7 Writing Techniques To Connect With Your Audience On A Gut Level

Number Four — Write what they’re too afraid to speak

Photo by Nicole Wolf on Unsplash

Every writer loves to read positive feedback. Sometimes it goes beyond the mere pat on the back and feels more like a virtual hug. My favorite comments go something like this.

You finally put into words something I’ve been thinking about most of my life.

What moves someone to make a comment like that? It only happens when you connect with someone on deep emotional level.

You’ve experienced that feeling yourself as a reader.

• Have you ever read a story, book or article and felt like the writer spoke directly to you?
• Have you ever wondered how she knew what you felt even though you never verbalized your feelings to anyone before?
• Did she confirm what you believed to be true but were too afraid to speak?
• Have you ever felt compelled to thank a writer or speaker for the impact he made on your life?

How do you achieve this effect on your reader?

I won’t pretend it’s easy or that you’ll succeed all the time. You won’t. But the techniques are nothing mysterious. It requires vulnerability, insight and a bit of guts.

These seven techniques are not appropriate in every situation. You’ll need to develop a sense of intuition to determine where they are appropriate. With practice, patience and experience you can achieve mastery.

1. Address an indignity

I learned this technique several years ago in a Copywriting workshop. I rarely get a chance to use it in a non-Copywriting format, but I keep it in the back of my mind should the situation arise.

Let’s pretend you’re writing about job hunting. It’s not enough to write about how to job prospect. That information is important, but it does not engage your reader on an emotional level.

Write about the indignities of the job hunting process: unanswered resumes, form letter rejections, connected folks with fewer qualifications getting more offers. Convey that frustration, shame or anger through story…