"Picture it."
If you're of a certain generation, those two words can only conjure images of tiny, white-haired Sophia from the Golden Girls about to tell one of her engaging (if somewhat long and irrelevant) stories as she holds her elderly roommates hostage in the kitchen or living room of their pastel-hued Miami home.
Even if you have no idea what I'm talking about, those words should become your writing mantra, because what readers do with your words is take all those letters and turn them into mind pictures. And as the writer, you have control over what those pictures look like and how long your readers mull them over.
According to Reading in the Brain by Stanislas Dehaene, reading involves a rich back and forth between the language areas and visual areas of our brains. Although the full extent of that connectivity is not yet known, it's easy to imagine that the more sensory (interesting) information we can include in our writing, the more fully we can engage our readers.
So if you're a writer or content marketer you should be harnessing the illustrative power of words to occupy your readers' minds and keep them interested until they're ready to convert. Here's how to make your words work for you.
Kill clichés
I could have titled this piece "Painting a Picture with Words" but you've heard it. Over and over and over. And I'm going to propose that every time you use a cliché, a puppy dies.
Every time you use a cliché, a puppy dies.
While that's a bit extreme (at least I hope so because that's a lot of dead puppies and Rocky's having second thoughts about his choice of parents), I hope it will remind you to read over what you've written and see where your attention starts to wander (wandering attention=cliché=one more tragic, senseless death) you get bored. Chances are it's right in the middle of a tired bit of language that used to be a wonderful word picture but has been used and abused to the point that we readers can't even summon the image anymore.
Make up metaphors (and similes)
Did you know that most clichés used to be metaphors? And that we overused them because metaphors are possibly the most powerful tool we have at our disposal for creating word pictures (and, thus, engaging content)? You do now.
By making unexpected comparisons, metaphors and similes force words to perform like a stage mom on a reality show. These comparisons shake our brains awake and force us to pay attention. So apply a whip to your language. Make it dance like a ballerina in a little pink tutu. Give our brains something interesting to sink our teeth into (poor Rocky!), gnaw on, and share with out friends.
Engage the senses
If the goal of all this attention to language is to turn reading into a full brain experience, why not make it a little easier by including sensory information in whatever you're writing? Here are a few examples:
- These tickets are selling so fast we can smell the burning rubber.
- Next to a crumbling cement pillar, our interview subject sits typing on his pristine MacBook Air.
- In a sea of (yelp!) never ending horde of black and gray umbrellas, this red cowboy hat will show the world you own your look.
- Black hat tactics left your SERPs stinking as bad as a garbage strike in late August? Let us help you clear the air by cleaning up those results.
See how those images and experiences continue to unfold and develop in your mind? You have the power to affect your readers the same way—to create an image so powerful it stays with them throughout their busy days. One note of caution, though, sensory information is so strong that you want to be careful when creating potentially negative associations (like that garbage strike stench in the final example).
Leverage superlatives (wisely) and ditch hyperbole
SUPERLATIVES ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVEST TOOL YOU CAN USE EVER (until you wear your reader out or lose their trust). Superlatives (think "best," "worst," "hairiest" – any form of the adjective or adverb that is the most exaggerated form of the word) are one of the main problems with clickbait headlines (the other being the failure to deliver on those huge promises).
Speaking of exaggeration, be careful with it in all of its forms. You don't actually have to stop using it, but think of your reader's credence in your copy as a grasshopper handed over by a child. They think it's super special and they want you to as well. If you mistreat that grasshopper by piling exaggerated fact after exaggerated fact on top of it, the grasshopper will be crushed and your reader will not easily forgive you.
So how do you stand out in a crowded field of over-used superlatives and hyperbolic claims? Find the places your products honestly excel and tout those. At Moz we don't have the largest link index in the world. Instead, we have a really high quality link index. I could have obfuscated there and said we have "the best" link index, but by being specific about what we're actually awesome at, we end up attracting customers who want better results instead of more results (and they're happier for it).
