[How to Communicate More Effectively is a series of guest posts from Gareth L Powell. In case you missed ’em, here’s part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6.]
As writers, bloggers, editors and publishers, we’re in the business of communication. Over the last week, I’ve outlined one strategy you might use to get your message across to your audience. There are other methods, and I suggest you check out as many as possible, which is why I’ve included a list of reference books at the end of this post.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide. Personally, I’ve found the discipline necessary to write good marketing copy has helped me in my creative writing endeavours.
In summary, some final advice for you:
- Know your audience and write for them.
- Start with a killer title that they can’t resist
- Hook them in with the first sentence and don’t let them go.
- Get them emotionally involved as soon as possible. Make it personal. Give them a reason to care.
- Use as many short sentences as possible to create pace.
- Use evocative words that conjure impressions in all five senses – smell, taste, touch, sound, and sight.
- Avoid clichés.
- Use positive, action-packed phrases to make your prose come alive.
In these times of dwindling magazine subscriptions and slumping book sales, we need to use every tool we can in order to attract and retain our readership. If we put a fraction of the care and attention we invest in our creative endeavours into marketing them, I’m sure it’ll do us all the power of good.
Further Reading:
- Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins (Free download: http://pge.rastko.net/etext/100010)
- Write To Sell by Andy Maslen
- The Copywriter’s Handbook by Robert W. Bly
- How to Write Sales Letters That Sell by Drayton Bird