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Nobody wants to read your sh**!
Most valuable writing lesson ever. Or so says Steven Pressfield in this blog post on how his first professional job as an advertising copywriter indelibly carved this truth on his psyche:
“Nobody wants to read your shit.
Let me repeat that. Nobody–not even your dog or your mother–has the slightest interest in your commercial for Rice Krispies or Delco batteries or Preparation H. Nor does anybody care about your one-act play, your Facebook page or your new sesame chicken joint at Canal and Tchopotoulis.
It isn’t that people are mean or cruel. They’re just busy.
Nobody wants to read your shit.
There’s a phenomenon in advertising called Client’s Disease. Every client is in love with his own product. The mistake he makes is believing that, because he loves it, everyone else will too.
They won’t. The market doesn’t know what you’re selling and doesn’t care. Your potential customers are so busy dealing with the rest of their lives, they haven’t got a spare second to give to your product/work of art/business, no matter how worthy or how much you love it.”
Every online copywriter – no scratch that – every writer, marketer, advertiser, business owner, and entrepreneur should go read this post in its entirety.
This very powerfully states what Future Now has long taught: prospective customers are task oriented – they have lives and they are not on your Website because they are interested in you, or your company, or how you’d like to “position” yourselves within the industry. Your online visitors have a problem and they are really only interested in whether or not you have a viable solution.
Once you understand that, you can move away from we-we copy in order to focus on providing visitors with:
- Ongoing visual and text assurances that they’ve come to the right place to find their solution – i.e., provide good scent.
- Copy that speaks to them about what matters to them. Establish empathy with WHY they need your solution. Figure out what has driven them to need your product or service, and make sure you address those felt emotional needs as well as ALL of their lingering, sales-killing questions and doubts.
- Pathways/links that allow each visitor to choose their own path, to either take the express train to grabbing what they need and converting, or to drill down to richer content on those elements where they need to assure themselves that you are, in fact, selling a real solution to their specific problem.
Nobody wants to read your copy. But if they’ve voluntarily come to your Website in search of a solution, chances are good they will scan, skim, and yes, even read copy that addresses their task at hand.
The difficult part is often the task of separating out “your sh**” from the copy that’s actually needed to address visitors’ concerns. Hiring outsiders often helps with this. Personas are also extraordinarily helpful. And so are the guidelines outlined in Steven Pressfield’s post – go read them!
And then go kick some online marketing a**
P.S. If the name Steven Pressfield seems familiar, you may have read his (highly recommended) non-fiction book, The War of Art. Or possibly his extremely popular historical fiction (also recommended).
[Editors Note: The author of this article is now blogging at jeffsextonwrites.com]
About the author
Jeff is a Persuasion Architect, Web copywriter, blogger, and instructor of FutureNow's Persuasive Online Copywriting workshop. Follow Jeff Sexton on twitter
More articles from Jeff Sexton
- Nobody wants to read your sh**!September 21st, 2009
- Redesign? Ask The Right Questions!September 18th, 2009
- Cross-post: How to Improve a Product Page, Part 1September 15th, 2009
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September 21st, 2009
12:23 pm
So, if you want to hire a copy writer who can write for ‘prospective customers are task oriented’ who can you get?
I am looking for a copy writer but I am unsure who is any good?
September 21st, 2009
1:05 pm
I’m going to Tweet this because I think it’s a lesson people on Twitter need to learn.
September 21st, 2009
1:08 pm
The most effective sales page I’ve ever written is as basic and straightforward as possible:
Here’s the product.
Here’s the options.
Here’s the best prices I can offer.
Not convinced? Here’s more information.
Now, who wants to read my screenplay? Just kidding.. but if you think the market for writing is bad now, I can only imagine what it was like 20 years ago when there was no web. The few jobs available may have paid better and offered more security, but there was a much more limited window of opportunity.
September 21st, 2009
2:28 pm
I’ve tweeted. Great words of advice.
