Why negative messages gain traction Did Stanley Kubrick fake the moon landings? Was President Obama holding a rocket launcher in a car with an ISIS leader? Does your favorite shampoo cause hair loss? No, no and probably not, according to Snopes' "25 Hottest Urban Legends." Fear appeals work (Rev Up Readership members only; join Rev Up Readership), according to 50 years … [Read more...] about Fear factor
Persuasive writing
Catch Your Readers in Chicago
Learn to move readers to act at this two-day Master Class Would you like to learn to write copy that moves people to act? Master a structure that's proven in the lab to work better than the inverted pyramid? Make every piece you write measurably easier to read and understand? If so, please join me at Catch Your Readers, a two-day writer's Master Class on April 21-22 in … [Read more...] about Catch Your Readers in Chicago
Reframe the problem
Break an egg? Make an omelet Don't you love the way H&R Block reframed tax season as refund season this year? So do I. Take a tip from H&R Block: Got a negative story to tell? Reframe it. How P.T. Barnum reframed a truckload of white salmon Listen in as campaign advisor Bruno Gianelli schools White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler, on The West … [Read more...] about Reframe the problem
Captivate your audience
Three ways to make your copy more creative Ogilvy was right. If you want someone to buy what you're selling — whether you're pitching products and services or positions and ideas — you must first engage them. And nothing engages audience members quite so well as creative material. Creative elements get attention, communicate more clearly and enhance … [Read more...] about Captivate your audience
Tweak your tweets
RetweetLab shows you how I get the most retweets when I tweet on Monday. But I tweet most often on Tuesday. Maybe I should make a change? Thank you, RetweetLab! RetweetLab is the latest free tool from the cool kids at HubSpot. You can use it to find out what techniques work best for your own tweeting strategy, not just in general. Type in your Twitter handle, and … [Read more...] about Tweak your tweets