There are a large variety of types of scripts out there, but they all involve one major component—making a strong impression on your audience. In cinematic writing, an intimate connection with your audience signals the difference between a movie that moves people and one that moves people right out of their seats. In corporate writing, it could mean the difference between losing a sale and creating a long-term relationship with a happy customer. The key difference in corporate writing is getting your sales message across and making it memorable. So, what should you focus on when writing to make your message stick? Here is what you should keep in mind:
+ Keep It Short and Sweet. The average person’s attention span is getting shorter and shorter every year, thanks primarily to quicker Internet speeds and faster-paced MTV-style editing. One Page of Double-Space 12 point font is usually One Minute of airtime.
-TV commercials are 30 seconds long, but they are focused at the masses to grab attention.
-If you have a more focused audience they could last up to 7 minutes.
+Make Your Message Clear. It’s a good idea before starting your script to pick the three or four key messages you want your viewers to get from your presentation. Write these down first, and keep them close when writing.
-State your Main Messages 3 times each. Studies have shown that a message needs to be repeated at least 3 times to be retained for more than an hour in the brain. Despite what you’d like, your customers may not all buy right away. But if they remember that you have a money-back guarantee and 24/7 friendly support tomorrow, they might stop by again to place their order.
+Test Your Script. This is actually a two-part tip. You should test your script in two ways.
-1. Read it aloud to yourself. It may be a little counter-intuitive but there is a big difference between the written word and the spoken word. For example, Try reading Our Luxurious loafers will linger with you, or less obvious phrases like “red leather” and “judicial” can make a person sound strange if they aren’t articulated perfectly. And unfortunately, viewers will remember your slurring mascot more than your amazing product.
-2. Read it to others. Another interesting thing happens when you are writing and rewriting a script on your own…It starts to make sense to you even when it doesn’t really make sense. Fancy wording and interesting snippets may make you think you’ve gotten your point across, but it may not translate properly to others. I recommend testing it one two different people, one that is very familiar to your industry and one that is not. After reading it aloud to them, ask them to summarize it back to you. Try not to influence them or ask them leading questions that might affect their answers. You want to make sure that what they really got out of your script is what you were trying to get across.
That’s it! Best of luck! If you don’t want to deal with the complication of writing, Dia Creative offers a full staff of professional writers to help you. As always, if you have any questions contact us at anytime at inspire@diacreative.com
February 21st, 2007
Categories: Common Ques . Author: inspire . Comments: No Comments