September 21st, 2009
2:30 pm
I’ve also posted on facebook. Thanks!
September 21st, 2009
2:34 pm
VERY good post. Gives me some food for thought esp. about the copy. Thanks.
September 21st, 2009
8:22 pm
Nice tips to let your audience hook into your post. Not just plainly having a post without considering the quality of it.
September 22nd, 2009
12:17 am
Very funny. In order to attract new customers you have to constantly be providing valuable content in a way that is totally unique.
This is a very hard obstacle to overcome. Hmmmm How do I get people to read my s$%&?
September 22nd, 2009
1:31 am
It is crucial to know your readers / visitors and offer them what interests them.
September 22nd, 2009
3:46 am
That’s a problem then,… if you’re selling advise! Giving people the answer they searched for makes people read you’re shit. On the other hand it doesn’t make them buy you’re advise does it?
September 22nd, 2009
5:06 am
Totally agree I am going to write the title of this post on the office wall. Thanks for the links to the other posts too.
September 22nd, 2009
6:05 am
Yeps u r absolutely right! And the tips so awsome, so I hope everybody will read my sh**t
September 22nd, 2009
10:42 am
An associated image can help grab attention and get the viewer to read more.
September 22nd, 2009
10:44 am
[...] My good friend, Jeff Sexton reminds us that Nobody wants to read your sh**! [...]
September 22nd, 2009
10:51 am
These are VERY important and helpful tips.thanks a bunch for sharing them.
September 22nd, 2009
9:42 pm
Very well said. Every content creator should look at herself as a problem solver. What problem does your content solve for the reader, visitor or customer? Does the content make the site visitor `feel better’ after reading it. Did it make her wiser, push her a step forward towards addressing her problem?
September 23rd, 2009
9:45 pm
regarding “visual and textual assurances”:
I know that testimonials work. Honest, simple words from someone who has tried your product and can vouch that it worked for them. Prospective customers relate to that.
September 23rd, 2009
10:21 pm
Shaman,
Couldn’t agree more: testimonials absolutely DO work. And some work much better than others. I recommend heading over to Sean D’Souza’s website http://www.psychotactics.com and snagging a copy of his PDF report, The Secret Life of Testimonials. The stuff he puts in there is worth it’s weight in gold.
- Jeff
September 24th, 2009
8:01 am
hmmm..what should i say now after reading this….Just a good Advice…tweeted.
September 24th, 2009
9:41 am
@Jeff, I looked on http://www.psychotactics.com for The Secret Life of Testimonials, but could not find it. Do you have an URL to the page to download it?
September 24th, 2009
10:04 am
I agree if is not a good content no one wants to read that s.. Towing
September 25th, 2009
10:14 am
An excellent job of putting all the good advice about copywriting in a nutshell. I always try to explain to my newsletter clients that a newsletter isn’t about hard-selling their products to their contacts – it’s about raising and dealing with issues that MATTER to their contacts. Which might give you the permission to mention your products/servics in passing…
September 26th, 2009
11:26 am
The true value of marketing is actually satisfying your customers. Too many people build websites based on their own view which is good or bad.
Who sow, he reaps. That’s a law! So if you want to reap understanding from your customer, you should sow understanding too. Get to know your customer more, sow trust to your customer so you reap trust from him and I bet he will eat everything that you have…even your s**t.
cheap laptop computer
September 28th, 2009
7:31 am
“Copy that speaks to them about what matters to them.”
Yep, it’s all about relevancy, baby. Your message SHOULD NOT revolve around you or your company. It should focus on the customer. Specifically, your marketing message must explain what your product or service will do for the customer.
And if you cannot articulate the felt need of your customers, how do you possibly hope to persuade them?
September 28th, 2009
9:07 am
This is a message I’m always trying to get my clients to understand.
Although I do tone down the delivery somewhat… Maybe I shouldn’t and they would finally listen up.
