Yesterday, I said that the goal of your professional writing is to persuade people to do something and that you should decide what that is before you write. Knowing what you want them to do allows you to tailor your writing to your call to action.
If you want readers to download your free report, for example, you might use some of the content of that report in your post, leaving the reader hungry to hear more.
One of the simplest ways to persuade people is through repetition. Tell them what to do in the body of the text and again at the end. The more often they hear what to do, the more likely they are to do it.
You can also use repetition by writing more frequently. Instead of long emails once a month, for example, write short emails once a week.Each message is another opportunity to tell them what to do.
You’ll notice that my emails are relatively short. That’s intentional. I want you to read my email as soon as you get it. I know that if you save it for later, you might never get around to it, and that doesn’t help either one of us.
Shorter pieces are also easier and quicker to write. Instead of spending three hours crafting a comprehensive article, you can take 15 minutes to write a few paragraphs and get it out the door.
Longer pieces certainly have their place. The sales letter for my first referral course was 32 pages. But I wouldn’t expect you to read that much every day.
If you want to persuade more people, write shorter emails and send them more often. You’ll have that many more opportunities to tell people to do what to do.
Get more referrals with less effort. Here’s how
