Chris Brady
If my headline intrigued you enough to read what follows, you are not alone.
According to a marketing blog I follow, it’s the most effective subject line
phrase to get emails opened.
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| A picture of a thousand words. |
To be clear, this post is not about the heartbreak of
psoriasis or some other sad story.
It’s about writing and specifically, seducing readers to PAY ATTENTION.
As a corporate writer, my goal is to get people to read and act
on information. It pains me to know that after every 100 words, I lose 25
percent more of my readers. (Bye now.)
When You Come to the Fork in the Road Take It
If you started reading here after the headline, you are not
alone. Subheads attract readers because we are lazy. We are trolling the buffet table of words, going for the
shrimp cocktail over the mashed potatoes.
I get it. We’re
busy. There’s so much information
for our eyeballs to consume in a day, not to mention cluttering the random
access memory of our brains.
So if you have made it this far, you are better than a 50
percenter. You must be a
reader. If I did my job well, you are not alone.
PS: Give me
(and other writers) some help in the comments. Did the headline get you to open the post? How about the all caps and the subhead. What do you know about your
reading preferences that can help me be a more effective writer?
Yes, the headline made me open the post.Beyond affirmation, I'm not sure what this means! Laugh! Surely you can't start every post with "You are Not Alone"...but you already know that!
ReplyDeleteI guess no one wants to be lonely? It's funny though, I don't ever recall getting a marketing email with that headline.
DeleteI am a 100percenter. I read and enjoyed every word and am eager to learn from readers what keeps them (and stops them) reading
ReplyDeleteReaders... it's who we are.
DeleteI click on blog posts from writers I know, so it's less about the headline for me in that sense. I always enjoy your posts, so I open and read through to the end each time (even if I don't always comment). For writers I don't know, the keys to getting me to start reading are brief headlines with active verbs or a touch of humor.
ReplyDeleteLisa, As a blogger, you know the biggest kick is getting the comment, so thatnks for showing up. Chris
DeleteYes...the headline did get me to tune in and once I start reading something I'm compelled to finish it. Thanks for the info.!
ReplyDeletePeggy, I' a 100 per-center too. Even ingredients on cereal boxes.
DeleteChris
Of course I always read all of the posts from 4 Broad Minds; therefore, the headline did not persuade me in one way or the other. However, in thinking about the thousands of emails I receive on a daily basis I must agree that what is placed in the "Subject" line either intriques me enough to open an email or evokes no emotion at all other than the thought to 'delete, delete, delete'. Seeing a subject line "You are not alone" would probably interest me enough to open it....especially since I would be dying to see who else was keeping me company. :)
ReplyDeleteJanine, based on your amazing fund raising for cancer, it's clear you are not alone. Interesting that even with lots of support,we can feel alone at times
Delete