Innovation

Think Like a Reader: Answers to Your Top Questions From IABC World Conference

The best way to CONNECT! with readers? Think like a reader. Then use the bait the readers like, not the bait you like.

I loved talking about exactly how to do that with a couple of hundred of you at my IABC World Conference breakout session last month. (Want more? Check out my pre-conference article, CONNECT! With Your Audiences: Think Like a Reader.)

And you had questions. So now, here are the answers to the questions you asked in Vancouver.

1. How can we find the WIIFM (what’s in it for me?) when our goal is behavior change, not selling? For example, seeking input for an environmental sustainability organization.

As communicators, we are always selling.

  • You want input? You need to sell your readers on spending their valuable time responding to your survey.
  • You want behavior change? You need to sell your readers on making difficult — or even easy — changes in the way they’re used to living their lives.
  • You want people to read your message? You need to sell your readers on the idea that the reward of reading is greater than the effort required.

So, what’s the WIIFM? What’s the value to your readers of doing what you want them to do?

  • Provide input: The WIIFM for surveys and other research tools is “influence the future.” Maybe “Get the programs and platforms that would be most helpful to you by answering a few quick questions.”
  • Change behavior: Perhaps for an environmental sustainability organization, the benefit is “to create a healthier world for you and your loved ones.”
  • Read your message: The WIIFM could be “gain insights that make your life easier” or “stay informed on issues that affect you.” Make it clear that the reward of reading outweighs the effort.

2. How do we get leaders who haven’t heard this presentation on board with writing about the reader and the reader’s needs instead of about “us and our stuff?”

I once had to have more than 100 people review an article I wrote for Hallmark Cards. So, I feel your pain about the approval process.

Yet, I’m always surprised when communicators seem to get stuck in reviews.

We’re the hired persuaders in our organizations! Nobody should be better at selling our ideas than we are. And yet, often, nobody is worse.

So, deploy all the tools you use to convince people to do what you want them to do in your communication campaigns on the approval process. Use your persuasive skills to inspire change among reviewers and in the organization.

Here are three ways to do that:

  1. Start with the idea that your reviewers are as smart as you are. If you can understand why it makes sense to focus on the reader, then they can too. Explain to them what you’ve learned— maybe in a post-conference debrief.
  2. Show them examples from media they trust. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are focusing more and more on service journalism, or stories that help readers live their lives better. Let’s do it too!
  3. Prove it! I always share tons of research in my writing workshops to offer communicators evidence that bolsters their recommendations. Otherwise, debate devolves into something like, “But sentences should be SHORT!” And the person with the best title wins.

3. How do you find the WIIFM when you don’t fully understand your reader? Or you have multiple audiences?

Step 1: Learn about the reader. It’s a big part of the job. That’s why IABC’s Gold Quill entries include a whole section on the audience right after a description of the business need.

Don’t know your reader?

  • Join your reader’s association. Attend meetings and conferences. Network. Meet readers face-to-face.
  • Keep up with your  reader’s trade publications. Learn what’s keeping these people up at night.
  • Ask Perplexity. AI is essentially a flying car. We use it to write crappy emails. Use your favorite chatbot strategically instead. Ask it to help you get into the minds of your readers.

Step 2: If you have multiple audiences, you need multiple messages.

I once worked with a communicator who sent the same newsletter to renters and landlords. Friends, these two audiences are almost always in direct opposition!

Segment. Target. Tailor. Then send. That’s the best way to reach multiple audiences.

4. How do you engage new readers who might have reservations about reading your content, such as vaccine hesitancy or new medical science technology?

I love writing. I love reading other people’s writing. I’ve devoted my career training communicators in scientific, proven-in-the-lab best writing practices.

But this ain’t a job for writing.

If you want to change deeply entrenched, emotional positions, don’t send a newsletter. This is the place for one-on-one, face-to-face communications.

Research shows that the best way to open people’s minds about abortion, for instance, is to introduce them to someone who’s had an abortion. Want to move the needle on their opinion about gay rights? Introduce them to someone who’s gay.

A shoutout to one of my favorite publications: Psychology Today does a great job of covering research on political persuasion. You might find articles in its archives that will help you with this kind of messaging.

5. Which career example of yours are you most proud?

😊 Awwww.

I’ve spent a delightful career traveling from Hollywood to Helsinki, training communicators in companies like Coca-Cola, Toyota, and Salesforce to draw readers in and move them to act. In some years over the last three decades, I’ve spent as many as 200 days on the road.

When someone asks me my favorite place to travel, I always say, “Wherever I am right now.” Istanbul is fantastic; so is Omaha.

So, I’ll answer this question the same way: My favorite career example is whatever I’m doing at the moment.

Which, right now, is writing this article for you.