I woke up furious this morning.
Well, I didn’t, actually. I just wrote that sentence to get your attention. Ask yourself: did it work?
Sure, it’s possible to communicate straight information without emotion. But everything is better when you can get the person to feel something. This is especially important in marketing and fundraising. You are communicating with intention. You’d like the person to do something. And I’ve found that it is always more impactful to influence with emotion.
I’m not talking about “click bait.” Don’t write misleading subject lines. But once the person has decided to skim you, make an emotional statement that will grab attention.
The emotional statement can be about anything. What you are feeling. What the person you’re speaking to will feel. It can even be what inanimate objects feel. I’ve found that it doesn’t really matter, as long as you communicate that an emotion is being experienced.
When you tell stories that show emotion, you get an emotional response.
So let’s try it.
Your time to implement: It's Ron's Monday Mission™
Try this for your next social media post or email newsletter.
- Speak in the first person.
- Either mention an emotion you are feeling or will feel (at an event, for example) or an emotion your reader is feeling or will feel.
- Ask yourself: “How did it make me feel to share that?”
Post it, and observe the response. How do the responses differ from those you normally get (or normally don’t get)?
Reply back and let me know what you see.
Ron Evans helps leaders from some of the world’s most impactful organizations to sleep well at night. As a trusted strategic advisor with a unique background in both technology and psychology, Ron dramatically improves the performance of individuals and organizations. Get in Touch.