September 28th, 2009
10:34 am
I don’t use the word “sh**” in the workplace, why do you?
September 28th, 2009
10:43 am
Can the crude language. It not only cheapens your message, but cheapens you as well.
If you can’t get your point across without resorting to the base & vulgar, it’s time to get a new profession.
September 28th, 2009
11:00 am
Jack and David,
To quote my marketing mentor, “The risk of insult is the price of clarity.”
The word you find so objectionable – well, the quote that inspired this post had that word in it. And it was an essential part of the quote. It made the message as clear and direct and powerful as possible. I don’t apologize for that.
Even still, I used asterisks within my post title and within the post itself specifically so as not to unnecessarily alarm the easily offended. Beyond that, I’m not particularly worried about anyone who takes offense at asterisks.
- Jeff
September 28th, 2009
11:15 am
The point is that you used asterisks in the title and then decided to use the full word in the article, so your defense doesn’t hold up.
Additionally, this isn’t the first time you used profanity in an article, but I figured you were having a bad day.
It’s not an issue that the word I “find so objectionable” was out of your mouth or somebody elses mouth. That’s not the point. You chose to use it. It’s ironic that I didn’t want to read this article after seeing the word. As an adult I can comprehend what your getting at without you spelling it out.
I know we live in a culture where nearly anything can be posted online. But whatever happened to the expression “Know your audience”?
September 28th, 2009
11:40 am
David,
Go re-read the article. You will see that the only place that the word appears sans-asterisk is IN A QUOTE. I chose to use the quote because I found it made the point of the article startlingly clear. And because it was someone else’s words, I did the author the service of not altering his words.
If that upsets you, I can understand that, but I can’t say I share your viewpoint or am willing to cater to it beyond the use of asterisks.
As for knowing one’s audience, I think the rest of the comments are rather clear in most people’s appreciate of the stark clarity of the message.
- Jeff
September 28th, 2009
12:04 pm
I’ve just tweeted this as – in spite of the secondary comments about the ‘S’ word – really good advice that can’t be repeated too often.
September 28th, 2009
12:24 pm
Thing is, we aren’t in the workplace here; we’re on the Internet. Furthermore, there is an ad at the bottom of the page that says “Your website sucks…” That’s probably offensive too.
I could see being careful to avoid such things if you were writing copy for say, a religious organization, or a hospital, but I don’t think it’s out of place here.
Anyway, the title of the article is now firmly entrenched in my mind, as a new copywriting mantra, and probably yours as well. Mission accomplished, right?
September 28th, 2009
12:32 pm
Jeff, I have added a new line to our new customer notes sheet – “clients disease (0-10)”
September 28th, 2009
2:49 pm
Good post, I always try to keep my copywriting to a minimum and don’t try to hype the hell out of it. I think most consumers just want the facts.
September 28th, 2009
5:36 pm
Good points. Great shit.
September 28th, 2009
7:28 pm
Jeff, I have to agree with your readers who take issue with the inclusion of profanity in your post. I often forward Future Now posts to my 25-person writing team, but not this one. Why? Because of the profanity, because of the dead link to Steven Pressfield’s blog which we are asked several times to read in its entirety, and for the misuse of the word “its” in one of those links. I love the grokdotcom newsletter, but this is not one of its better posts.
September 28th, 2009
8:18 pm
Pam,
Thanks for letting me know about the dead links. They were working when I first published the post. At any rate, I have now fixed them if you’re still interested in reading the Steven Pressfield post.
And thanks for catching the grammatical slip. Didn’t have the proof-reader on this one – Doh!
As for the profanity (and I really question if that word even crosses the boundaries of what I would consider profanity… but I might be rougher around the edges than some), I stand by my previous statements – not only was it part of the quote, but it was a necessary and essential part of the message’s impact. I felt – and still feel – that the power and clarity of the message was worth the risk of insult. Sorry if that prevented you from sharing the post or even enjoying it, but there wouldn’t BE a post without it.