Unearth the mystery
One of the keys to piquing your audience's interest is to tap into (poor puppy!) create or find the mystery in what you're writing. I'm not saying your product description will suddenly feature PIs in fedoras (I can dream, though), but figure out what's intriguing or new about what you're talking about. Here are some examples:
- Remember when shortcuts meant a few extra minutes to yourself after school? How will you spend the 15-30 minutes our email management system will save you? We won't tell…
- You don't need to understand how this toilet saves water while flushing so quietly it won't wake the baby, just enjoy a restful night's sleep (and lower water bills)
- Check out this interactive to see what makes our work boots more comfortable than all the rest.
Secrets, surprises, and inside information make readers hunger for more knowledge. Use that power to get your audience excited about the story you're about to tell them.
Don't forget the words around your imagery
Notice how some of these suggestions aren't about the word picture itself, they're about the frame around the picture? I firmly believe that a reader comes to a post with a certain amount of energy. You can waste that energy by soothing them to sleep with boring imagery and clichés, while they try to find something to be interested in. Or you can give them energy by giving them word pictures they can get excited about.
So picture it. You've captured your reader's attention with imagery so engaging they'll remember you after they put down their phone, read their social streams (again), and check their email. They'll come back to your site to read your content again or to share that story they just can't shake.
Good writing isn't easy or fast, but it's worth the time and effort.
Let me help you make word pictures
Editing writing to make it better is actually one of my great pleasures in life, so I'm going to make you an offer here. Leave a sentence or two in the comments that you're having trouble activating, and I'll see what I can do to offer you some suggestions. Pick a cliché you can't get out of your head or a metaphor that needs a little refresh. Give me a little context for the best possible results.
I'll do my best to help the first 50 questions or so (I have to stop somewhere or I'll never write the next blog post in this series), so ask away. I promise no puppies will get hurt in the process. In fact, Rocky's quite happy to be the poster boy for this post—it's the first time we've let him have beach day, ferry day, and all the other spoilings all at once.
Isla ¡You got it!... The best post aren't easy. I think you need the time for to think and prepare your best post. Thank you Isla :)
Isla, it's an awesome post ¡REALLY!... I write every week for the blog of the company where i work and this tips are perfect! I don't think the content is the king, i think the engagement is the king. ¿or not Isla? hehehe. Amazing. Thank you so much.
Thank you!
Metaphors, hyperboles and any rethoric figure if well used are a powerful tool-set for creating really engaging and immersive writing.
The problem is when we exceed in a sort of baroque self-indulgence, and start overdoing rethoric (I know this well, as I do this mistake too sometimes).
Your suggestion to reinforce concepts with "visual wording" is a great one, even though - I admit - if not done well it can lead to redundancy.
Said that, I think there's an interesting side aspect to your post:
metaphors are really tied to culture, so - apart very few cases - they can be not understood by people not belonging to the same culture of whom using the metaphor
For instance, if I use in a post I write in English this very Italian cliche: "laugh, laugh, that the mom made gnocchi" (Ridi, ridi, che mamma ha fatto gli gnocchi), even if I use an image with it, you will probably mean it only in a literal sense... not finding any sense to that frase, which means this:
There's nothing to laugh about this, but you are stupid and do not understand, therefore goes on laughing.
The call to gnocchi is purely based on the non-sense, which is quite a classic in Roman mentality, from where this cliché.
So, metaphors can be a very tricky aspect in International SEO and, generically, for every company that has a global reach, and one more reason for investing a good budget in native or bilingual interpreters.
Gianluca, you make an excellent point about the translatability of metaphor. Of course you're right that they are nearly impossible to directly move from culture to culture, but I love both of the ways a good translator (probably not Google Translate) can handle this. The first being to translate the words directly and the second being to translate the sense (either in another metaphor or more straightforward language). I prefer the first when possible, because it teaches me a lot about the culture I'm reading from and sometimes gives keys to that culture's relation to others. For example, I read this week in Orhan Pamuk's The Black Book that a character was "dreaming in blue" which reminded me of the Polish aphorism "dreaming of blue almonds" (or almonds in the sky, depending on how you translate it) which became a rich meditation and may have even started a poem...
