The one trick that will get people to read your writing
- Mon, August 08 2011
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
What if I told you there is one simple method that would get people to read the first lines of your report or appeal - and keep going?
Hint: Dan Heath knows it. The man in the yellow hat knows it. And a monkey knows it.
The answer is curiosity. Make people curious, and they will read on.
As humans, when we’re presented with a gap in our knowledge, we crave to fill it. Take like this blog post. You read the title, you read the first lines, and you kept reading to this point. Why? You were curious.
In your next appeal, lay out an intriguing unanswered question, like what does our cat shelter have in common with Lady Gaga? Or, what is the one thing you can do to make your child healthier today?
Or start telling an intriguing story with the middle missing: “One day, Jack was homeless, living in the alcove of the St. Mary church on Bay Street. Three weeks later, he started work at the local Target. This report explains how he got from the street to the store.”
As a hobby, I try to write fiction. It’s the same idea - you want people to wonder what happens next.
Here’s a wonderful video that makes this point by Dan Heath, who inspired this post. Enjoy!
Comments
Very nice post. I have been blogging for some time and I know this post will help me getting more views. I am also a marketing student. Thank you for the tip.