Writing as an expert in your field is only partly about who you are and what you know.
I learned that from once being locked in an old wardrobe.
I was 14 years old. My brothers, the culprits, were 12, 10 and 8, and it was a horrible albeit brief encounter that taught me a lesson I will never forget.
It happened on a Thursday night.
Late-night-shopping-night when mum and dad escaped to Sainsbury’s for an hour or two.
“Mary. You’re in charge,” mum shrilled, possibly with glee at the prospect of escaping her squabbling brood for a couple of hours.
“Make sure the boys stay out of trouble,” dad warned, before diving into his white Ford Cortina and speeding away.
‘I’m in charge?’ I tried on the new-found notion for size.
‘I’m. In. Charge!’ Not only did it fit, it felt GOOD.
‘I’M IN CHARGE. YEAH! GO, GIRL!’
By the time I had imagined the many ways I would command my brothers to obediently follow orders, I lunged at the eldest of the three, determined to show him who was boss.
“I’M IN CHARGE. MUM SAID. SO YOU GOTTA DO WHAT I SAY. OR ELSE!”
He jumped up, squaring me in the face. “Or else WHAT? It-Stick.”
“Yeah! It-Stick,” chimed the middle one.
“It-Stick. It-Stick. It-Sticky-It-Stick,” giggled the youngest.
No prizes for guessing my nickname, coined for my lanky, shapeless frame.
They were a formidable bunch. I knew that. Yet in a pathetic attempt at bravado, I mumbled a half-hearted threat to beat them up if they didn’t listen.
Their response was a swift masterfully coordinated attack.
They chased me upstairs and cornered me in the spare room. One opened the wardrobe door, the other kicked me in the butt shoving me in, and all three quickly slammed the door shut.
Click!
They even had the audacity to lock it.
It only lasted seconds, but needless to say, it scared the living daylights out of me.
The irony is one of the ways I thought I might be able to get them to do my bidding was to bribe them. As the eldest, only I knew where mum and dad hid the stash of assorted treats: Black Jacks, Fruit Salads, Flying Saucers, Aniseed Twists, Pear Drops, Dollie Mixtures, the lot.
The plan would have worked a treat (pun intended) if only I had the sense to put it into action.
That was, of course, a long time ago but the lesson has not been lost on me.
There might be 101 ways to gain buy-in from your target audience. The best way is to speak the language they understand.
Writing as the expert in your field is partly about who you are; The Big Sister, The Boss, The Founder, The CEO, The Whoever.
It’s partly about what you know; whether it’s a vital message to share, an effortless method to overcome a challenge, a unique way to achieve a goal, or how to help your reader stay out of trouble by getting their chores done.
But It’s mostly about putting yourself in your reader’s shoes and writing from their point of view.
Here are some questions to ask before you write:
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- Why will my reader care about this?
- Am I addressing their needs/questions/challenges?
- How do I want this to benefit/affect them?
- What do I want them to do with this?
Like my smorgasbord of yesteryear’s pick ‘n’ mix, you’re more likely to engage your ideal reader if you effectively communicate what’s in it for them.
Do you need help crafting your message for your reader? Contact me, and let’s put a plan into action together.