Do you ever get emails that say things like,
"I'm about to tell you how to get more clients and sales!"?
What's your impression of a message like this? Does it make
you want to click? Or are you immediately bored out of your
head and hurrying away to the next thing?
Many marketers make the grave mistake of
not being edgy enough with their message. Sure, we ALL want
more customers and sales. But who hasn't been promised this,
only to be let down time and time again?
I don't know about you, but a message like
"Get more clients and sales" tends to fall on deaf
ears when it enters my corner. Even if the article really
did contain some pretty nifty tricks, it's not likely that
the headline would even make a dent. And if the headline doesn't
do its job, who's reading your awesome copy? Nobody, that's
who.
Notice the headline of THIS article: "How
to Write Copy that Keeps Readers Riveted on You and What You
Do."
No, it doesn't mention customers or sales
(which, again, is what we all want), but it's UNDERSTOOD that
if people are riveted, they're more likely to buy things from
you.
(In other words: this wording gives you
the benefit of the doubt. I figured you'd understand what
I meant. I'm not going to INSULT your intelligence and spell
it out for you with a big, red, Sharpie marker).
Let's talk about words that create "energy"
in your writing. These are strong words, typically verbs,
that bring a sense of movement which compels your readers
to take action.
The word "riveted" works well
in the above headline. Why? Because it's an impactful word
that grabs attention.
Other hard-hitting words that mean the same
thing might be...
enthralled
enchanted
fascinated
glued
mesmerized
Do you see how the simple decision to choose
a word that packs a little more oomph makes all the difference
in your headline's effectiveness?
Next time you're looking to beef up your
headlines, grab your thesaurus or go to http://thesaurus.com
and look for words that snap, crackle and pop off the page.
High-energy words are so much better than just "benefits"
(like the aforementioned clients and sales) because they get
people moving and shaking!
Another way to keep
readers riveted: be specific with examples in your copy. As
you're reading that "typical" article on how to
attract more clients and sales... how many times have you
come across advice like, "Write a powerful headline"
-- but then the author never explains how!
The "how" in this case would be
the use of those strong, emotion-filled words we talked about
earlier.
Next time you're writing an article, make
a concerted effort to go deeper with your copy - by using
energizing words that paint a vivid picture in the reader's
mind. Convey your intended meaning by providing examples that
take the copy to another dimension.
