[Dalya’s Note: This is an excerpt from my award-winning book Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact.]
As a writer, your intention is to create ongoing relationships with your readers. And all solid relationships begin with trust. One way to build trust is to demonstrate your familiarity with the problems your readers face. Show that you are “in the know” by citing what other experts in your field are saying. And back up your official, academic, or professional claims with on-the-ground testimonials from people who have used your service or product and are similar to your readers.
You can also reassure your readers with ways to lower the risk of working with you. For example, offer a satisfaction guarantee. Or tell them about an evaluation or feedback process (e.g., an online rating system) that will let them exchange their views about your effectiveness with other customers or clients.
Another idea is to describe your product or service by comparing it favorably with an easily recognized brand that your readers know, trust, and value. Or, use a colorful analogy or metaphor that they can quickly grasp. Reduce their unfamiliarity with your brand and encourage their interest in you and your work.
EXAMPLES
- You may have seen this technique used in phrases such as, “If you liked X you will love Y” and the “Alternative Nobel Prize” (the popular name for the somewhat obscurely named “Right Livelihood Award”). Saying something is the Mercedes of solar heating systems (vs. the Ford or Honda) is another great example.
- You may have bought a less expensive store-brand drug or food product that is marketed as equivalent to a well-known brand because it features the same active ingredients. Emerging musicians are often marketed by comparing their styles with those of more established stars.
- Some marketers use the phrase “Disneyland for grownups” to describe Las Vegas, New Orleans, or Amsterdam. Such a comparison leaves no question as to its meaning.
In addition, your readers want to know that others they respect (often called “thought leaders”) agree that your work is important and worthy of support. Highlight awards, great media coverage, and endorsements.
And, of course, when a few bad apples produce scandals, scrutiny of all public interest organizations goes up. So it behooves your organization to always be as transparent as possible: show that your community can trust you to be open, honest, and accountable for what you do and say. Being a consistently visible and reliable presence is one important way to do this. And your documents can play a vital role in sending that message.
This month marks the 50th Anniversary of the Letter from a Birmingham Jail (April 16, 1963) written by Martin Luther King, Jr. In it he responded to 8 white clergymen who expressed their objections to recent nonviolent protests. As one of King’s most well-known pieces, the letter served as a turning point for the civil rights movement as it defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance in response to racism.
