In late 2001 I picked up a book that changed my life.
The Well-Fed Writer was written by an accomplished salesman, and the front cover promised “Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Freelance Writer in 6 Months or Less.”
The cover offers a clear benefit, financial self-sufficiency. Who doesn’t want this?
But we all expect to get there eventually. It’s called retirement. Some day 89 years from now when my arthritic fingers can’t hold a phone and I dribble half-chewed bagel crumbs at the networking breakfast, I’ll be able to break the piggy bank and cash in on that 10% of my income that’s been compounding away all these years.
I’m not looking forward to it. So why would I want to read a book about financial self-sufficiency?
This book cover also provides a number: 6 months. The number adds credibility and appeal to the benefit. You could be financially self-sufficient this year! That’s a different story.
I’ll buy your book, and 6 months from now I’d better be working from a laptop in southern Italy, with a saucer of green olives on the table and a shot of grappa in my espresso. (It didn’t turn out exactly like that, but I was close)
Benefits and numbers. That’s all you need to attract buyers. But you still need to tell them what to do, or all their enthusiasm will go to waste. Click Here. Buy Now. Enter your best email. Call this number.
Want a few examples?
- 5 essential tools every blogger should use (a Tweet with a link)
- Learn public speaking in 3 days. Call this number.
- When you fill out the form below, we’ll send you our best practices checklist, which cut our operating costs by 17% last year
Here’s mine: Build a lasting presence on all the major social media sites for less than $500.
So, to sum it all up, here are three things you need for a quick, hard-hitting message that will work as a headline, title, or Tweet:
- A benefit
- A number
- A call to action
