Not about the event
Friends!
I once helped an employee communicator edit an intranet article that started like this:
On August 4, XYZ’s first-ever system-wide physician networking event was held on top of the parking structure at ABC La Jolla. With the theme, “Surf’s up on the Rooftop,” this well-attended event was open to all XYZ physicians and their guests, who dined on island-style cuisine and danced to a live band while watching the sunset.
“The doctors had a party,” I said. “And you weren’t invited.”
People don’t want to read the who-what-when-where-why-and how about your event. So instead of writing about what went into your event, write about what came out of it.
Write about the impact, not the event.
Covering a:
- Speech? Write about the most important thing the speaker said, not the time, date and place where the speech took place.
- Event? Focus on what people will be able to do there — not on when and where the event will be held. Will they have a chance to win a drone? Rub elbows with the CEO? Eat free cupcakes with their neighbors? That’s the story.
- Meeting? Cover what came out of the meeting — decisions, policies, procedures — not what went into it: “12 executives went into a conference room …” is not a compelling story angle.
- Study? Focus on what you learned in the study, not on the study itself. Move the methodology into one quick sentence with a link in the third paragraph. Nobody wants to see how the sausage was made. Serve them the sausage instead.
Does your team need help finding the right angle for their messages? If so, reach out. I’ll help you and your team members write messages that Catch Your Readers.