By Lesley Vos
What tactics do you use in your texts to catch audience and build their trust?
It would be easier to answer this question if you were an IDIOT in writing.
No, no.
This tactic has nothing in common with idiots.
It works perfectly for professional copywriters, content creators, PR specialists, and bloggers who want their content to bring readers, traffic and conversion.
You need to take five steps only to enter the holy of holies for every content creator.
So, let the journey begin!
I: Intrigue Your Readers
The ugly truth of life is only two out of 10 people will read your blog posts after reading the headline.
Why is this?
The problem lies in the introduction: If your headline promises a wonderful experience, but the first lines of your article don’t match up, chances are a visitor will leave your blog disappointed.
Your tactic is to intrigue a reader from the very first moment by writing an irresistible introduction to your post.
Use hooks in your writing that can be used to “catch” visitors.
Which of them do work best?
- Interesting fact. “Spain, though hardly a literary juggernaut, translates more books in one year than the entire Arab world has in the past one thousand years.”
- Anecdote. “I’ve killed my grandmother today.” (It was the phrase Theodore Roosevelt used every time he felt the audience lost interest in his speech, by-the-way.)
- Question. “What are we going to do with your creative block?”
- Confrontation. “You were getting 50 new sign-ups a week, and believed your email conversion rate was great. You were wrong, and I am going to tell you why.”
- The end of your story goes first. “We have 10,000 customers registered in the system, thanks to that mysterious red button.”
More tips on writing an irresistible intro are awesomely described in Write to Done.
D: Do Everything to Prove Your Statements
No one likes reading “water” with no proofs or examples.
Your writing will have no practical value if you do not give any facts, visuals, statistics, references, or examples.
Speaking about online writing (blog posts, reviews, news releases, and so on), you can link to authoritative resources. This will help you build and improve your online reputation, it will give your article more value, and it will make your readers trust you.
They will see that you do not just write the abstract, but try to prove all your statements. Moreover, you always add personality and voice to every article your write.
How will you know if you’ve accomplished this?
- It’s in the Google Top 10 of your target market.
- It shares experts’ opinions and researches on the subject.
- It doesn’t contain affiliate links or other suspicious content.
- It has a big audience and active social media presence.
- It shares interesting, informative, and top-notch content.
- It has positive feedback from readers.
I: Intend to Use Strong Verbs
Strong verbs are the best friends of every writer, especially if you want your content to catch attention, show action, and communicate benefits.
Adjectives work fine, but it’s more important your readers know why your product or service matters to them and how it will solve their problems or make their lives better.
Look at some examples:
- Save money
- Discover opportunities
- Satisfy your hunger
- Update systems
- Increase Web visitors
Strong verbs make your writing come alive.
To tighten your copy, revisit these 25 editing tips consistently.
O: Operate with Real Numbers, Details, Results
People love research and numbers, and you can successfully use them to make your content “meaty” and build some trust.
Statistics allows you to support arguments with convincing evidence and they allow you to argue specific sides of issues and draw some conclusions.
But be forewarned: Check your stats and facts because if they are inaccurate, you will lose the trust you’ve begun to build.
Remember the following:
- Your numbers and results should be relevant to the topic at hand;
- You should support your claims with specific evidence; and
- You should present your information clearly.
T: Train Your Writing Every Day
When you write every day, you quickly form a habit that creates a more highly-defined skill.
It also keeps your writing skills sharp, enhances your communication skills, and develops your analytical skills.
Writing also has medical and psychological benefits in that it clarifies your thinking and helps you build the audience interested in your work.
Follow the 4-S rules to succeed:
- Shut down all distractions: Your smartphone, social media profiles, email, and TV should all be turned off so you can focus on your writing.
- Set a word limit: Make a promise to yourself to write a certain number of words every day—1,000 words, for example—and do it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just get the words on paper.
- Start a blog: Maintaining a blog helps you write regularly because you’ll build an audience who will expect to see what you’re producing. Let them hold you accountable.
- Set aside the time: What works for me may not work for you. Set aside to write when you are at your best. It may be first thing in the morning or late at night. Set aside the time and just do it.
The IDIOT Approach to Writing
As you can see, the IDIOT approach to writing isn’t offensive. Rather, it’s a structured way to improve your skill.
- I: Intrigue your readers
- D: Do everything to prove your statements
- I: Intend to use strong verbs
- O: Operate with real numbers, results, and details
- T: Train your writing every day
It’s not difficult, and can even be humorous, to be an IDIOT in writing.
Your content will become more interesting, which will build trust with your targeted audience. And, in return, you’ll build a thankful and loyal community.
What do you think about the IDIOT approach to writing?