Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
If your marketing stank this year, follow these simple instructions and make 2022 better. Focus on the first line of any marketing copy you write.
I’ll give you the mathematical formula in a minute. But first let’s chat.
The first line is all that matters
When we write something many of us are in the mindset that we have all the time in the world to prove our point. We thank the educational systems that taught us how to read and write in long-form content. That’s how they charged us all that tuition; they taught us to write essays.
But welcome to the internet, the great equalizer with the 35-character tweets. Call it anti-intellectual.
Fine.
It’s a game and it favors those who know how to make a point fast. You can either play by the rules or get three likes on your LinkedIn post, two of them from wholesalers trying to get you to tell your clients to buy their inflation-indexed class C shares mutual fund.
Be trusted or get scrolled over
If you are assuming that the reader will hang on and hear you out even if they are bored by your first line, you are WRONG on all counts. Only long term, loyal readers who already trust you will stick around.
Trust?
Yes, trust is a determining factor in internet marketing. I have to trust that you’re not going to tell me some fairy tale that doesn’t translate into anything of value. Fairy tales are for kindergarteners, and even the five-year olds can’t sit still on the rug for long. That’s why the teachers bribe them with stickers, cookies, toy rewards, any other enchantment-based forms of kid control.
I’ve gotten the phone calls from the principal, okay?
Look, you’re not Bruce Springsteen or Jerry Seinfeld. Nobody is going to wait all day for you to get to the punchline. Most of you are in the position of not having any following. Nobody is going to hang on. They are going to scroll past and there goes your $238.41 down the drain.
Let me simplify it
I don’t know of any clearer way to express this.
The first line is all that matters.
Said differently:
THE FIRST LINE IS ALL THAT MATTERS.
Prima linea rerum. (Latin)
La primera linea es la única que importa! (Español)
If you don’t get the first line right, there is no point to the second line, because nobody is going to read for a millisecond longer. Don’t even bother writing a second one.
It’s over.
Caput.
La fine.
Imekwisha. (Swahili)
And there is no forgiveness, even if you don’t love me anymore.
What do I mean by the first line?
The first line isn’t just a first line. It’s anything that headlines a marketing piece.
Examples:
- Blog title
- Newsletter subject line
- First letter of newsletter
- First line of social media post
- Hero image text on website
- Thumbnail title on YouTube video
- Title of podcast episode
- First line of text message/email
The headline was named that way because it turns heads! Grasp the literal meaning here, people.
Invest more time in the title than anything else!
Invest 40% of your time writing the first line. In fact, write it first and then write the rest of the piece around it. Don’t write the piece first and then the title last when you’re too tired to put anything more than five seconds of time in.
The way they all taught you is wrong! Reverse the process.
Step 1: Find a rocking title.
Step 2: Write the marketing piece to follow the title.
Step 3: Check the piece follows the title and provides valuable insights instead of just being “click bait.”
Mathematical formula for a great first line
You don’t have to be 100% wild to get a good first line. Well, let me rephrase that. There should be a wild component, but don’t worry – it will be sufficiently tempered and beaten down by all the boring gibberish you’ll pack in. The wildness will act as a limoncello spritzer.
The formula: 1/3 wild, 2/3 boring.
For every three words, one of them should be fun and emotion-evoking and the other two can be your typical blathering advisor nonsense.
Example (bad)
Financial planning tips for 2022
Example (better, done in accordance with formula)
Fresh-baked planning tips for a flavorful 2022
Bad first lines
Don’t be this person.
Social media post: Here is a guide to making retirement the best years of your life.
Newsletter subject line: Best charitable giving strategies for a big tax break
Text message/email: I wanted to follow up and touch base on the analysis of your portfolio I sent you two weeks ago?
Why don’t you just play them a few bars from Brahms lullaby to put them fully to sleep? If this is you, stop it right now or else you’ll just waste all your marketing money in 2022.
Examples of great first lines
Try 1/3 wild, 2/3 boring.
Social media post: Here is a retirement planning guide that will turn Chopin Prelude No 9 into Welcome to the Jungle.
Newsletter subject line: Rockstar charitable giving strategies for a rippin’ tax break
Text message/email: Were you enthralled by the exciting portfolio analysis I sent a fortnight ago? (insert emoji of person yawning)
Now we’re talking!
Sara’s upshot
Sorry if this article came across as a wild rant. I figured I would end 2021 with a bang. Here’s how to work with me if you want to try for a better 2022.
Sara Grillo, CFA, is a marketing consultant who helps investment management, financial planning, and RIA firms fight the tendency to scatter meaningless clichés on their prospects and bore them as a result. Prior to launching her own firm, she was a financial advisor.
Read more articles by Sara Grillo
Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
