The 4 Secrets to Capturing Your Reader’s Attention
There’s an old car wreck in the forest near where I used to live.
It’s a red ute — rather, it was — that lies at the bottom of a steep hill, just off the trail.
I used to ride my mountain bike along that trail. Any afternoon I could get the chance to escape from work & parenting, I’d pull on my gear and disappear deep into the forest.
There was rarely anyone else on the trails. Occasionally I’d be overtaken by a — much faster — middle-aged man in lycra, but usually I was on my own.
I loved the bliss of getting into the flow, feeling my legs spinning, my heart pumping, my breath quickening as I made my way along the winding trail.
I’d switch off my thinking brain and focus only on my body and my surroundings. The mild burning in my thighs… the smell of eucalyptus… the sound of silence.
It wasn’t long before the trees around me would blur into a sea of green as my eyes focused only on the path ahead. It was a beautiful, classically Australian landscape — a forest of spotted grey gums, pale-green spinifex grass and ancient rocky boulders.
Against this backdrop of grey-green, that bright red car wreck stood out like a sore thumb.
And it shocked me. Every. Single. Time.
Every time I rounded the corner next to where it remained, I’d get a fright. A zap of shock that would jolt me out of flow and switch me instantly into survival mode.
My primitive brain — my limbic system — couldn’t help but react in fear. Because that awful car was SO out of place in that peaceful forest.
And the funny thing was, I knew it was there. Because I’d ridden the trails so many times.
But I would still feel that unnerving shock of something not being quite right.
This crashed out & beaten-up car wreck — and my jarring reaction to it — made me wonder about what gets our attention as humans.
So I put on my copywriter hat and dived into the world of marketing to work out why attention is so important… and how you can seize more of it.
Why Attention is Such A Valuable Commodity
As a writer — whether you’re a storyteller, blogger or copywriter — a massive chunk of your success depends on your ability to command your reader’s attention.
- What makes your words more important than anything else in your reader’s life right now?
- Why should they read your blog/post/email/ad when they’ve got a gazillion other things vying for their highly prized attention?
Your number ONE job as a writer is to persuade your reader to read your headline… then the next line… and then the next line… and so on.
In today’s online world, catching attention is so critical that Gary Vee now calls himself “a day-trader in attention.”
This is why headlines — or hooks — are SO important. Because if you don’t grab your reader by the throat with your first few precious words, they will click away. And all is lost.
Now, figuring out exactly what will stop your reader in their tracks will depend on who they are… what their pain points are… what their burning problem is… and what their desires are. That’s why understanding exactly what’s going on in your ideal reader’s mind is critical.
But there are four fundamental rules — from the world of marketing — that apply to ALL humans when it comes to snapping up attention.
So here they are.
The 4 Secrets to Capturing Attention
1. Novelty.
Anything out of the ordinary will force your reader to sit up and take notice. Because anything weird or unusual is a potential threat to their survival.
How often do you see a crashed-out car wreck in the middle of the bush, miles from the nearest road or suburbia? It’s different, it’s unusual, it doesn’t belong there.
Here, understanding the context in which your reader sees your writing is essential. What will make your headline or article stand out from the rest?
It can help to use something counter-intuitive — the famous ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ advertisement by clothing brand Patagonia is a brilliant example of counter-intuitive marketing. In a world of “BUY NOW, HURRY SALE ENDS SOON” etc, using a bold statement like “Don’t Buy…” has an irresistible allure to it. (And this headline was backed up by brilliantly compelling body copy.)
The novelty of that car wreck would make it a great conversation starter if I was with someone else.
But I ride alone, so I just talk to myself about it.
2. Curiosity.
What on earth is that car doing there? How did it get there? How long has it been there? Who were the doorknobs that crashed it? Where are they now? I wonder if any small creatures are living inside?
All sorts of burning questions jumped up in my curious primal brain every time I rode past. I could almost feel my neurons doing cartwheels.
The human brain is hardwired to ask questions — and then answer them. Why? Because the more it knows about the world around it, the more likely it will survive.
So the more you can stir up curiosity in your writing — in particular in your headline — the more you’ll magnetise your reader to your words.
And the single most powerful — but quite possibly overused — word that ignites curiosity?
Secrets.
3. Contrast.
The human brain has evolved to detect contrast.
Imagine you’re standing in a dense jungle. There are green trees and ferns and branches all around you. It’s literally a jungle out there…
Lurking in the jungle somewhere could be a pair of eyes belonging to something that’s keen to eat you. Or a bunch of bright red berries that could be good to eat. Your eyes need to be able to detect any contrast from this sea of green — as it could be food, or a threat.
In fact, scientists have shown that different fruits evolved to have bright colours to encourage people and other animals to eat them.
So anything that contrasts with your reader’s ‘normal’ environment will catch their eye and draw them to it before their rational brain can intervene.
(Their limbic system doesn’t realise they no longer live in the jungle.)
And here are three powerful contrast techniques you can use in your next article:
- Before and after contrast — one of the most effective marketing techniques that you can also use to tell a brilliant story.
- Visual contrast — choose your cover image carefully. Something with a lot of black and white, or with contrasting colours, will catch the eye.
- Emotional contrast — if you can incite different emotions in your reader through story, you’ll glue them to the page.
And then finally, there’s…
4. Story.
There must be one hell of a story around that red ute. Clearly something went awry for it to end up there. But what, exactly?
Humans have been telling stories for millennia. Through stories humans communicate values, culture and knowledge — e.g. “don’t drive your car off a cliff” — that keep our race going.
The human brain is drawn to stories like a moth to a flame. (Think JK Rowling net worth = $1 billion).
Therefore if you can weave a compelling narrative through your article, your reader won’t be able to look away.
So there you go. I hope this has been useful.
And perhaps now you have a vivid image of a cherry-red car wreck in your mind that will remind you to use novelty, curiosity, contrast and story in your next article.
My only hope is that you use your attention-commanding powers for good.
Anyway enough from me today, I’m off for a ride.
