{"id":281,"date":"2019-12-14T23:37:55","date_gmt":"2019-12-14T22:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/?p=281"},"modified":"2019-12-14T23:37:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-14T22:37:56","slug":"how-to-tell-great-stories-with-copy-that-connects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/how-to-tell-great-stories-with-copy-that-connects\/","title":{"rendered":"How to tell great stories with copy that connects"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-guides"],"acf_fields":{"main_image":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Picture13.png","subtitle":"Grabbing and holding the attention of your audience rests on nailing your tone of voice and telling a story that they can connect with emotionally.","content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","post_text":"

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC is a pretty cool museum. They have everything under the sun, from flight simulators to complete T-Rex skeletons.<\/p>\n

They also have an incredible planetarium.<\/p>\n

But that wasn\u2019t always the case. Back in 1981, the planetarium show was a little dull. So the museum asked the legendary science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury, to help them liven it up.<\/p>\n

Ray sat through the show, impassive. Afterwards, he was asked for his thoughts.<\/p>\n

This is what he said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re teaching and you should be preaching. A planetarium is a CATHEDRAL. A cathedral of space, where you go to worship the universe. You\u2019re trying to teach science in there. No, no, get out of the way and let me celebrate the universe. Let me shout and scream for you. And if I do a good job, people on the way out will buy your damn books. They\u2019ll go to the library, they\u2019ll borrow the books. But you can\u2019t put the books on the ceiling. Put the exhilaration up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ray had hit the nail right on its tiny metal head. If your factual and empirical display about the unimaginable, mind-blowing scale of the cosmos is making people snooze, how on Earth (pun intended) are you supposed to get them to pay attention to the things you care about?<\/p>\n

You need to excite people. Exhilarate them. Connect with them. Make them care. Then, if they\u2019re interested, they can go read the fine print. Until then, you may as well be showing them statistics about orbital vectors and Lagrange Points (look it up.)<\/p>\n

The first question to consider is:<\/p>\n

Who are you talking to?<\/p>\n

This is Storytelling 101. You need to understand your audience completely before you start writing. Empathise with them. Place yourself in their shoes. What are their hopes, dreams and fears? What keeps them up at night? When you\u2019re addressing them, you need to get at the heart of what makes them tick for your message to resonate. Otherwise, their attention will go in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n

A good way to do this is to start with a question, one they may have already asked themselves time and again. \u2018Yes, that relates to me!\u2019 they\u2019ll cry. Then, articulate the problem before hitting them with the solution. It\u2019s a classic storytelling structure that gets to the heart of what makes us human.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":283,"id":283,"title":"KOKO-KANU","filename":"KOKO-KANU.jpg","filesize":85220,"url":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/KOKO-KANU.jpg","link":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/how-to-tell-great-stories-with-copy-that-connects\/koko-kanu\/","alt":"Koko Kanu || Exotic Elegance & Adventure","author":"1","description":"Koko Kanu || Exotic Elegance & Adventure","caption":"Koko Kanu || Exotic Elegance & Adventure","name":"koko-kanu","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":281,"date":"2019-12-14 22:30:04","modified":"2019-12-14 22:30:10","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":830,"height":664,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/KOKO-KANU-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/KOKO-KANU-300x240.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":240,"medium_large":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/KOKO-KANU-768x614.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":614,"large":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/KOKO-KANU.jpg","large-width":830,"large-height":664,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/KOKO-KANU.jpg","1536x1536-width":830,"1536x1536-height":664,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/KOKO-KANU.jpg","2048x2048-width":830,"2048x2048-height":664}}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","post_text":"

Don’t sell. Tell.<\/h3>\n

Writing effective copy isn\u2019t about selling something. This might sound counterintuitive but hear us out.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s audience is bombarded from all sides by exhortations to \u2018buy, buy, buy!\u2019 Advertising is almost everywhere we look and listen: on billboards, on the airwaves, and in our digital spaces. We\u2019re so desensitised to it that the average online attention span is negligible: 5 to 8 seconds. So grabbing and holding the attention of your audience rests on nailing your tone of voice and telling a story that they can connect with emotionally.<\/p>\n

Your call to action can wait until you\u2019ve created interest and engagement. The CTA facilitates the user journey by linking your content with a tangible product or service, but without an emotional response, all you have is a glorified infomercial. You must first humanise your audience, and fully immerse yourself in the user journey.<\/p>\n

The user journey<\/h3>\n

You\u2019re browsing a social media feed on your smartphone. As you scroll, you view a mixture of your friends\u2019 content, influencer photos, trending videos and branded stuff. From time to time, some of this content jumps out at you, causing you to pause and watch. This initial \u2018wait, let me just check this out for a second\u2019 moment only happens if you see or hear something you like. Your brain isn\u2019t quite engaged yet, so the response in the first split-second will be an instinctive one. Either you\u2019re drawn to the content, or you\u2019re not. Engineering this moment depends on catchy headlines accompanied by colourful and intriguing visuals, or the right music.<\/p>\n

So now your attention has been grabbed. Congratulations! But that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll stay long. In a matter of seconds, your attention might waver, and you\u2019ll move on. That\u2019s where storytelling enters the picture: if the viewer feels understood and empathised with, and if there\u2019s an emotional through-line, then you may have a conversion on your hands.<\/p>\n

Framing the story<\/h3>\n

Copy is important because it adds structure to the brand narrative. The creative process must begin with a strong copy line, from which designs and visuals can be extrapolated. There can be no visual story (and no content) without the words on the page.<\/p>\n

