Rules of Engagement: How to Hold Onto Your Readers
Three tips to keep your readers from clicking away from your post.
An interviewer recently asked me to share three writing tips that readers can implement immediately.
Here goes:
After you write your post, blog, newsletter, email, marketing brochure, whatever…review it to make sure it is written FOR your reader. Watch your use of “I,” “me,” and “my,” because…well, people don’t care about you. They care about what you can do to help them. How can they use your product or service to make their problems go away?
Don’t be afraid of “you” and “your.”
Example: I know that you will love this pill I invented that will take away your hunger.
Better: Your hunger will disappear when you take this new pill.
The “so what” test ensures that your message is benefit-driven. Take facts and extrapolate how it helps your customer.
Example: Earbuds make you sound clearer when you use them.
Better: Your customer will understand you more clearly when you use Earbuds, so it will be easier for you to close the sale.
Get rid of the buzzwords! This is so important.
Example: At the end of the day, we can take a deep dive to see how we can leverage our options to find the bandwidth to see who else we can get on board to help us drill down the message. We’ll itemize the low-hanging fruit to eliminate, which should help us think outside the box and get us all on the same page. This paradigm shift in thinking should really help us raise the bar.
Better: Let’s figure out who can help us clarify our message and get rid of our waste so we can all work better together.
Practice these rules with every piece of written content you create and you will engage your reader and hold their attention longer.