How To Write Compelling Copy
When you are busy playing Halo online and your girlfriend calls, do you ignore the phone and keep playing? Or, do you expose yourself to slaughter choosing to answer it?
Regardless of how you decide, there’s one thing certain. It will hinge upon whether the game you have going is compelling enough to ignore environmental distractions. If you logged on the Xbox Live out of boredom, playing with whoever happened to be available, there’s a good chance the phone call might prove a more interesting option. If you’re in a tournament with money at stake, on the other hand, it’s highly likely that the game is more compelling.
The same holds true for the copy that you write. If a housewife is reading it and she suddenly remembers her dentist appointment, will your piece have her so engrossed that she will be willing to forego her schedule? Or will she decide that finishing the letter isn’t as important as missing her root canal?
When you compose your copy, it pays to imagine that scenario, attempting to produce a piece that will compel her to stick with it to end. How you achieve that will hinge on many things, from your subject matter to how well your piece reads (hint: use a writing software) to emotional hooks to how well you are able to trigger her desires.
During the editing and revision phases, as your read through your copy, always ask yourself if it is compelling enough to avoid missing an appointment for. Is it engaging enough to make me want to ignore the ringing phone? Is finishing it worth the hassle of having to put off my root canal for another time?