Mrs. Fahrenheit's Armpit

Grabbing a fleeting attention span

I was talking a few days ago about writing hooks, catching a reader’s attention in a busy internet space, and the ways that you can accomplish this. One of the ways to do it is to be funny, and that’s something I’ve done for years when setting up presentations for kids, where we wanted them to learn. You make the data sticky, through use of humor, music, sheer weirdness… which is where the title of the post comes from. One of my chemistry professors, while talking to the class about the three major temperature systems, told us how Fahrenheit standardized his thermometer. Now, I have no idea if this is true, but it stuck in my brain! The way I was told, the scientist used ice for one extreme, and his wife’s armpit for the other. Years of chemistry classes, and that’s what I remember vividly?

This is of course a great approach to teaching. There is just so much information bombarding all of us, every single minute, that the trick is to catch someone’s full attention, and then, to create a memory. It’s also a good way to approach writing a blog, for that matter. Catchy headlines have been the tool of the newspaperman, and now, the Youtuber. The hook for a book is a good blurb, and it’s harder to write that than it is to write a whole novel, sometimes.

All of these need different techniques. While humor is great for teaching, it’s not always appropriate. It certainly isn’t applicable to a book which isn’t a ‘funny’ sort of read. Other ways to make information ‘catch’ a reader include adding a graphic. Like a good book cover! Humans are very visual creatures.

Not an actual seventh-century scientist, just one Midjourney rendered up when I asked.

Another way to make a memory is through repetition. This is the concept behind ‘branding’ where you might see a company’s name and logo over and over, and when you go to buy something, you recognize it and have a warm feeling about it. An author’s name is the stand-in for a company name, as is a series ‘look’ for book covers in the stead of a logo (although you could certainly have a logo as an independent publisher). Make sure your name is distinctive, your covers can be read at thumbnail when it comes to the author name on them, as well as the title. For that matter, choose your titles carefully, so they are easy for readers to remember and repeat. Word of mouth marketing is the best promotion you can get!

While I have been designing for Raconteur Press, I have chosen a specific font I use for the press name, which adds to the recognition without even having to really read the words. Compelling graphic design will stop a person in their tracks as they walk across a crowded event hall, or as they scroll through a busy ecommerce site. It is worth studying how to effectively convey information visually, even if you don’t plan to create graphics, so you will be able to ascertain if a design you are paying for is value for the money.

Blurbs are another thing you want to make sure grab the attention. Make them active, in voice and tone. Keep them short, readers will generally not click the ‘see more’ to read below the fold. Don’t include too much information, you don’t want to give away the whole story! Intrigue, tempt, tease, and then make your story deliver the goods, or you’ll suffer the wrath of reviewers.

And posts? Well, the trick of content marketing is to write interesting stuff that gives your readers entertainment, education, and keeps them coming back again.

On that note, I shall see you all soon, as I’m going to start posting a little something a few times a week. I’m not ready to promise consistency yet!