But from a strictly SEO and easy comprehension level, of course metaphor is problematic. I guess I'm willing to forgo a little loss of meaning as we wait for the algorithms to catch up with our flexibility of language.
And regarding rhetorical devices, they can absolutely be overdone and I'm glad you made that point. In a future post I may focus on the energy we draw from an audience and how we can use these rhetorical devices to help people spot the important things to remember and also what they can skim.
I have this dream that someday you, me, and Umberto Eco sit together in a room and discuss language and meaning. Thanks for giving me an approximation of that today :)
LOL... I think that I would be terrified by having to share a conversation with Umberto Eco, because University exams will inevitably pop up in my mind and I'd feel like going back to those times (Umberto Eco was one whose books I had to study, amongst with the ones of my professors Maria Corti and Cesare Segre)
Very valuable tips, thank you! If you have time, I'd love to see how you would give a new life to this statement:
Education + Your Life. The flexibility of an online degree plus the reputation of a research university.
This statement is about Colorado State University OnlinePlus. Our team promotes CSU online programs, which are taught by the same faculty as campus programs and lead to the exact same degrees. CSU is a research university and is regionally accredited. Students can get high quality education while studying on their own schedule.
Thank you for your input if you get to my comment. And thanks again for your post!
Hi Anne-Laure,
Thanks for the challenge! Here are a few options:
I hope that at least gives you something to play with :)
Thank you Isla! I really like your last option :)
Oh that makes me so happy :)
The title of the post is very interesting and appealing. People would definitely have a thought before moving away from it.
Yes images and text together do wonders. In fact we have chafed the profile to "Content Creators" at our company from writers, designers, video makers and others. That really makes sense.
Thank you, Prashant! While I believe that people should do good work regardless of title, I do think a title that's a right fit can really encourage an employee in the direction you want them to go. Content Creators is great for that. I personally love being a Content Crafter. Cheers!
Isla McKetta, what a delicious post :) Your are right, Good writing isn't easy or fast, so thanks for taking the time and mind space for writing this up. Texts that matter usually are a result of lots of research, idea transforming and dots connecting. This takes effort and devotion and readers could feel it in the end result.
Also thumbs up for being such a dedicated editor, I too believe that lot of texts could use a little bit of editor's polishing and at the same time remain authentic: great combination for SMB owners and their blogs.
As for the metaphors, I could not recommend more The Metaphors We Live by (pdf available here: https://goo.gl/bdORhv) a great book to follow when thinking about metaphors and using them. And although I agree with Gianlucca Fiorelli, I think there are universal concepts that have the power to appeal to a wider audience. The examples of similar expressions in various language are abundant and we as writers can use these to build bridges between cultures, and on a more specific level between people and businesses.
At the end of the day it is all a matter of pushing the boundaries of our medium while respecting reader's limited resources of time and attention.
Thanks one more time for a wonderful post. Actually today I am trying to wrap my mind around a metaphor for branding, so if I can't think of anything I will get back, hoping to be among the first 50 comments :)
Thank you, Teodora, for the fantastic resource! I won't tell anyone that I'm going to spend the rest of the day reading about metaphor :) I'll look forward to helping you with your branding metaphor and in the meantime will be enjoying the feel of the word "delicious." Thank you!
Hey, Isla
Glad you liked the book.
I am still struggling. thought of something like perfume... Something you can feel but is intangible, as it is experience. This is really hard, as it should be a reversed metaphor, since "branding" came, as far as I found, from branding cattle :)
I would use some help, if still eligible :)
Hi Isla,
Great article, I couldn't stop reading it. :) Your word pictures definitely work. Poor puppies.
I have a boring one for you, sorry. This is for a food recipe blog of a Hungarian woman living in England: "A Hungarian mum's adventures in the British kitchen."
Thanks.
