How do you grab your audience’s attention without being “over the top?”
I get asked this question a lot and with good reason! It’s because people have to pay attention to you before they pay you with money.
Here are a few of my best tips for getting someone’s attention.
Tip 1: Ask a question
You can ask a question in sales copy or in a live video.
It doesn’t matter what you ask, as long as it’s a targeted question!
A targeted question is the one that gets the attention of the right people.
In sales copy, this question is (in most cases) centered around a desire or problem.
For example, you can ask, “Hey! Do you suffer from painful warts?” or “Are you tired of not making any book sales?”
These questions target someone’s needs or desires. Since people are naturally focused on their own problems, questions that address those needs and desires make people immediately pay attention to you.
Tip 2: Make a bold statement
Now, when using a bold statement, you need to be careful …
Both your targeted question and the bold statement need to be relevant.
I always recommend saying something that’s intriguing to your audience.
That way they’ll stop and listen.
So, yell something appropriate like “Hey! I’m going to show you how to get rid of that wart on the end of your nose.” or “Hey! I’m going to show you
how to sell a ton of books!”
Or, say something they don’t expect.
Tip 3: Use visual cues!
Text without pictures is not enough!
The best way to get the attention of your audience is to show an emotionally charged picture. If you choose an image that fits the topic, I guarantee they will stop and check out your sales copy, ad, post, etc..
Of course, you might think this is useful only for social media. But really, it’s vital for any copy you write! The reason why this is simple: people engage much faster when there’s a visual cue.
So images are among the best attention-getting tools you have!
Tip 4: Headlines
Not many know that headlines can be included as image captions.
This is a mistake you should avoid at all costs!
The caption you add to your images can be an effective attention getters.
Stop people with a picture, and the next thing they’ll do is read the caption that goes with it.
Tip 5: Use props in video
It’s not enough to share well-written copy and a couple of eye-catching images though.
No! To super-charge your results, use props!
Like what?
Wear something funny but relevant to your video’s topic! (like a T-rex hat with unicorn horn and ears). Or you can use things in the background (like a blow-up unicorn). That’s how I grab attention in my videos.
The secret is to show something that’s going to stop them and make them pay attention.
Conclusion
So, if you want to get your audience to stop dead in their tracks and pay attention to your message, say or show them something that will get their attention.
Use any and all of the tips we covered above:
1. Ask a question
2. Make a bold statement
3. Use visual cues
4. Add headlines
5. Use props