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“And what about Oprah?” said nearly every one of my authors at some point in the publishing process.
Since I owned North Country Books in Utica, NY for a few years and with my current company, NKB Publishing, I’ve published over 30 books. If only one of them had made it on the show of the iconic arbiter of good literature, I’d be rich right now.
But it was not to be. However, there was another refrain that I also heard from pretty much every author whose manuscript I accepted, “I’d like the book to appeal to [# here] audiences.”
A natural desire to sell more books, but like writing Web copy, a deadly one. Let’s understand the reasoning for this wrong track so you can catch yourself when you write your Web pages.
What’s Wrong With Pleasing Everyone?
I published a compilation of essays written by a Lake Placid, New York historian who had passed away. The editor encouraged me to include a series of essays that turned out to be factually incorrect to show “would be historians” the process of historical investigation.
Though it might be fun for some people to see how the author eventually came to the correct historical conclusion, the reader expects facts, not process. Let those who want to learn to write history read a “How-To” if that’s their interest. I rejected this idea and deleted the offending essays. Everything left is true and immensely fascinating.
Then there was the book about the Battle of Oriskany during the Revolutionary War. This was an intense and bloody battle that happened here in the Mohawk Valley in Central New York. The author suggested that I include a chapter on the centennial celebration of the battle in 1877.
He thought that it would be nice to bring in some local history about the City of Utica, the New York State representatives to the legislature and congress, and various local civic societies of the time.
I countered his contention that it would bring in a larger audience by pointing out that the reader was interested in the men who fought the actual battle. The chapter on the centennial celebration would dilute the story of the brave men of the Mohawk Valley and the Oneida Indian Nation who fought off the British that day.
Live By the Third Great Law for Writing Web Copy with Impact
And that’s the point for you when you’re thinking about the text and structure of your Web page. When you try to satisfying every audience, you satisfy none. When you try to write text to everyone, you end up saying little of real interest.
Here’s how the great copywriter Herschel Gordon Lewis puts it as one of his “Four Great Laws for Not Writing Rotten Copy”: E²=0.
Which means, when you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.
So, first decide on a crystal clear purpose for your site. Next, figure out what audience is the best match for that purpose. Then write your headline to that audience. Make it an engaging headline that includes a promise your audience will love. Then continue on with the text, answering the questions that specific audience brings to your site.
Make the tough choice and pick the best audience for your Web page (or if you’re a would be or published author, your book!) and focus on them as you write. Use other parts of your site for those secondary audiences.
Your primary audience will be glad you did.
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Burns is a Web writer specializing in persuasive copywriting and content marketing. Nick’s services include SEO Web writing, website information architecture, content marketing, consulting, and publishing. He provides clients a winning online strategy plus the content writing to make it work. You can contact Nick here.
