For those who want to write… but can’t get started.

As a business owner, writing your own marketing material can be really difficult. Not just because writing (for many) is hard work but because it gets put on the ‘will do when I get time’ list – which generally means it never gets done. Or you mean to get around to it but other important things get in the way – like watching You Tube, eating lunch, updating Facebook or checking your junk mail. 

If you’re one of the many who make procrastination an art, then I have good news for you. There are ways to circumvent this very private, very idiosyncratic habit that will make your life as business owner so much easier.

Here’s why. Research has shown that if you can get started at anything – not just writing – but exercise, doing your tax, cleaning out a filing cabinet, practicing the piano – pretty much anything – for just 15 minutes, chances are you’ll keep going for longer.

Here’s what will happen when you do start writing. You sit down - you don’t want to of course, but you do. You pick up the pen (or get on the computer) and start writing. In a very short space of time, you forget that you had resistance to it and you actually start to enjoy it (and if not enjoy it, you forget that you didn’t want to do it).

You get into ‘state’ and before you know it, you’re off and away and the task of writing the newsletter, sales letter or web page that eluded you for weeks, months, years is now being done, effortlessly.

The trick is to BEGIN; getting those first few words on the page. You see, once you begin, the hard part is over and the momentum kicks in. So, wouldn’t it be good if you had your own personal stash of ‘beginnings’ for all the things you need to write.

As a professional copywriter who struggles with procrastination as much as the next gal, I have to tell you that I use these ‘starters’ all the time. Half the time I don’t end up using them in the finished piece but it gets me started and that is, as I’ve outlined, half the battle.

These openers are great for websites, sales letters, brochures or advertisements. They get attention instantly and force you to include the benefits, which, after all, is what the reader is interested in.

The first technique is called Opening With A Question. Just a quick question before I begin: are you hot or cold right now?

(I confess – this was a trick question. I asked you a question and chances are, you answered it in your head with a ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘not sure’. I’m not trying to trick you here but to demonstrate that questions are brilliant openers because they force the brain to answer the question, even if it doesn’t want to. 

Our brains are ‘answer-seeking’ devices so if we pose the right question, we can often get our readers to come up with the answer we want. As advertisers, that’s a pretty important realization. It means we have to be very clever (and ethical) with the questions we pose.

So here goes: take a look at these and see if any can work for you. (I won’t fill in the blanks right now – that’s your job – but I’ll give you some examples a bit later as to how they can be used.) 

And when I say ‘starters, or ‘openers’, I mean the very first line that the reader sees after the headline. (Of course, these can easily be used as headlines but there are other most potent formulas you can use for them.)

Here are the top 5 that I like:  

1. Isn’t it time you ...?
2. Are you still ...?
3. Are you curious about ...?
4. How can you cut the high cost of ...?
5. Confused about which ... to buy?

The trick to making these work for your own business is to identify what your product does for the user and then insert the benefit. Here are some examples I have written using a wide range of products and services:

1. Isn’t it time you ...?

 a) Isn’t it time you stopped using your shoebox for your receipts? (A great headline for a book-keeping  service.)
 
 b) Isn’t it time you drove a car that reflected who you truly are? (A touch manipulative but perfect for status-seeking individuals with ego issues.)

2. Are you still ...?

 a) Are you still saving for that first home-loan deposit? (For a bank or property developer targeting first-home buyers.)

 b) Are you still living at home (and embarrassed about it)? (A great headline targeting freeloading young men living at home who know they shouldn’t be, mainly because it’s playing havoc with their love life.)
 
3. Are you curious about ...?

 a) Are you curious about why women have such big hand-bags? (I can’t tell you what this would be good for but I’d sure like to know (especially as I’m one of them!)

 b) Are you curious about why nice guys like you never get ahead? (This could target any number of products  but is perfect for an executive coach who deals with nice guys in corporate land who continually get overlooked for promotion.)

4. How can you cut the high cost of ...?

 a) How can you cut the high cost of private school fees? (If I had an answer to this I wouldn’t be writing this article but it would make a great opener for someone who did have the answer.)

 b) How can you cut the high cost of family health insurance?

5. Confused about which ... to buy?

 a) Confused about which high-speed printer to buy? (This opener works well for products that are complex and require lots of research.)

 b) Confused about which financial planner to choose?

Let’s move onto Opening With A Statement. Funnily enough, this technique is called Opening With A Statement. 

These are equally powerful but work on the premise that we are presenting the reader with a very strong, almost self-evident proposition, a fact of life – and then following it up with a solution.

Here are my favourite top 3:

1. It’s no secret that ...
2. You’ve probably noticed that ...
3. If you’re like most people ...

1. It’s no secret that ...

 a) It’s no secret that selling a house is stressful but there are ways to make it easier like ...

This could work for real estate agents who have a customer service programme that help sellers in some unique way.

 b) It’s no secret that losing weight is harder for women over 40 – especially if you’ve had children – but  here’s a way that has been proven to work.

This is very emotive and would only work for a company that is highly ethical in their approach to weight loss but if you were in that target market – and I include myself in that – it would hit you right between the eyes and definitely pique your interest.

2. You’ve probably noticed that ...

 a) You’ve probably noticed that it’s getting harder and harder to buy an investment property for under  $500,000 in ... (insert the town/location). But there is a way. Contact us to find out more.

This opener is perfect for any real estate developer, bank, investment fund or anything to do with property.

 b) You’ve probably noticed that boys aged 17-24 are more likely to be killed in a car accident than any other age group.

This would have to be used sensitively too but would be a start opener to an advertisement for road safety or learn-to-drive programme.

3. If you’re like most people ...

 a) If you’re like most people, you fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day saying ‘thank god that’s over.’

This statement targets busy people aged 35 and over, especially those with young families. It could work products or services like massage, naturopathy, yoga, comfy beds, weekend escapes – any number of products.

 b) If you’re like most people, you hate doing your tax.

An ideal opener for an accountant, tax agent or financial planner.

These Statements work because they are true and the fact is all good, neigh, great advertising works because it’s based on truth. Think about it. The only reason any of those openers worked for you was probably because you recognized yourself in it or you had been through it yourself. 

Great advertising is like great comedy. How many times have you been to a live comedy show (or watched Seinfeld for that matter) and nudged your mate after a particularly funny line and said “That’s so truuuuue”. That’s why it’s funny – because it’s true. If it wasn’t true, you wouldn’t recognize it as a facet of your life so it’d skip right over your head or you’d just say ‘so?’

So there you have it – a bunch of one-liners that will get you started, no matter what you’re writing or who you’re writing for.

Even if you get started using these openers and then end up not using it, that’s fine. What’s important is that you get started! Starting is everything. The rest is easy. 

Bernadette Schwerdt is the Founder and CEO of The Australian School of Copywriting. If you need to learn how to write copy or want to hire a copywriter call Bernadette on (03) 9372 0800 or visit www.copyschool.com. Download your free e-book: “How To Write Headlines That Sell” by emailing her at info@copyschool.com.