Want readers to read your message?
The product isn’t the topic. The service isn’t the topic. The organization definitely isn’t the topic. The topic isn’t even the topic.
The reader is the topic.
Readers just aren’t that into you. So if you want people to read your document, craft reader-centered writing.
Here’s how it works:
Before:
XYZ senior leaders continue the proud tradition of celebrating Juneteenth by hosting booths on June 16.
The bad news is, we’re focused on senior leaders here instead of the employees we’re writing to. To communicate effectively, make the reader feel part of the story:
Eat popcorn and chat with senior leaders at our Juneteenth booths on June 16.
Before:
We support students with innovative technology & career opportunities.
Again with that pesky “We.” Who’s benefiting? Put them at the front of the sentence:
Students: Find your next job — and the tools you need to do it.
Before:
Health Care Scoring helps clinicians build a holistic profile of the patient.
Start with the reader, not with the tool:
Clinicians: Get a full picture of your patient’s holistic health with Health Care Scoring.
Before:
We value you and appreciate you.
Prove it!
Get free lunch next month at our summer festival.
Before:
XYZ is not your average tech event.
Because …?
Learn how to master the latest technology and grow your career — plus, meet with tech royalty — at XYZ.
Want readers to read your message? Focus on the reader.
What structure draws more readers?
Writers say, “We use the inverted pyramid because readers stop reading after the first paragraph.” But in new research, readers say, “We stop reading after the first paragraph because you use the inverted pyramid.”
If the traditional news structure doesn’t work, how should we organize our messages?
Master a structure that’s been proven in the lab to outperform the traditional news format at Catch Your Readers, our persuasive-writing workshop, starting on May 16.
There, you’ll learn an organizing scheme that grabs readers’ attention, keeps it for the long haul and leaves a lasting impression.
Save up to $100 with our group discounts.
