Thinking today about an occasional bit of feedback we’ve gotten over the course of decades writing marketing copy. When something gets submitted for approval from whoever needs to approve it, it’s not uncommon to see one person on the chain opine that – for whatever reason – (too long, too specific, too many big words, etc.) the piece should be revised because many people might stop reading before they finish it.
Maybe some of you have stopped reading this one already!
The writers’ usual instinct in that situation could go in one of two directions:
- They will not!
- Oh no! I can’t have people stop reading without finishing!
Maybe we should consider the possibility that both 1 and 2 are wrong, but also that the guy who’s offering the critique is wrong.
Any business must recognize that the world consists of two groups of people – those who are open to buying what you’re selling and those who aren’t. Most people are in the former category. It’s simple math. Even after you eliminate the people who would never buy the type of thing you sell from anyone, those who are left have an awful lot of choices to pick from. And only a certain percentage of them will pick you.
But as long as you can communicate well, with a healthy percentage of that open-to-buying subset, you’re going to do fine.
This is a critical consideration when you’re writing marketing copy. The people who would never consider buying your product can stop reading at word one as far as you’re concerned. It’s a waste of your time and your words to even try keeping them engaged.
Marketing copy doesn’t need to engage absolutely everyone. It’s supposed to make the case for those whose needs and interests already align with your offering.
So write for them, and tell them everything they need to know. When the rest of the population gets bored and starts looking around for something else to do, don’t sweat it.