So, this writer got tricked into watching Bridgerton a couple weeks ago.
Have you watched it? (If not, don’t worry. There are no spoilers here.)
Personally, I didn’t feel like it lived up to the hype.
That won’t stop me from getting a Duke of Hastings costume for Halloween. Think I can pull it off?
Seriously though…
There was one element I found really compelling, and it can boost your profitability if you can emulate it.
I’ve dubbed it the Whistledown Effect
A.K.A, how to get everyone in town to read your letters.
Now, if you haven’t seen the show, Lady Whistledown is the character who more or less drives the entire plot. She writes and distributes a gossip column that has the whole ‘Ton buzzing.
That column is the only reason the main characters get together in the first place.
So what’s the secret? How does Lady Whistledown get everyone to voraciously read every word she writes?
More importantly, how can you use the Whistledown Effect to get (and keep) more eyeballs on your copy and content?
Here are a few keys:
1. Talk about your reader
In Bridgerton, Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers are all about the people in town. You never knew when you’d see your name pop up.
When you write copy or content, it’s should be all about the reader. You may not be calling them by name (although it’s a good idea to use personalization where possible)…
You should write about the issues your reader is facing in his life today… the pains and problems he wants to get rid of… the dreams and desires he wants so badly to attain.
He needs to be able to see himself, his reality and his desired outcome in the copy you send him.
Too many entrepreneurs focus on themselves, their products or their business. The reader doesn’t care much about those things. And why should he?
If you want the reader’s attention and continued interest, talk about him and those things that concern him specifically.
2. Reveal juicy secrets
Whistledown also dropped bombshells about the hidden personal lives of Bridgerton characters — including the Queen herself. Humans have a hard time resisting secrets.
Your copy should at least at secret things. Lessons the reader won’t hear anywhere else. Hidden solutions no one else knows about. Facades that have everyone fooled… but you’re about to enlighten them about.
Of course, you may not reveal the secret until after the reader hits the buy button.
3. Be surprising
If the reader thinks he knows what you’re going to talk about, or he knows the secret you plan to unveil, he’s a lot less likely to pay attention. He already knows that stuff.
Be unpredictable.
Be polarizing.
Ruffle some feathers.
Think of the great marketers and communicators you know. You were never sure what they were going to say or how they might say it. But you knew it would be good.
Lady Whistledown rarely disappointed. That’s why her readers were so rabidly loyal.
Dear reader, make sure every message you craft has something surprising in it.
It’s worth the time you invest in doing so.