Ever since I was seven, when I started writing stories, I’ve been struggling to make my lyrics as convincing as possible. It’s not always possible for people to see my side of the story, to get carried away, to see what I want them to see.
That’s how we all slog, of course. Because whether you work in marketing, journalism, construction, IT, communications or the police, emails are sent everywhere, vacancies are written, advertisement texts, press releases and mission statements. And for all those texts it is important that they seduce, and push people in the direction you want them to go.
Text specialist Nicol Tadema wrote the book for all those plodders The 7 magic words – with which you as a copywriter or marketer influence your results. I spoke to her before about how to write better vacancies, in this book she explains how, by using a few words smarter, you can ensure that your texts yield more results – seven words to be precise: ‘but’, ‘because’, ‘you’, ‘yes’, ‘or’, ‘if’ and ‘not’. How it works?
Well like that.
1
‘But’.
I start ‘but’ right away with my favorite word from the book, and that is ‘but’. I didn’t know there was so much cargo in there! Tadema writes that we are always alert to a ‘but’. Because we have become accustomed to the fact that positive news is usually followed by something negative, and that negative always starts with a ‘but’! As a result, we listen poorly to everything that comes before a ‘but’, and we are focused on what comes after.
So Tadema’s trick is simple: turn it around. Put the negative you need to convey before the “but” and the positive after it. So don’t write: “I found your presentation very good in terms of content, but a bit long”, but write or say: “I thought your presentation was a bit long, but in terms of content very good.” As a result, the reader is more inclined to remember the positive.
2
‘Because’.
We tend to take anything that follows a ‘because’ seriously. Because people assume that after a “because” comes a good reason, and something that is objective. Tadema thinks this is because we often heard ‘because’ in our childhood – from our parents, and other people we trust. “Why can’t I have sweets?” “Because it’s bad for your teeth” and the ultimate: “You’re going to bed now because I say so.”
That ingrained confidence makes us tend to believe anything that follows a “because,” even if it’s nonsense. A good example is the L’Oréal slogan: “Because you are worth it.” But it also works if you write: “Sign up for this newsletter, because otherwise you will regret.”
3
‘You’.
A sentence with ‘you’ in it speaks personally, strokes the ego and inspires confidence, writes Tadema. If you use the word smartly, and of course not too often, the reader will be more likely to let you do the trick.
By the way, ‘you’ works better than ‘you’. ‘We will be happy to contact you tomorrow’ therefore works better than ‘we will contact you tomorrow’. Oh yes, and “you” sometimes works better than you.
4
‘Yes’.
The word ‘yes’ has an extremely positive effect on the brain. So make sure that your text puts your reader in the yes position, writes Tadema. That doesn’t mean that you have to use ‘yes’ literally, but that you have to create an atmosphere in your text that causes the reader to nod in agreement.
You can do this by asking questions to which the reader cannot say ‘no’, such as ‘do you want to save money?’, ‘do you also want to help Ukraine’ and ‘are you looking for a new job?’ But it works even better by making sure that your text is written in such a way that your reader automatically starts to nod ‘yes’. The book tells you how to do that – shorter writing, clearer language, etc.
5
‘Or’.
With the word ‘or’ you can subconsciously ‘force’ your reader to make a choice that isn’t even a choice. For example, with: “Do you want the green jumpsuit or the red one?” – then you pretend NOT to buy a jumpsuit is not even an option.
That also works for your children. If you ask, “Do you want to eat five Brussels sprouts, or six?” Unfortunately, not with all children – and all readers.
6
‘If’.
The word ‘if’ is Tadema’s favorite magic word. Because it makes the reader think in terms of possibilities, and because it removes resistance. With the word ‘if’ you can open worlds.
“What if, for example, you had more time to do fun things with your family?”, “What if you won 30 million euros?”, “What if you reach your target weight within two months?” – are a few examples.
But the word ‘if’ can also put your reader in a position that she or he cannot avoid. For example, if you write that “As a responsible father, you naturally want your children to wear bicycle helmets.” Or that you, as an intelligent reader, naturally want to know how to use seven magic words smartly. When I read the book, I noticed that it works!
7
‘Not’.
Finally, the word ‘not’ is also a magical word. Because it almost always excites you. For example, if you read somewhere that you ‘better not read this piece’, you do it anyway.
But beware: if there are more important words in a sentence than ‘not’, your brain will forget the word ‘not’. So if you write, “I am not the murderer,” your reader will remember the word “murderer.” So it is better to say: “I am innocent.” You understand that right away, don’t you?
Don’t tell any further.
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