If you’re like most people, you don’t read everything on a website page.
You skim.
In fact according to a 2008 study, most visitors read only about 20% of text on a page.
Because readers skim to get to The Point, all the while asking themselves:
- Is this going to be worth the 2 or 3 minutes it takes me to read?
- Will it address my specific issues with give real world solutions to solve them?
- Or will I finish it and be older but not wiser?
Your readers do the same thing to your emails or webpages.
But you know what they’ll likely read?
- Bullet points like this one
Once your reader lands on a bullet point, though, they can just as easily jump off if it doesn’t hold their attention.
The key?
Turn bullet points into “fascinations.”
But first, make sure you’re not confusing these with fascinators… which are all the rage for royal events, not so much copywriting.
Here’s a fascinator:
Pretty fancy, but it won’t help you with your copy. Unless there’s a quill tucked up in there somewhere.
A fascination, on the other hand, is like a bullet point on steroids.
Because here’s the thing: Many writers toss out a list of bullet points without much thought: “Oh, it’s a list no one ever reads, so I’ll just pop a few down and be done with it.”
But if your reader is skimming your copy and sees a list of what he or she believes are important points, and sees a list seemingly written by Captain Obvious… you just lost them completely.
Fascinations, on the other hand, pique interest. They draw in the reader and make them want to know more about your offer.
They’re simple to write but can take a bit of brainstorming to do a great job.
Here’s the process:
STEP ONE: Identify an important feature of your product or service. Or write out a fact related to it.
Example: [blank] is [blank]
The [your product name] is a [what does it do and why is it valuable]
Examples:
Say you sell at-home fitness equipment.
Your Step One may be:
The Belly Fat Flabinator is a painless tummy firmer you can use while watching Netflix and see results in one evening of binge watching.
STEP TWO: Take out the name of your product and “is” and you’re left with your fascination.
This leaves us with a bullet point of… the Belly Fat Flabinator:
- A painless tummy firmer you can use while watching Netflix and see results in one evening of binge watching
Better yet, split this into two fascinators:
- A painless tummy firmer you can use while watching Netflix
- Results in one evening of binge watching TV
STEP THREE: Introduce a crosshead (a mini headline that goes across the page) to introduce the list of fascinations and write it with as much curiosity-invoking effort as the fascination itself.
So the finished result is:
Think flat abs takes hours of painful crunches and starving yourself into a smaller pair of pants? Nope. The Belly Fat Flabinator gives you…
- A painless tummy firmer you can use while watching Netflix
- See results in one evening of binge watching TV
Got it? Now see how you can use it in your next copy.
Other posts you may find helpful:
7 Headline Formulas that Practically Write Themselves
How to Find Your Brand Voice So You Attract Quality Customers
5 Stages of Market Sophistication to Help You Sell
Until next time,
