Words sell.
They’ve sold products and services for millennia, and will for millennia to come.
Even with new media, words are the real tool behind everything from websites to videos to podcasts.
But if nobody reads (or hears) what you’ve written, you won’t sell worth a nickel.
We’re going to cover the 10 best techniques for what I call addictive writing—writing so good, your readers can’t stop themselves.
I’ve spent well over 5,000 hours in front of a keyboard preparing words for people to read. Here’s what I know.
1. Use lots of images
That’s right—my first tip isn’t about writing at all.
But it is.
Images pull the reader through the text. They keep the experience interesting and help prove and explain in ways text never can.
I first learned this working with the content team at Neil Patel. Their internal guideline is one image per 100 words—an insane number.
These days, I focus more on image quality than quantity. But breaking up at least each subheading with an image is a good starting point.
2. Read it back out loud
If I have one secret technique, this is probably it.
I learned it during my speech and debate days during high school. A piece may be beautifully written, but if it sounds clunky when read aloud, it is clunky.
There are two ways to do this:
1. Actually read it out loud
2. Have the computer read it to you
For my important writing, I’ll do both.
3. Use a tip from 70’s rock band
Remember the song Hotel California?
The Eagles attribute its raging success to a specific technique. In the words of lead guitarist Don Felder:
When we try to write lyrics, we try to write lyrics that touch multiple senses, things you can see, smell, taste, hear.
In the opening verse, we:
- See a dark desert highway and a shimmering light
- Feel cool wind in our hair
- Smell warm colitas
- Hear the mission bell
Here’s the original song, in case you want to hear it again (or just watch someone play a double-necked guitar in bell-bottom jeans).
Painting clear emotions brings us into the story. And yes, you can even use them in B2B copywriting.
The next point explains how.
4. Pretend to be on TV
When we’re writing for a customer, the goal is to understand their fears and desires, then communicate them.
Simple enough.
But how do we write those fears and desires? There are only so many ways to say “you’re scared…” or “you want to”.
The answer is to imagine we’re filming a movie with those emotions, then write about what we see.
For example, we use Loom a lot internally for processes. Here are two sales pitches that use emotions.
Which one is better—version A?
You’re frustrated with your processes and standard operating procedures. You want a way to explain them better. That way, everyone will follow your processes correctly. Well, there’s a way to do exactly that.
Or version B?
You’re spending hours every day on Slack answering the same questions. You wish you could sit down and teach one employee, then walk by each desk and see each employee following those instructions perfectly. Well, there’s a way to do exactly that.
My vote is for version B.
5. Discuss symptoms, not problems
I learned this from Travis Sago:
Problems have judgement, symptoms don’t.
Imagine you’re at the doctor with shortness of breath. She asks:
Is it hard to climb a flight of stairs?
It’s a simple question, but let’s be honest—we can sense the judgment. Climbing stairs is a basic ability.
If we agree it’s difficult, we’re admitting defeat. We might sheepishly agree, or even lie to protect our ego.
But what if she asked this instead?
Does you notice shortness of breath more after climbing a flight of stairs?
Same question. But it’s much easier to answer the second question truthfully.
In your writing, ask these kinds of objective questions. Let’s look at Loom again with different versions:
Do you have a hard time getting your employees to follow basic processes?
Do you notice employees not following processes you’ve spent time teaching?
6. Use the “hook-and-line” technique
Back in 2017, almost everyone saw this YouTube ad for Tai Lopez:
When hanging out with my brother one night, we were bored. Out of sheer curiosity, we decided to click on his ad and watch his sales pitch video.
We clicked play and watched for a bit.
Then we glanced at the clock—we had been watching for 90 minutes.
A sales video. For an hour and a half.
Why?
Because the entire pitch was an interlinking set of promises and rewards.
The pattern of his script went something like this:
- Tease interesting story A
- Promote his product
- Tease interesting fact B
- Tell interesting story A
- Promote his product
- Tease funny story C
- Tell interesting fact B
- Etc.
