Monday Mastery: What’s in it for them?
An exercise in empathy to get your audience reading
Welcome to Monday Mastery, an all-new series designed to shift your perspective, teach you new techniques, and help you become a more effective writer, one tip at a time.
You have to get people to care before you can get them to click.
This might be the hardest lesson really smart people have to learn in order to get better at writing for an audience, but it changes everything:
It’s not actually about you.
When your brain is full of valuable knowledge, and you’ve had so many experiences that could help others, it’s easy to hit the blank page with the mindset of sharing your expertise.
That’s fair! You have so much to share.
But unless the reader is your mom, they’re unlikely to care about your reasons for sharing.
We humans are a self-centered lot. We’re hyper-focused on ourselves and what serves us. That doesn’t mean your audience won’t care about you want to write about — it just means you have to be very clear on what’s in it for them.
Why should they stop what they’re doing and read this?
How will it solve a problem for them?
Why is this better or different than what they’ve learned elsewhere, and why does that matter?
They have to trust that they’ll gain something by reading what you’ve written. (And in the age of clickbait headlines, that trust is precious.)
Here’s an example:
You’re a founder, and your startup just hit the one-year mark. You made it one whole year in business — that’s a big deal! You want to share it with your network. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to remind people your company exists, and renew their interest in the product you’re building.
How would you write the subject line?
Perhaps …
One year in business!
Happy anniversary to us!
Here’s what we’ve been up to for the past year
What do those subject lines have in common?
You got it.
They’re all self-serving.
They’re all about you.
Why should the people in your network care that your company just had its first anniversary?
Here are some possible answers to that question, and subject lines to match:
Your network has been super supportive, and they deserve to feel appreciated: THANK YOU! This is how your support made a difference
You learned some hard lessons, and they could help some folks in your audience: These lessons may change your life
You’re throwing a lavish anniversary party at your office: Your invitation to the party! Music, food, and prizes on [DATE]
Give your audience a reason to care. Then deliver on the promise you made — give them something worth reading.
The key to success here is asking yourself this question when you sit down to write:
What’s in it for the reader?
… and then answering it truthfully and authentically — first for yourself, and then on the page for your audience.