- Jeff
September 28th, 2009
9:24 pm
Hm, great article. This really changed my outlook on a lot of my internet marketing. I am starting to wonder if my halo images site, http://ylhr.net, is really what the readers are wanting. I think I should start including less information and stick straight to the facts.
Thanks for the great article, blog is going straight to my RSS.
September 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
Zakk,
Oddly enough, when you’re blog or website is about something inherently sexy – such as video games – that may be the one time when people actually DO want to read your stuff ; )
It’s funny but it’s not infrequent that I get businesses telling me they want a website that’s like, say, Danica Patrick’s or like Harley Davidson’s or something. And I have to explain to them the difference that comes with someone who is genuinely interested in Danica Patrick and who is on the website to be entertained and someone who is on a Website because they need to solve a problem. Can the two overlap? Sure, but not as often as most companies want to think.
Still… I’m glad you found the article helpful, and I think a strong customer-focus is always a good thing.
Thanks for the comment.
- Jeff
September 28th, 2009
11:52 pm
It’s back to marketing basics isn’t it!? Give the market what it wants and needs and it is going to be more responsive. Lead them. Increase engagement and they become even more responsive!
http://www.tweettwins.wordpress.com Social Media consulting & training
September 29th, 2009
1:34 pm
You know? You’re the best one for choosing VERY interesting title for this post. Title is the gate to reader for reading your post. Thanks for inspiring title
September 29th, 2009
10:01 pm
Wonderful post.
The catchy titles actually makes the reader give a sh**
I believe social marketing can be quite helpful in this manner.
September 30th, 2009
4:08 am
There is so many people out there who must read this, even I realized that I am lately making nothing more than just a head-bang because of inspiration form so many sources.
September 30th, 2009
4:27 am
I agree with you.
If you want to hire a certified copy writer, be sure to know them better.
September 30th, 2009
6:53 am
Its a great word of advice. Nice post.
September 30th, 2009
12:42 pm
hey, Straight to the point, I like it.
September 30th, 2009
3:19 pm
Thats so great shit you are writing.
but seriously I totally agree with your point, everyone is busy and they don’t want to read your shit.
September 30th, 2009
3:20 pm
I often find my self wondering what to write because I firmly believe no one wants to read your shit. So thanks for your article and the linked article because it helped me write for my blog.
September 30th, 2009
3:32 pm
[...] Marketing showcases five tips for avoiding deadly SEO copywriting sins. GrokDotCom reminds us that “Nobody wants to read your sh**! These articles are funny, informative and (for some) may hit very close to [...]
October 1st, 2009
12:25 am
In these days, where almost everyone’s body is filled with nothing but caffeinated content from Starbucks, the usual attention span has drastically reduced amongst all people! Everybody minds their own business, no one cares about what you have to say unless you’re physically putting money in their pocket!
Nisha Parmar (Marketing Strategist)
SEOBizNiche – Michigan SEO Experts
October 1st, 2009
9:51 am
I almost forgot “empathy”. This word is embedded to the minds of anyone trained in customer service. I wonder how I can show empathy when I’m trying to make a stand on what I believe in. Most of the time, I end up being controversial. Perhaps truth and empathy can find a point of collaboration especially to those who really don’t want to read one’s sh..
October 1st, 2009
11:15 am
Good points.With a endless amount of content on the internet, there is a lot of crap as well.Many people suck at writing, but would be a lot better at making a video explaining the same thing.
October 2nd, 2009
6:46 am
Lol very good and to the point, I like it.
My Blog
October 4th, 2009
2:49 pm
Woow Great advice. I’m gonna tweet it too..
October 7th, 2009
4:15 pm
So when you want your blog to be loved and visited by many visitors, you should keep your blog posts interested to anyone that’s reading. Not only who enjoy your writing, but others as well.
