Avoid flabby middles

Five ways to shape the body of your message

My favorite scene in the movie “High Fidelity” is when Rob Gordon (John Cusack) becomes so depressed over his failed love life that he seeks solace in reorganizing his albums.

Build a better body Avoid ‘the muddle in the middle’ when you create a solid structure for the body of your piece. Image by Vincent Brassinne

His nerdy pal Dick (Todd Louiso) is curious about the project. “Are you going to file them alphabetically?” Dick asks.
Nope, Rob answers.

“Chronologically?” Dick presses.

Nope, Rob replies.

“Not …” Dick gasps.

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Think Like a Reader

To move people to act, give them what they really want

It’s counterintuitive, but true: The product is never the topic. The program is never the topic. The plan is never the topic. The topic is never the topic.

The reader is always the topic.

Can you read me now? Overcome the obstacles of reading on the screen to get the word out on the web. Image by Tamarcus Brown

If you want to reach readers, you need to write to and about your readers, not about “us and our stuff.”

Indeed, the secret to reaching readers is to position your messages in your audience’s best interests. (Most communicators position their messages in their organization’s best interests. Which is fine, as long as you’re talking to yourself.)

At Catch Your Readers — our two-day writing master class on June 19-20 in Boston, and on Oct. 16-17 in Dallas — you’ll learn a four-step process for moving readers to act by giving them what they really want.

Specifically, you’ll learn how to:

Take advantage of the formula readers use to determine which messages to pay attention to (and which to toss).
Tap two rewards of reading you can use to boost audience interest in your message.
Answer the No. 1 question your reader is asking, regardless of your topic, medium or channel.
Make a two-minute perspective shift to focus your message on the value to readers — not on “us and our stuff.”
Use a three-letter word that magically makes your message more relevant to your readers.

Save $100 when you register by April 19. Don’t miss out on the lowest possible price on this workshop. To capture this early bird discount, please register now.