Photo by Andy Rennie. Creative Commons Liscene
Did you know that daddy long leg spiders are actually the most poisonous spiders in the world and that the only reason they aren’t dangerous to humans is because their mouths are too small to pierce human skin? Interesting, right?
If you liked that factoid you’ll love this one.
Did you know that Mr. Rogers used to be a NAVY Seal sniper in Vietnam, that he’s responsible for numerous deaths and that his arms are covered in tattoos, which is why he always wore a sweater and that Mr. Rogers wanted to change his life and help children, which is why he created Mr. Rogers Neighborhood?
Want to know what these two factoids have in common? They are both complete and utter nonsense. Mr. Rogers has never even served in the military and the black widow and brown recluse are far more poisonous then daddy long leg spiders. So why do these two urban legends spread like wildfire from person-to-person while important ideas regarding health, politics and relationships don’t even make it out the front door?
It’s because of the way they are communicated. The story about Mr. Rogers is surprising. It hits you between the eyes like a 2X4 composed entirely of “no way” and “holy cow, really?” Now imagine if I instead told you about how Mr. Rogers neither smoked nor drank, was a former Presbyterian minister and was a vegetarian, would you be surprised? Would you tell your friends? Of course not! Those facts, while true are completely predictable and register at about a 1 out of 10 on the “who cares” meter.
Be Surprising
To get people to listen you need to write in a surprising, unexpected way that hits them like a 2X4 between the eyes. You need to write in a way that’s… wait for it… newsworthy. Now, I’m not saying you need to make things up, what I am saying is that surely there are unexpected and surprising things about your product, cause or organization. Include those in your writing. That’s what your target market wants to hear. They want to hear and see something new, different and interesting so they can feel like they themselves are interesting and entertaining when they tell their friends about what they read.
Ask Yourself the “Who Cares?” Question
In addition to writing in a surprising way it’s also important to ask yourself “the who cares?” question. If the answer is “only you and your organization” then your message isn’t newsworthy and is probably better suited for an internal newsletter than a press release. However, if the answer to your “who cares?” question is your “target market” then you’ve got something worth telling the outside world. Asking yourself the “who cares?” question will help you to communicate unselfishly about things that your audience cares about and will pay attention to. People only pay attention to things that they care about.
Leave the Jargon to the Engineers
Write the way that you talk. It doesn’t make any sense to use a complicated word when a simple word will do the trick. Using jargon or buzzwords doesn’t make you sound any smarter it simply makes it so that your “target market” has no idea what you are talking about. Your “target market” should not have to have an engineering degree to understand you.
Make People Feel Something
Write in a way that grabs at your readers emotions. People want to support your organization or buy your products so they can feel better about themselves, and be happy. Good advertising sells to people’s emotions and not through product specs. Let’s take Apple for example. Why do people buy Apple products? Does Apple have the best product specs out of any other devices on the market? Not necessarily. Do they have the most reliable electronics on the market? After the recent iCloud scandal I think it’s safe to say, probably not. What Apple has is a brand that makes people feel something. Remember the iPod commercials with the black silhouette of Bono rocking out against a high contrast background. When you buy an iPod you aren’t buying a cold lifeless Mp3 player, you are buying what it feels like to be a rockstar. Who doesn’t want to feel like that? If you want people to pay attention to you, you need to write in a way that humanizes your organization and makes people feel something.
Be a Storyteller
People remember the urban legend about Mr. Rogers being in the military because it’s a story of redemption, change and triumph with gritty details like tattoos covering his arms that you can imagine without seeing them and by simply hearing the retelling. People love, remember and pay attention to stories. Newspapers have already figured this out. That’s why you see endless coverage of NBA basketball star LeBron James returning to his hometown of Cleveland even though every year many other superstars switch teams. It’s the story of the prodigal son returning home and it’s a great story. If you want people to pay attention to your organization or product you need to tell a great story.
So, what’s your story? If you haven’t figured it out yet, don’t worry. At Laura Burgess Marketing we can help.
Contact us to find out more. We won’t leave you hanging.
