On Words...by Katie McGuire
(January, 2002)
How to determine your message
We've talked about making words memorable--how to make them really stick--but if you're not conveying the right message, it just plain doesn't matter if it sticks.
How do you go about determining your message? Three things: Know your audience. Know your product or subject. Know your goal.
I'll use as an example a brochure I worked on several years ago. It was for Playground Turf. While I was finding out about the product and writing copy, a graphic designer was putting together a look for the brochure. As a temporary placement, she put in the headline, "Softening life's hard spots." Cute, heh? That's how everyone in the office felt, including myself, but I decided to write a different one and here's why:
After talking to the client I knew that our audience was primarily principals of schools who were making decisions about what kind of grounding they would put on their school playgrounds. Their primary concern? Safety and liability. In learning about the product I found that Playground Turf had been tested for a variety of safety measures. It met (and at times exceeded) the Safety Commission's recommendations and was therefore both safe and insurable. The goal was selling the product. The audience's number one need--and number one deciding factor for purchase--was one that the product met. That determined the message. The final headline:
We can make words memorable. We can determine our message. Next time I'll discuss how to really drive that message home.
Copyright 2012