I call it the “hook and line technique.”
Essentially, you hook the reader with a promise, creating an open loop in their mind. Then before closing that loop, you promise something else and create another open loop.
This leaves the reader always waiting for the last tidbit you promised, and creates truly addictive writing.
Some of my favorite phrases for this are:
- “In just a minute, we’ll see …”
- “In the next section, I’ll explain…”
- “Before we get to …”
To succeed, do it quickly and frequently. A long wait time doesn’t work.
Don’t be like those webinars that promise a “secret” at the end of the two-hour presentation.
Nobody likes that.
7. Use the power of (perceived) time travel
A fun psychological fact: our brains perceive time by the speed of change.
It’s why a 12-hour day of constant interruptions goes by faster than an afternoon writing a report.
So here’s the secret to time travel that actually works: We can “speed up” reading time with frequent shifts.
A perfect example is Walt Disney World (a mandatory reference for anyone born in Florida).
Disney faces a continual problem: one- and two-hour wait times for their newest rides.
Their solution? They break up those wait times into completely different areas.
Years ago, I waited three hours (!) to go on the newest Avatar ride.
We started in an airy fluorescent jungle.
Then we moved to a comfortable hut.
Then a high-tech testing lab.
Then a dark, polluted army base.
This video is 15 minutes long but shows the full experience.
Despite being in line for three hours (again—180 minutes), it felt much faster because of the sudden shifts in scenery.
This technique has become so successful Disney is now revamping just the wait times and re-marketing the ride, without changing the ride itself.
They’ve done this with the Peter Pan ride and Test Track. The ride itself is the same, but they’ve made the wait times more interesting, then relaunch the ride.
To keep your writing interesting, break your writing up into smaller sections.
Use lots of subsections, and take the reader to somewhere different in each one.
Different topics. Different images, themes, and examples.
When your content changes often, the reading flies by.
(You’ve already read 70% of this article. Did it feel like 70%?)
8. Write for a single person
This is one of the best tips I know for powerful writing.
When you’re writing an article, you want to write as if to one person. It’s easy to think of a group of people reading your article.
But you’ll never write something powerful for a committee.
Instead, think of someone you personally know that’s a perfect prospect, or as close as you can get.
Then think of them when you write the piece.
You’ll realize this opens up far more doors as you write to really speak to that person.
9. Skim your own work
When I have a book in my hands, I read slowly.
But when I’m online, I’m the laziest reader I know. I’m reading so much every day, I must skim. Otherwise, I’d drown.
My proof is the weekly Grammarly team reports I get—tens of thousands of words are common.
Of course, my team writes most of the content. But over the course of a week, I’ll read or review just about every single word.
What this means is that if I’m bored with my own writing, other people will be, too.
Here’s a little technique I developed by accident, but now use as an intentional test for my writing.
Once I have a semi-completed draft of an article ready, I’ll open up the Google Doc and give it a final look-over before publishing.
If I have to pull myself away from reading entire sections a few times, then it’s ready to publish.
If I can give it a look-over in a few minutes and be done, then it needs more work.
And, a little tip—that “more work” is almost always cutting something out, not adding something in.
10. End with something bigger than yourself
A fitting subtitle for the conclusion, don’t you think?
You don’t want to finish your article by summarizing what you’ve said and leaving the reader hanging.
No, you need to paint a bigger picture. You must finish content by supporting a bigger dream.
Start your content as an entertainer. Spend most of it like a teacher. But finish as the best motivational speaker you know.
End with your reader excited, motivated, and pumping their fist in the air.
Drive your point home. Show how it leads to the Big Dream of your readers. And conclude with a bang.
Writing isn’t just a pastime.
It’s a way to change the lives of your prospects, your customers, and your own.
Writing is the most powerful tool in a marketer’s arsenal, so don’t be afraid to go all in.
And above all, never forget:
Words sell.
