Word count: 559 words
Reading time: About 2.5 minutes
Hot is the opposite of cold. High is the antonym of low. And the profession of “writer” is generally diametrically opposed to “salesperson”…. Or is it?…
Back when I was entertainment editor at a metropolitan daily, my phone used to ring several times an hour with calls from publicists. I anticipated these calls with about as much enthusiasm as a cat displays for a vet.
Most of the publicists began the conversation by asking something like, “Did you receive the press release I sent last week?” [Yes, I’m ancient. These incidents were in the late 1980s, pre-dating email.] Although I’m a polite person, I made a policy of always answering, “I receive several hundred pieces of mail a day. If you sent it to me, it’s probably sitting in my in-basket.”
The retort was not only true — it also usually silenced the PR hacks. This meant I was able to get back to my real job — supervising a large and talented group of reporters and filling half a dozen pages of broadsheet paper with interesting stories.
But, in addition to the hacks, there were also a few PR professionals. How I loved talking to them! Instead of telling me their woes — and outlining what they demanded of me — they thought to reframe the issue. They anticipated my problems and, best of all, they came up with a solution for them.
In other words, they took the time to explain how they would help me. There was no “you owe it to XYZ Theatre to support our new show.” It was: “Here’s how this story will help/entertain/inform your readers.” They didn’t expect that I owed them anything. They always sold me.
And, guess what? Writers need to do the same thing.
Yes, I know this is hard to believe. You chose writing because it meant you didn’t have to leave your nice, safe computer and you could spend your work playing with words? (Bet it was a shock if you became a freelancer and had to sell your services, eh?!)
But in addition to whatever clients you have to deal with, you’re also always selling your readers.
That’s right — you’re a salesperson. You need to convince readers they should take the time to read your copy. It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing a newsletter, a website or an annual report. If your readers are going to invest their time in your writing, they need to be convinced it’s going to be worthwhile.
First, you have to get their attention. The best way to do this is almost always to tell a story (the way I began this column!). Stories are everything to readers. They provide context; they make the dull interesting. Most of all, they are “sticky” — that is, easy to remember.
Second, you have to focus on what the reader wants to learn. This may not be the same as what you want to write. But if you don’t give the readers what they want, then they’re not going to read. As I explain in 8½ steps to Writing Faster, Better it’s a good idea to prepare a Venn Diagram showing where your interests match those of your readers. And — here’s the kicker — write only about the area that intersects.
This may sound ruthless but if you want your writing to stand out among the millions of words that are published every day, then a little ruthlessness is not such a bad thing. Especially if you’re a salesperson.