October 8th, 2009
1:51 am
If that be the case then where does the Content is king theory stands.
October 8th, 2009
8:14 am
SEO tips,
Only a certain type of content is king – content that’s focused on the reader and his needs! Most other content that’s company-focused really is crap, both from a persuasive and often from an SEO perspective.
At least that’s been my experience.
- Jeff
October 8th, 2009
12:56 pm
you need help
October 12th, 2009
5:46 am
I believe it is a tech and new technology to be tracked.
October 12th, 2009
8:13 am
Ha ha ha, harsh words, yes, but they are the TRUTH that every online marketer/copy writer needs to take special note of. Adhering to your tips will surely help. Thanks for sharing!
October 13th, 2009
3:37 am
The post is incredible.
It is a lot of fun and informative.
We have to constantly offer content which is completely unique to attract new customers.
Thanks for sharing.
October 13th, 2009
8:46 am
I agree with you. Most customers are well informed and do not like when trash is given to them.
October 13th, 2009
9:06 am
Give your customers the best and they will respond by helping you achieve higher sales target.
October 13th, 2009
9:14 am
So true, I wish people would take note of this.
October 14th, 2009
9:41 am
Great post. The thing writers need to understand is that people are busy and are looking for a SOLUTION. If people have to read your sh*t to find that solution to a problem, you need to make sure it is easy to find.
October 18th, 2009
3:14 pm
I think this is a huge problem especially with companies who do their own public relations. They send out press releases that are not unique and don’t put them into an elite group they basically tell the same story as the 20 other businesses who sent out releases that week. Especially in a new media world many companies need to lay off drinking their own kool-aid and start listening to customer feedback.
October 20th, 2009
3:24 pm
Excellent point and very true. Often a website owner is too close to the problem to be able to see it from the customer’s perspective and make adjustments accordingly. Hence bringing in an outside copywriter can be an invaluable exercise – an investment, not a cost.
October 23rd, 2009
9:33 am
[...] Source:Nobody wants to read your sh**! Share and Enjoy: [...]
October 24th, 2009
3:22 am
Does it mean I should not talk about personal experiences in my articles?
October 29th, 2009
9:26 am
Some time ago i try to write content to my website, it’s realy difficult…
thanks for the link, i like to learn new stuff:)
regards,
Wojciech Skarbek
November 6th, 2009
2:37 am
You are so right, today everyone is so caught up in their own lives, they have little time to visit and stay on a certain website.
November 11th, 2009
6:24 am
[...] Nobody wants to read your sh**! – Future Now – Sep ‘09 [...]
November 11th, 2009
2:46 pm
I can’t agree more. I have knocked down the blogs I read to people who just give top information all of the time and don’t stray away or try to pitch too many things. So many people think that if you run a marketing blog for some reason someone wants hear about your dog…they don’t!
November 12th, 2009
1:04 pm
Nothing bugs me more then the meme blogs that try to sell me the best product and service ever. Yet I have never heard of these people, they have no testimonials, and their pictures look like a wet dog. Fun post, thanks!
November 12th, 2009
4:12 pm
Anyone thinking of setting up a blog really needs to justify the business reasons for doing so, and set up an appropriate strategy and targets with it. Of course, a personal blog is a different matter, but where’s the point of having a business project with no strategy or goals?
November 15th, 2009
6:18 am
Great article great advice.
It sounds so simple and obvious, but it’s incredible how few people get it!
When I write copy for my clients, in many cases I have to persuade them that this is the right way to go, and that I actually know what I’m talking about!
November 16th, 2009
10:49 am
One of your recommendations is “Pathways/links that allow each visitor to choose their own path,”. I guess we should be careful to not provide too many options. Some of my friends believe that the optimal number of options in a landing page is one! I am not sure this is right, but I guess that landing page should not have more than four to six options.
What do you think?
Sty
November 20th, 2009
2:53 am
Yes, every content created should be atleast some value for those who read it.
