What 8 out of 10 people will read - and what they won’t

• Thu, September 15 2011
• Filed under: Writing

Once upon a time, I worked at a small newspaper as a night editor and there was one task that always scared the heck out of me.  It was the hardest part of the job: trying to write a snappy six word headline summarizing a complex political situation or critical news development at 2 a.m.  The stakes were high.  Because on average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest (source: Copyblogger). I’d say the same goes for your email subject lines and the first line of every communication you send.  What you say first is so critical, because it may be all that gets absorbed.  If you do a really good job, people will have to keep going. 

What can you say that creates curiosity that will carry through to the next sentence and the next and the next?

I remember rewriting the first line of Robin Hood Marketing a million times because I was worrying about hitting that standard.  I ended up with this: “We all have moments in life when we happen upon our calling, and mine was when I encountered a giant, smiling condom in Cambodia.”  At least you want to read on - I hope.

Do me a favor.  Go look at the first line (and ONLY the first line) of everything you’re using to raise money or change people’s behavior.  Does it seize you by the synapses and leave you longing for more?  If it doesn’t, read on - perhaps you’ve buried your lead, as journalists say.  Find the sentence somewhere that will arrest your audience, and put it at the top.  If you don’t have one, make one.  Write that first line as if you were Scheherezade, and your life depended on it.  Then see what happens to those messages and click throughs—they may just earn a lasting look.

Comments

<< Back to main