That's a fun one, Aniko! I may not actually be able to rewrite it for you, but that's because I think all the good stuff (the details that will make this pop) is in your head.
What I'd start with is finding the story in it. For example, "What happens when a Hungarian mum sees what passes for paprika in the British kitchen?" or "Hej! That's not goulash! What happens when a Hungarian mum takes over a British kitchen." But I really like the word "adventure."
I think you have a lot going here and I'd be excited to read more about it :)
Haha, I love "Hej! That's not goulash!". That's brilliant! :) I like your sense of humour and I think that's a very important skill to have as a blogger. ;)
Thanks
Aniko
Thank you, Aniko! :D
Thumbs Up for this awesome content. It is very much needed for the content writers. The main motto of a content writer is to engage visitors. really a helpful content.
Hi! I'm working on for a Valentine's Day promotion e-blast for our jewelry safe company that I could use your feedback on:
This Valentine's Day, give your jewelry safe a personal touch, with the NEW Custom Dedication Plate.
To celebrate Valentine's Day, Casoro is offering the Custom Dedication Plate for just $49 on all jewelry safes purchased now thru February 28th.
Personalize your plate with:
Whether your safe is a gift for you or a loved one, make it extra special this holiday with words from the heart.
You'll find the dedication plate option listed under Accessories. Begin designing your jewelry safe today!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Hi Nancy,
I struggled with what a "custom dedication plate" was. Perhaps you could start with something that paints the image like, "Engrave sweet nothings on her jewelry safe to give your sweetheart affection and security this Valentine's Day."
Then for the sentence that contains "make it extra special," share what that means. "Personalize the plate with words of love" or "engrave a sweet sentiment" are two options.
Hope that helps!
That definitely helps :) Thanks so much!
Always is very effective and improve the user experience in your website. Images are as important as text because our readers want things inmediately. They have no time to read text.
Thanks for it!
Simply but efective!!!
Frat!
Sorry, I want to said....GREAT!! ;-)
I watched Natalie Nahai's webinar few days ago. She talks about creating emotions through images (real images), but why not apply the same to mental images? You did that with "dead puppies".
As soon as I started reading this post I remembered a book I read years ago. Author (Ivo Andrić) so faithfully describes the events that the reader sees and feels everything. He succeed that by applying emotions, feelings and empathy. In particular an event, so terrible, but incredibly striking. And to all who have read the book that scene etched in memory. Everyone definitely want to do the same for their product.
Now, Ivo Andrić won the Nobel Prize for that book, which means that his writing skills were far above average. But I'm sure everyone can, to some degree, to apply power of emotions, feelings and empathy in his own writing.
Great point about Andrić. I read a lot of books, but it's the ones who can create those lasting images that really stick with me. If you're interested in dark-ish writing from that part of the world, Micheline Aharonian Marcom's Three Apples Fell from Heaven is a brilliantly written novel on the Armenian genocide. One image in particular has stuck with me for eight years since I first read it.
Thanks for bringing literature into it, Stelian. There is so much we can learn from those great books.
Years ago I worked at a restaurant (I think we've all eaten at a restaurant like this) that over-used superlatives. Everything was "the best" and "spiciest" and "world-famous". The slogans, catchphrases and menu copy literally made me nauseous and I think it cured me from over-using superlatives (and ever setting foot in this particular restaurant ever again).
Thanks for the great post, Isla. I'm interested in testing your editing skills, so let's give it a shot (lol, I just realized this phrase is a cliche).
"It's not a matter of putting up a website and watching your business grow; digital marketing requires a large investment of time and resources."
The context is that this is a blog on how to measure digital marketing success. Looking at the first part of the sentence, it seems like a lame Field of Dreams reference, and I'm wondering how to phrase it better.
Thanks in advance!
Oh Adam, I fear you may have sunk me with the Field of Dreams reference because that is the movie I'm most likely to quote ad nauseum :) Here are a few options:
I went with a cliche on the last one because (as much as I hate to admit it) sometimes that easy language is still what resonates with a reader. In this case it helps meet an expectation they may have set. I hope these are helpful. In all cases, I felt the sentence could benefit from being more declarative and sometimes it's fun to play with flipping the clauses to see where you really want the emphasis.
