How to Set Up Your Content So Listeners Stay To Hear What You Have to Say
People don’t have short attention spans, contrary to a multitude of articles about goldfish. It’s not our attention span that is shorter than a goldfish’s. It is our deliberation span.
We all decide within 7-8 seconds whether or not we think we will have the attention span for the rest of the content, so as creators, we need to pique people’s interest quickly.
Feelings checklist:
One way to grab people is by teeing up not only that they are going to feel something, but by telling them what they are about to feel. Here are 8 emotions that most stories fall into...
LOL - That's so funny (Sample hook – “Ryan Gosling could not keep it together on SNL this weekend…”)
WTF - That makes me mad Sample hook – “One more reason to hate paying taxes…”)
AWW - That's sooooo cute (Sample hook – “Did you see Caitlin Clark’s mom cheering her on during her final game…”)
WOW - Amazing! (Sample hook – “I had a conversation with my teenage daughter today and she didn’t roll her eyes once! Wait til you hear…”)
NSFW - That's crazy (Sample hook – “Well, Florida is at it again!”)
OHHHHH - Now I get it! (Sample hook – “Everyone is talking about wearing glasses during the eclipse but there is a very specific reason why it’s so important, and I just heard about it this morning!”)
FINALLY - Someone said what I feel! (Sample hook – “Am I the only one who…”)
YAY! - That's great news! (Sample hook – “Congratulations are in order…!”)
*SNIFF* - I’m not crying, you’re crying! (Sample hook – “Grab your Kleenex!” “Mascara alert!”)
Here are some different techniques to try, and specific examples of each one.
1. Pique curiosity
Kristen: Tell me if you think this is a bad idea...
Chubbs: Something happened last night…I got a sign...I think my marriage is definitely over…
John Moore: Tell me if I'm going to hell for this. [story about getting pulled over on the way to a Halloween party, dressed as a priest]
Chio: Tell me if this makes me a bad parent...
Mike Chase: “You tell me if this is the same thing as lying.” (He and Lynda then discussed the expensive pair of shoes she ordered online and was planning on hiding from her husband. The topic became – Is hiding your expenses, or hiding a secret savings account, the same as lying?)
2. Set the scene
Imagine this...You're with your date...You're sitting front row at the Harry Styles concert...and then this happens…
Holly O'Connor: "A teacher In Ohio was fired for her conduct which was described as 'totally unprofessional, inappropriate, unsafe, outrageous, flagrant and persistent and threatened the safety, security and welfare of the students.' What was this teacher doing? We'll talk about it here in just a couple minutes. First, News Herald headlines brought to you by..."
3. Exaggeration for Effect
Louis CK: "You ever get embarrassed at a little thing but you kind of want to kill yourself? Like this one time, you know when you get on an elevator...[pressing the button that someone else just pressed] That's one of those moments. I hate that.”
4. Characterizing
“If you love Christmas 1/100th as much as Dylan does, this next caller is going to make you really mad…” [on the topic of white vs. green vs. upside-down Christmas trees]
"If you're a germaphobe like Chris Biggs, you're gonna hate this list of the 10 germiest American cities..."
“If you’re like me, you wait til the last minute…”
5. Polarizing -- Spark disbelief / Take a minority opinion / Make a strong statement you have to back up.
Jeff & Jer: Sometimes it’s OK to lie to your kids and I’ll tell you why...
Amy Schumer - Men are so gross.
Justice: Single moms are the worst.
6. Start at the end
Jerry Woods: I should have listened to my wife a long time ago.
Do you have a story that ends with “...and after a long pause, we all burst out laughing…”?
7. Start at the lowest point
Jerry: So I think I'm going to jail...(missed jury duty summons)
8. Pattern Disruption
Goodfellas - As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.
Jace: “I was given a parenting challenge over the weekend, and I want to give it back.”
9. Create Intimacy
Mojo: I have to apologize.
Kramer: I have a confession...
10. Use listeners' own words
"This text just came in..."
Another text here is to start with, “Well, the text line has spoken and it turns out, I am definitely wrong about this…”
11. Start with a negative
Negatives present a binary.
Tweet - “Christopher Nolan doesn’t use outlines.” The reader thinks ‘okay, then what does he use?’
Louis CK - I have a lot of beliefs, and I live by none of them.
Putting the listener into the news story
With any benchmark where you curate stories from the world (e.g. news, entertainment, sports, weird news, good news, etc), an attention-grabbing first line re-engages the listener, drawing them back into the content.
News hook examples from Kevin & Taylor from The Fish/Atlanta:
Keep the people of Syria in your prayers today.
How do you make love last 75 years?
Brace yourself for more pain at the gas pump.
What if your kids could start earning money for college in middle school?
Are you looking for the perfect Valentines Day gift for your wife?
Even though they are news stories, the hooks make them seem like they are about the listener. The listener is put into the story.