One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned came in the form of a rhyme.
I was working in the marketing department for a production company, and I was asked to come up with a script for a radio spot. It was my first shot at it, and I labored over those words (all 30 or so of them) for days. When I finally sent them to the president to review, he called me into his office.
He had printed off the email as he often did, and he read my copy, for the first time, right in front of me. Once he was done, his head shook back and forth in a “no no no, this is isn’t right at all” gesture.
Then came the rhyming words that changed my outlook on copy:
“Are you selling or telling?”
I read the copy, and it was clear: I was telling.
Telling involves… well, just telling people the facts. Selling involves giving people motivation to act, getting people excited, and conveying the types of emotions they’ll feel if they take action (or, sometimes, what they’ll miss if they don’t).
Example: Telling: “We’re playing a show next Friday at John’s Tavern in Houston, TX at 8PM. Hope to see you!” is telling (with a little bit of begging at the end).
Selling: “The lucky folks at John’s Tavern get to play host to our craziness for what’s sure to be a memorable, exciting, and surprising night of music and more. Next Friday, we will bring down the house. Care to join us?”
See? I’m still not good at writing copy that sells! But I think you’ll agree the second one is more likely to get a reaction.
You don’t want to be a car salesman (“Come on down for some deals!!!”) but you should at least try and get people excited about your shows (as well as other events in your career).
Don’t just tell. Sell.
