Stop Those Thumbs

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7 Ways to Add Creativity to Your Content

You ever write a great social media post and feel like its missing some personality? Or maybe you’ve just published a quality blog, but it’s lacking that…something? Chances are, that missing thing is a *creative spark*.

That’s why our favorite pink-haired marketer, Sonia Simone from Copyblogger, recorded her latest podcast. She’s letting us in on the secret of adding spark into our writing. Gonna dive right in bc there’s a lot to cover…

• (02:25) Tell a good story. Stories can really enhance your content, but they’re very difficult to nail.
• (03:12) Read popular non-fiction to see how they nail storytelling. When you find one that tells a good story, take notes. Write down how that author establishes the characters, the conflict, and the moral of the story.
• (04:15) Keep an eye out for interesting metaphors/analogies. Don’t use cliches here. Come up with your own, and try to think outside of the box. Copyblogger has a whole blog post on this topic.
• (05:39) Mix the senses. Work hard to invoke specific images in your readers’ minds. Write about sounds, colors, scents, etc.
• (07:40) Try humor. This one is reallllly difficult, but it can work really well. Don’t create content that is funny the whole way through, a bit of humor can really connect with your audience. Try a wry observation or an aside.
• (09:58) Find your voice. You get your voice by practicing. You can’t just come up with one. Practice it. Social media is a great place to play with your voice. This is why so many writers use Twitter.
• (12:12) Get outta your echo chamber. If you’re a writer, meet people who aren’t writers. Read books about things that don’t pertain to your job. If you don’t, you’re gonna get very boring, very fast.
• (13:15) The Seth Godin Hack. Throughout your day, you’re going to encounter things you love and things you hate. Keep a list of these things. This list will help you be more interesting. It’ll help you create better stories, invoke emotion, and a whole bunch of other things.

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Secret Message

Psst…if you like the creativity that we put into this newsletter, you can hire us. Yep, the Daily Carnage writers and strategists are available for hire (just reply to this email and let us know).

Don’t tell too many people about this. You’re gonna want to keep us all to yourselves when you see the kind of magic we’ll drop on your brand.

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7 Scientifically Proven Ways to Get More Clicks on Your Content

There’s a term rolling around the marketing universe called ‘Thumb Stop’. Ever heard of it? Maybe ya have and maybe ya haven’t.

Thumb Stop is when people are scrolling through news feeds and suddenly their thumbs stop swiping up. This is a marketer’s goal. Why? Because it means we grabbed someone’s full attention.

HubSpot is generously showing us how to make headlines so good, so relevant, and so valuable, those thumbs will have to stop.

NOTE: You cannot pass go until you know what your audience needs, wants, and cares about. So do your research!

1: Leverage the “Curiosity Gap”
You’ll want to target Epistemic Curiosity. Erhm.. what?! It means the desire to learn something new. And headlines that leverage this type of curiosity are specific enough to connect with the reader but leaves the desire to learn something new.

2: Apply the Scarcity Principle
People react with more urgency when it’s perceived that something is rare or in short supply. It’s the gotta-have-it feeling. Use phrases like:

• “Hurry!”
• “Exclusive Offer!”
• “Limited availability!”

3. Use Numbers
One sure fire way to stop skimmers is to use numbers in your headline. Words and images dominate content so when numbers get thrown into the mix it stands out.

It’s kinda like getting fries on a salad when you weren’t expecting it.

4. Share Something Surprising
Want to momentarily stun your audience? Genuinely surprise them. This could mean a headline that intrigues, sparks curiosity, repulsion, or glee.

Famed copywriter, Gary Halbert, used this in a headline in 1974, ‘How to Make Money with Your Credit Cards.’

5. Ask a Question
There is such a thing as asking a bad question. Well in a headline that is. Bad questions are obvious or fear-mongering questions. Like “Is drinking water good for you?” Or, ” Does your newborn have cancer?”

You want readers to think critically about their behavior or psychology. And it works because deep reflection is incredibly emotional, which is always a selling factor!

Okay, crew, it’s all up to you to discover the last two.

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Watch

Scoring the Drive

We’re suckers for Hans Zimmer. If you’re not familiar with his work, he’s the composer behind basically every movie not called “Star Wars.” Gladiator, Lion King, Inception, and Interstellar are all his work.

He’s a guy that knows how to create some inspirational music. His music is the kind of music that will have you climbing mountains, running through walls, lifting cars off of the ground, etc. etc.

So when Land Rover hired him to create the soundtrack for a unique ad for them, we knew it was gonna be good. The car company gave Hans the keys to a new Rover, had him drive the Angeles Crest Highway, and create music that matched the drive.

The result is stunning (both visually and…what’s the word for something that’s visually stunning but for your ears?). It also kinda makes us want to buy a Land Rover. That’s an effective ad in our book.

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