Your first consideration is, of course, who you\u2019re talking to. A retail assistant will not respond to the same touch points or engage with the same language as a financial services executive. In the former scenario, it\u2019s best to limit the use of jargon and focus on making your voice clear and relatable. In the latter, hard data, growth statistics and business buzzwords go a long way, but remember that you\u2019re still trying to make your message as simple and resonant as possible.
\nIt\u2019s about striking a balance between accessibility and authority.<\/p>\n

Next, consider what the story will be. You\u2019ll often have to condense a great deal of information about a product or service into a short video, usually 60 to 90 seconds long. Please refer to our piece about how to create the perfect explainer video<\/a> for more guidance on how to condense a complex value proposition into a short, snappy and entertaining piece of video content.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, here\u2019s a structure that often works for us, helping us to narrow our focus and shave off all that extra (irrelevant) information. Of course, there are as many different ways to tell a story as there are human beings on Earth (more, in fact), but it\u2019s a good starting point.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":284,"id":284,"title":"Artboard-1-copy-100","filename":"Artboard-1-copy-100.jpg","filesize":111393,"url":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Artboard-1-copy-100.jpg","link":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/how-to-tell-great-stories-with-copy-that-connects\/artboard-1-copy-100\/","alt":"Nucco Brain Copy Writing Structure","author":"1","description":"Nucco Brain Copy Writing Structure","caption":"Nucco Brain Copy Writing Structure","name":"artboard-1-copy-100","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":281,"date":"2019-12-14 22:33:13","modified":"2019-12-14 22:33:16","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Artboard-1-copy-100-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Artboard-1-copy-100-300x169.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Artboard-1-copy-100-768x432.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Artboard-1-copy-100-1024x576.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Artboard-1-copy-100.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Artboard-1-copy-100.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":720}}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","post_text":"

Copywriters, at their core, are storytellers, and this approach to storytelling is as ancient as it gets. There is no narrative without conflict, and branded stories need their conflicts to be resolved. After all, your service offering is the solution to the conflict within your story. It\u2019s a structure that accesses the lizard brain depths of your users\u2019 minds- it just makes sense to us humans on a fundamental level.<\/p>\n

To begin with, hook your audience with the central conflict: a question or problem, preferably one that\u2019s relevant to their lives. For example, you could ask an audience composed of marine biologists, \u2018how can we prevent overfishing of the world\u2019s oceans?\u2019 Alternatively, you could state the problem: \u2018Overfishing is draining the world\u2019s oceans of their biodiversity.\u2019 Which approach you choose is entirely dependent on which tone you\u2019re trying to achieve, and for which purpose. Just remember that your hook will only be effective if you ask yourself which emotions you want your audience to feel as they engage with your content, and connect with them on that level.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve set up the problem, you need to talk about why your audience should care. Not in as many words perhaps, but you do need to find a unified emotional through-line that makes the difference between, \u2018OK, I\u2019m interested\u2019 and \u2018Where is the skip button?\u2019 The trick is, of course, to understand your audience. What do they want? What are they afraid of? And how can your service offering help them? These touch-points will vary across audiences, so avoid one-size-fits-all messaging. Our work for the De Beers Group, for example, involved designing and writing three separate brochures: one for corporate sightholders, one for luxury buyers, and one for retail staff. These audiences are all involved in the diamond industry, yet each has preferences and concerns that necessitate a highly distinct tone of voice.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":285,"id":285,"title":"Picture1","filename":"Picture1.png","filesize":303211,"url":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Picture1.png","link":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/how-to-tell-great-stories-with-copy-that-connects\/picture1\/","alt":"DeBeers IIDGR || Training Platform Creation","author":"1","description":"DeBeers IIDGR || Training Platform Creation","caption":"DeBeers IIDGR || Training Platform Creation","name":"picture1","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":281,"date":"2019-12-14 22:33:48","modified":"2019-12-14 22:33:54","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":939,"height":485,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Picture1-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Picture1-300x155.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":155,"medium_large":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Picture1-768x397.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":397,"large":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Picture1.png","large-width":939,"large-height":485,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Picture1.png","1536x1536-width":939,"1536x1536-height":485,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/clleancode.xyz\/nuccobrain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Picture1.png","2048x2048-width":939,"2048x2048-height":485}}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","post_text":"

Crafting a tone of voice<\/h3>\n

Brands speak to their customers in very specific ways. Your choice of language, the way your sentences are constructed, even the way you spell certain words- it all needs to be in service to the brand, and to the audience you\u2019re speaking to. If your audience are mainly high-flying CEOs, you need to know what you\u2019re talking about, using the right jargon in the right ways. Business leaders can see right through complication for complication\u2019s sake, and appreciate a tone of voice that cuts through the fluff to make a pertinent point about their industry. If your audience is mainly composed of teenage girls with an interest in fashion, your tone of voice could be light, current and aspirational, speaking directly to their interests and day-to-day lives. Really, it all depends on your brand\u2019s values and aesthetics. A colourful, exuberant brand will often use very flamboyant language, while a more corporate entity will keep their messaging subdued and informative. Your job as a copywriter is essentially to make sure you can hit those emotional notes and get people excited within the framework of your brand values.<\/p>\n

Our work for HSBC\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative<\/a> is a great example of this: as one of the world\u2019s leading banks, HSBC is investing in the future, partnering with businesses of all sizes to take part in China\u2019s global development programs. Any piece of content that describes these infrastructure initiatives has the potential to be extremely dry. However, we avoided corporate-speak, using an open, inviting and optimistic voice to talk with know-how about the endless possibilities for investment in the vast regions that make up the Belt and Road. We even focused on the legacy of the Silk Road to frame our message within a much larger and more ancient story, spanning thousands of years.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"video","video":"