Have you ever had a deadline, you are staring at a blank page on your screen, you’re trying to find inspiration, and there’s just tumbleweed? Did you ever wish that you could cast a spell and come up with a winning formula for clear and concise copy? Turns out you can! And it’s quite simple.
You see, there is a ‘magic’ formula for successful communication. And it’s the same for different varieties of content. Whether it’s an essay, the announcement of your new course you’re going to teach or an ad on Facebook.
Clarity
Your customers get a constant, 24/7 stream of newsletters, blogs, Facebook and Instagram updates. You have to make sure you get their attention straight away. Online you have 1.5 seconds max to grab someone’s attention. So your value has to be clear right away. How you do that? By always have a clear outline of your message.
That outline is the same for every, yes really every, message and consists of the 5 w’s and 1 h:
who * what * where * when * why * how
Before you can create great content, you need to have these 5 w’s and 1 h clear in your own head. Remember that you are not writing about yourself, or your own needs, you are writing about your clients’ needs.
Ask yourself:
- Who is the article aimed at? Be as SPECIFIC as possible.
- What is the main subject? MAIN, as in ONE!
- Where can people find your product or where does your event take place?
- When does whatever you’re organizing take place? Or starting when can I sign up/buy etc.?
- Why is this product/service useful? Why should one want to by it?
- How will it look like working with you, following your course. What does it include, how often will we meet, how long will it take?
Order and elaborate
Then determine which of the 6 points are the most important for your message, for your customer. Use them to determine the order of how your message is laid out. Set out the main points in headlines and intros, elaborate further throughout your message.
Your value needs to be clear from the moment your message comes by in your audience newsfeed. Within 1.5 seconds people decide whether or not they click through or not. So be clear, be simple, be straight forward. The 5 W’s and 1 H will help you do just so.
Downloadable cheat sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EuADI2zGfYzvcguRNjap8YZPX-HafmcD/view?usp=sharing
Happy communicating * Nadine
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