Off to eat the most delicious ramen ;)
Even the phrase 'Word Pictures' is great! The puppy death image was slightly dark, but I won't soon forget it. Thanks for an important article.
Thanks, Melissa! It pained me a little to write about so much senseless death, but if it's memorable (and theoretical) it's worth it :)
I've got a fun one for you, Isla.
From Shrek: Ogres are like onions. Onions have layers, Ogres have layers.
Let's make a new version of this to relate to the different layers of something like a content calendar or writing a blog post.
Ha! That is a challenge. How about...
Content calendars are like Valentine's Day: all about dates.
or
Blog posts are like fence posts: they work best in tandem.
touché on the Valentine's Day one.
Offshoot of the blog one...
Blog posts are like fences, build them strong enough and they'll be useful for years.
Oooh, I like that :)
Thanks for share, improving writing with these tips
That is an awesome post Isla :) empowering content with engaging pictorial representation can greatly enthuse audience as well as increase the readership of your content. I have been following the same tactic for some time, however, I totally agree with Gianluca Fiorelli about not to over do the stuff either :)
Thanks, Salman! You're totally right that balance is very important. Otherwise our writing ends up feeling like being dropped onto the main drag in Vegas (it's all so exciting the reader has no idea where to look!). I'll probably be writing about bringing a lot of techniques together with balance in a future post.
That would be great! looking forward to your new post about writing techniques :)
Thanks a lot for article, at first! I know that to find a right source with pictures it's a problem. Do you have some recommendations about this question?
Best of luck!
Thanks Isla!
Great to be challenged to write clearly but engagingly to keep interest. Curious as to your take on social media writing from a non-profit who serves the community, wants to stay on top of current trends (like Black History Month, etc), but engaged those who support us (of all races).
Diane, that's an excellent question. I'm going to cheat a little here and say that with social media writing, I think you get to inhabit all your interests a little more deeply (because the attention span/memory of the reader is so short). So as long as your nonprofit has some core values that are well aligned (which I'm assuming is the case), you have some leeway. Your fans are likely to skip posts that aren't interesting to them (just like I don't care if my friend is posting about her cat but absolutely want to help her get a new job). That's anecdotal and I have no stats to back it up, so see if it rings true with your gut and experience.
If Black History Month feels like a stretch to your audience but you want them to engage, then try couching it in terms of your core values. For example, "At [X], diversity is something we value deeply because of how it makes our community stronger. That's why we're so excited to celebrate Black History Month with [program]." That isn't especially punchy, but you'll want the voice that speaks to your audience anyway. Tying the benefit to the newer idea helps you make the connection for audience members who might not make it for themselves.
Hope that helps.
Isla hi,
What about ''practice makes perfect"?
Thanks
Jane
Oooh, Jane, that's a good one! When I hear that phrase I always think of the moment in Sneakers when Mary McDonnell dismisses one of her piano students by saying "Prectice, prectice, prectice." Which means I'm hung up on the word "practice."
I'd want to invent a new aphorism here, because it's the aphoristic qualities of this phrase that give it its power. So perhaps something like: "repetition improves results."
But if you want a word picture, I'd go with something like "the baker's fortieth loaf always rises better than the first." That's off the cuff and I bet someone with a better knowledge of baking than I have could really spiff it up :)
Isla, great example there of word imagery. Not bad for just off the cuff!
Love the article! Agree, word images are great, but they only are as effective as the message that you're trying to get across; or, in this case the product or service that you're trying to sell. It seems to me that companies that try to be everything to all people usually don't last long. The only example that I can think of where this premise does not apply may be Walmart...that's it! Frankly speaking that's what google doesn't want. Their folks want sites and businesses that are specialists that typically cater to a niche crowd and are good at what they deliver and do so by appealing to the mind in a special way. Good job!
