Words sell your products. But if you don’t use them wisely, they will actually repel your potential customers. So get to the point!
Don’t make your readers spend a lot of time and energy trying to figure out if the thing you wrote is for them, or if they’ll get value from it. Instead, tell them right away.
Skip the Warming Up Phase
A lot of writers make the mistake of taking a while to get to the point. They start with a drawn out illustration or spend a few sentences setting the stage so that they can then get to the main idea, like they’re warming the audience up the the idea of what they want to discuss. Don’t do it. Just come out and say it. What is it about? Who is it for? What will I get as a result of reading it? (By the way, illustrations are okay if they’re captivating).
Feel the Burn
Reading takes mental energy.
You actually burn calories when you read. Which is why our brains often day dream or skim what it’s reading; to conserve calories. It’s the way we’re wired.
Donald Miller, in his book “Building a tory Brand” tells us to imagine our readers are on a treadmill as they try to consume our content. The longer it takes for them to figure out what we’re actually talking about, the more worn out they’re going to get.
Get to the Point
When we fail to get to the point, our readers are confused. “Why am I reading this?” “Is it right for me?? “How will this help me?” And on and on their questions go. And the longer you take to answer those questions, the more likely they are to stop reading and go somewhere else.
So get to the point!
Your subject line is the most important part of your copy. Whether it’s your email subject line, blog title, or social media title, it’s what draws the reader in. We might not judge a book by its cover, but we definitely judge it by its title.
But after your subject line, your opening sentence or section is the most important. It either tells the reader that this is for them or it isn’t.
If it captures their attention, tells what the article is about or who it’s for, it will help the reader make a crucial decision about whether or not to keep reading.
Don’t make your reader burn all those calories and waste all that time trying to figure out if your post or email is for them, just tell them in the opening section.
The Big Takeaway
Words sell.
Choosing the right words is a big deal.
After you’ve written something, ask yourself the following questions:
- Will the reader know who this is for?
- Is the main idea clear?
- Am I direct on what I action I want the reader to take?
- Do I convey the value early in the writing?
- Does my opening line(s) have an engaging story, explain the value, or clearly tell who this is for?