Crazy, Lazy and Drunk
Easy Read
Is how you should imagine your reader. (According to eComm guy Kurt Elster)
Crazy …
in that we’re all sociopaths. Narcissists. We are.
When we land on a website, or sales page or social channel we immediately want to know how it can help us.
If that’s the case you can use more “You” phrases off-the-bat before transitioning to I phrases later on. Let the narcissist have what they want.
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Example:
Instead of:
“I help you stand out from the crowd”
say:
“You want more than words on a page. You want a writer that does the in-depth research to discover what makes you special.”
Lazy …
… in that we hate making decisions. So giving too many options will trigger us and cause us to bounce.
If that’s the case we can focus on one goal per web page, email, social post. They should serve to achieve one job.
Fewer clicks, fewer choices, clearer direction ➪ more conversion.
Example goals could be to collect emails for your cracking newsletter or to encourage people to get in contact.
Drunk …
… in that we get confused and distracted easily. Baby starts crying, wife comes home from work, a notification from one of your 149 tabs pops up, and that attention is gone.
If that’s the case we can keep things crystal clear. Tell people exactly what you’d like them to do — “Complete purchase” > “click here”
It’s a slightly derogatory way to view The Reader, but it won't hurt to bear these assumptions in mind the next time you write something.
By Ryan Heaney.
