-Kruger effects. That explanation doesn’t belong in the opening paragraph.

Next, what’s also unclear to me: How does impostor syndrome lead to strained relationships? This needs to be explained. Or left out.

Lastly, the sentences are long—a sure sign that the writer hasn’t thought through what exactly to communicate.

To make the Wikipedia paragraph more palatable, slow down the writing: Make each sentence shorter and communicate one small spoonful at a time.

For instance:

If you sometimes feel like a fraud, you may be suffering from impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome happens when you doubt your skills, talents, and accomplishments, and when you think you’re undeserving of your success.

Impostor syndrome can stop you from achieving your full potential. Moreover, it can make it hard to accept praise, straining relationships.

I halved the word count (from 117 to 55) but left the writing mostly in the style of Wikipedia, just simplified.

If I’d write for my own blog, I’d go a step further and make it more conversational:

Ever feel like a fraud?

You may be suffering from impostor syndrome.

You’re not alone. Even high-achievers like Neil Gaiman, Sheryl Sandberg, and Emma Watson suffer from impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome happens when you doubt your skills, talents, and accomplishments, and when you think you’re undeserving of your success.

And the result?

You hold yourself back. You find it hard to accept praise. You’re not your whole self.

In the paragraph above, I address the reader directly, using questions and the word you. I also added examples of high-profile people who’ve admitted to impostor syndrome. Not only does this make the paragraph less abstract; I’d also hope that people would feel less alone in their struggles with impostor syndrome.

High-protein writing rarely gets written in one go. It requires rewriting and rewriting again until a text is crystal-clear, concise, and efficient. It’s hard work. But the hard work pays off in better explanations and more engaged readers.

The revelation of 5% fat

Skyr is an Icelandic-style yogurt high in protein and with 0% fat. It’s creamy, thick, and flavorful. I love it. I have it for breakfast with fruit, muesli, and almonds.

Unfortunately, our local supermarket had recently ran out of classic Skyr yogurt.

What could I have for breakfast instead?

I tried Skyr with 5% fat.

And you know what?

I liked it even better than my usual Skyr. Yes, the protein content is 10% lower (9g rather than 10g per 100g yogurt). But … yum!

For writing, you might consider the same. Writing that’s only high in protein may be too concise, lacking in personality. Atkins suggests tightening first, then loosening up a bit to allow for a more informal, more engaging tone.

Writing is always a balance

Brief, yet vivid.

Concise, but yeah, also conversational.

Where you find your balance is up to you.

Play with your writing. Tighten a bit more. Then loosen up a bit.

Just like with Skyr, there’s no need for artificial flavors or added sugar.

Keep it real. Be you.

What feels like the right tone to engage your favorite reader?