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A lot of business writing is ineffective because it is dry, boring and unemotional. Writers often forget they must make an emotional connection with readers before they can inform them, motivate them to make a
purchase, or advance them to the next stage in the purchase process.
Whether you're writing Website content, news, or an ad, brochure, article, white paper, video, or multimedia script, your writing must play on the emotions and become an irresistible force to readers or viewers if it is to be
successful.
The key is to build a strong link between message and emotion. This link needn't be cheesy or sentimental-it must be emotionally authentic and build trust. Remember, nothing is sold without trust. This is just as true in journalism;
people watch a news channel or read a specific newspaper because they trust the news organization that produces it.
How do you take a message from dry to passionate? Three strategies:
Find a way to tug at readers' heartstrings:
Blah:
"The people at Early Oil Development have an entrepreneurial spirit that resembles the early wildcatters'."
Exciting:
"Travel back in time to a Sunday in August 1859, when "Uncle" Billy Smith discovered oil at "Colonel" Drake's well near Titusville, Pennsylvania. When on that day, "black gold" flowed out of a hole in the earth, it marked the
beginning of an epic quest for untold riches....
"Today, the same entrepreneurial spirit of the early oil pioneers, the same independent vitality that enabled wildcatters to take risks, drill with confidence and hit sizeable deposits, is very much in evidence at Early Oil
Development."
(The "Blah" example just tells; the "Exciting" example shows. Of course it takes more words; it is also far more effective.)
Find a way to talk about strategic benefits:
Blah:
"Data Holistics, Inc. assists companies with from-scratch applications. It builds and delivers technically superior state-of-the-art management systems."
Exciting:
"Data Holistics improves bottom-line performance with leading-edge technologies; it transforms mission-critical problems into high-value business solutions."
(The "Blah" example tells what Data Holistics does and makes it sound interesting, but the "Exciting" example links what it does to higher-level benefits such as profit and business solutions.)
Find a way to talk about issues readers instantly relate to as important:
Blah:
"WaterJet Works! cuts flooring material with a designer's eye and gifted imagination."
Exciting:
"The children who visit the hospital are often ill, yet from the expressions of joy on their faces as they gaze on the WaterJet Works! floors and murals, you would almost think they are visiting an amusement park!"
(The "Blah" example tells you what WaterJet Works! does-and there's a place for that-but the "Exciting" example puts it in terms of helping sick children smile. Which do you think does the better job of creating trust?
By being positive and passionate about your writing and not settling for bland, technical descriptions, you can elevate your writing from blah to exciting!
ExcitingWriting Communications is effective writing
Listen to what my clients say:
"ExcitingWriting wrote some new [radio spots], and they pulled better than any we had ever run."
-Terri Holcomb, Media Mgr., UICI Marketing
"I could not have received any better return on my investment than I had with ExcitingWriting!"
-Philip R. Einsohn, president, Waterjet Works! |
