May I See Your Invitation to this Conversation?
Years ago (1998), there was a brilliant show called Cupid on TV. The dialog was amazing (the title for today’s article comes from the show).
The characters bantered back and forth, but not in that annoying way where it’s all about showing off and not about progressing the plot.
And that brings us to the fifth ingredient of your Newsletter of Influence: Conversation.
But this can’t just be conversation for the sake of conversation. It can’t just be a lot of you asking for reader feedback or asking controversial queries just for the sake of controversy.
You’ve got to move the plot forward.
I bet you know the difference–you can spot it a mile away in today’s sitcoms or coffee shops. But, can you spot it in your own newsletter?
Your readers are busy. (I say that a lot…) They don’t have time for that back and forth so popular in college classes and between siblings. But, they all want to feel connected, drawn in, and cared for.
And that’s why your newsletter needs to be a conversation, not a monologue.
It can be tempting to want to use your newsletter as a sort of “info dump” a place to catalog your extensive knowledge about your topic. You may feel you need to prove to your readers that you’re an expert.
But your readers don’t have time for ego-added content. They want you to get right to the heart of the matter–to cut through the jungle of data and details and point them in the right direction.
You’re their tour guide, in a sense, not their professor. And, as such, it’s up to you to engage your readers. Whether with stories, or requests for their help, whether with personal comments, or with obvious caring–your newsletter needs emotional engagement.
It’s not important that your readers understand every detail (after all, you’re not giving them a final in six months). Rather, you’ll want to sort out the details that are most crucial, most interesting, and share those with readers.
The year I graduated from high school, I set off to explore Europe and took a couple tours with professional tour guides. Typically, this is the sort of thing I find unreasonably fascinating–I loved learning all about the London Bridge, for instance.
One particular tour guide annoyed me to no end–he told us about every pile of rocks we passed in the bus as if each had identical importance (and I seriously mean rock piles).
He pointed out every castle we passed, and then proceeded to recite everything he’d learned about each. And I do mean, every last detail. He shared so much detail that we often arrived at the next site before he’d finished talking about the previous one.
Needless to say, this kind of tour became overwhelming really, really quickly.
Remember, you’re the tour guide, not the professor. Your goal isn’t for readers to be able to replace you. But rather, that they be engaged in the topic, intrigued, and ready to learn more.
Perhaps you could tell readers about the really great things a super-healthy diet will do for their dog. Or, maybe you could share a personal story about how dramatically your life changed when you learned a new type of pain management.
Whatever it is that you do, and that you know, share the details with your readers in a way that will draw them in and invite them to ask questions.
As soon as you’ve got them asking questions–there’s your conversation.
Be a good tour guide. Point out the landmarks and highlight the best details. Actively seek to engage your readers in conversation.
Your challenge: Rent a couple old movies and just watch how the dialog bounces back and forth–a few suggestions: Bringing Up Baby, and His Gal Friday are two of my personal favorites.
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About the Author
Jessica helps independent professionals become Indispensable Experts through powerful publishing programs. She works with clients one-on-one as a newsletter designer and writer and in groups through the Newsletter Spa.
Email Jessica directly, to find out more.