Next time you’re struggling to identify the messaging which
will persuade your audience, don’t scour the research again – look inwards.
I recently had the pressure, sorry,
pleasure of giving my first Guardian Masterclass on persuasive copywriting. (Dates for another session to be announced soon.)
Teaching the class helped me realise something: the copywriting task people struggle with most is identifying
the messaging which will move their target audience from ‘A to B’.
Messaging
GPS required
People tend to know where their audience
is currently. That’s A. They usually know what they’d like them to end up
thinking, feeling or doing. That’s B. It’s the bridge between the two they find
tricky.
What issues or beliefs are stopping
their audience from doing what they want them to? And what messaging is going
to tease these barriers apart and let the audience accept your proposition?
These are the fundamental questions of copywriting – ones we grapple with on a
daily basis.