November 22nd, 2009
2:06 am
Very useful information. It’s important to remember that it’s not about us — it’s about the site visitor trying to solve a problem they have.
November 23rd, 2009
6:51 am
Yup! I like this style. I think it’s the first time I read a blog post with this kind of language.
I’ll read the blog post you mentioned. Thanks.
Franck Silvestre
November 23rd, 2009
10:44 am
One sentence i eard often in my job is :
“write first for people, after for Google”…
Even if it’s otimized, if nobody want to read it, it’s not efficient at the end…
December 2nd, 2009
2:00 am
Good advice here, and you’re right – people really don’t care about you, they only care about what you can do for them. (Except for your Mom – she cares.)
Effective copy is ALWAYS about the customer and what he or she will get out of reading on and eventually becoming a customer.
It should always answer the reader’s question: “What’s in this for me?”
The only page on a website that should be about the company and the people is the “About me” page – and that actually is important because some people do want to know something about those they might do business with.
Avoiding the “we-we, I-I” syndrome is just one aspect of effective copy – but it’s probably the most important one.
As for giving away free advice, I say just do it. You don’t need to tell everything you know. Just tell enough so people feel like reading your copy was time well spent.
December 4th, 2009
8:48 am
[...] Nobody wants to read your sh**! – Future Now – Sep ‘09 [...]
January 4th, 2010
9:29 pm
[...] Echoes of a Forgotten Age [...]
January 5th, 2010
2:01 pm
[...] Echoes of a Forgotten Age [...]
January 8th, 2010
8:53 am
Thanks, very informative! I just searched for such information.
January 8th, 2010
9:22 am
Well, I’ll be god-damned and ass-buggered! I guess I was wet-farted wrong about not using crude language in my client’s copy.
So screw me sideways with a rusty spoon. I’m going to have to puke up some really narly stomach chunks in my copywriting from now on.
I’ll be throwing off crudities’ like so much piss on a hot pavement – letting my yellow, smelly bladder juice splatter where it will.
But… what the shit… that’s what people like to hear – right?
(The same as the ad I now see on this page, with a crusty old bitch snarling “Your Website Sucks…”)
January 11th, 2010
5:47 am
I agree with you nobody want to read the useless information but the useful information is very difficult to find it.
January 19th, 2010
5:39 am
if you’re selling advise! Giving people the answer they searched for makes people read you’re shit. On the other hand it doesn’t make them buy you’re advise does it?
January 19th, 2010
1:54 pm
Jeff,
You bring up a point that most people quickly skip over in their rush to get their “great” content posted online. The way I like to maintain the proper attitude is to always remind myself that no one truly cares about the writing or content. They really don’t want to hear it. They want a solution to their problem. Focus on your visitor! Help and allow your visitor/customer to do what THEY want to do. After that, they will do what YOU want them to do. Always a win-win:)
January 20th, 2010
2:10 pm
Good advice here, and you’re right – people really don’t care about you, they only care about what you can do for them. (Except for your Mom – she cares.)
Effective copy is ALWAYS about the customer and what he or she will get out of reading on and eventually becoming a customer.
It should always answer the reader’s question: “What’s in this for me?”
The only page on a website that should be about the company and the people is the “About me” page – and that actually is important because some people do want to know something about those they might do business with.
Avoiding the “we-we, I-I” syndrome is just one aspect of effective copy – but it’s probably the most important one.
As for giving away free advice, I say just do it. You don’t need to tell everything you know. Just tell enough so people feel like reading your copy was time well spent.
January 27th, 2010
5:02 pm
This is no doubt that market a product is just like finding water in a middle of desert but to some extent i can agree with your points because all it up to the strategies you make for your campaign.
February 2nd, 2010
1:34 pm
I’ve also posted on facebook. Thanks!
Bookmarked and twitted !
February 6th, 2010
8:09 am
Thanks, very informative! I just searched for such information