Great post. I really like the part where you said to "Make up metaphors (and similes)." When I have the time, I like to try to illustrate a relatively complex idea in a way that the reader can grasp more easily through metaphor and simile. In my opinion, complex metaphors (i.e. those that illustrate a point rather than just making a small comparison) can be incredibly effective.
Thank you! I totally agree that a well-conceived metaphor, simile, or analogy can go a long way toward increasing comprehension. Happy writing!
Great post about utilizing metaphors and similes in your content and thanks for sharing.
Great post Isla ! I write every day and your article will help me a lot. Thanks !
Very glad to hear it!
Great post!! And I agree with every point you've made.
Image engages readers. What I have now decided after analyzing the content performance and engagement part is to have an image for all the points included in blogs representing them. Plain text makes them bored and they will go back. Never afraid using your imagination. The more they have a picture telling the story or explaining the topic. They are more likely to get engaged with the content.
Thanks, Manmay! And don't forget those images can be actual pictures/illustrations or also word pictures.
Isla,
Great post! I'm looking to jazz up the following: 5 actions, a framework (or model) to overcome addiction.
The website focuses on applying 5 actions (motivate, evaluate, resolve, manage and create) to help people overcome addiction - starting with taking action to make the
change. The essence of addiction management is to find a path that limits or eliminates addictive behavior and maximizes opportunities to live life to its fullest.
Wow, Kelly, this one proved to be a real challenge for me. I think I was getting hung up in the euphemisms (which I assume are desirable), so my first take was to turn the paragraph around and make it a little more direct:
Overcoming addiction starts with taking action. Once you're ready to make the change, this website will help you apply 5 actions (motivate, evaluate, resolve, manage and create) to live a life free from addiction.
If I take the euphemism filter off, I'd go more this route (although it matters a lot whether your audience is the addict or someone else):
Are you ready to push aside your addiction and get back to living? Make the change with 5 actions (motivate, evaluate, resolve, manage and create). They aren't simple, but the effort you put into working through them will put you back in control of your life.
A third option would be to really paint the picture of what the life of an addict is, but my guess is that once you start getting specific about certain types of addiction, you're going to lose other people who might also be helped by the process. Good luck!
These are really helpful tips Isla. A simple road map to better wrting. Thanks!
So glad it's helpful!
Thanks for such a memorable post, and for practising what you preach the whole way though - especially the idea of a reader’s credence being like a child’s grasshopper. The desire to boost click-through rates with a headline rammed full of superlatives can be all too dangerous when you’ve just spent hours crafting an in-depth post, and naturally you want people to read what you hope is useful content, but there’s nothing as valuable as well-earned trust.
Thank you very much for your kind words, Jamie! And for investing in earning the reader's trust. We can turn this tide... (ouch, cliche!)
"Editing writing to make it better is actually one of my great pleasures in life..." Amen, sister! Great post and love the pictures.
Thanks, Kiley!
When summarizing a point...do you have an idea to replace "end of the day", "in conclusion", etc. Love the post btw!
Darlene, there's a couple of ways to do that. One is to get relatively colloquial and say something like, "we've already covered..." or "now that you've heard all about..." but my preference would be to really question whether you need the conclusion. People who are just reading for that "tl;dr" might actually benefit more from an executive summary that sits at the front of what you're writing.
Thanks, this is nearly like nlp :)
Interesting ideas. It's hard to write on some topics because you know that the whole web is writing about them (especially events and news and algorithm changes etc) but it's not enough to tailor to your own audience. This is a nice technique for making it completely original - very much a problogger way of doing things :)
So glad it's helpful, Dana! And I hear you on how difficult it is to write about some topics. Luckily there's always a fresh story or the ability to write it better :)
hello!
Thank yo for sharing tips.
Thank you for this valuable post..
very nice tips.in the current market trend effective content can only bring you to the next level.
Thank you! If you wanted to rewrite that cliche in the second sentence, you could change the sentence to either of the following: