Be Easy To Remember and Hard To Forget

Think back to the last meeting, zoom call, or conference you attended. Can you remember anything that was said? If not, (and that's the norm), it means all the time, energy and resources invested in designing and delivering that communication went down the drain.

Because if we can't remember what was said, it's out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

We don't want our message to be forgotten, we want it to be remembered.

The importance of this was first introduced to me by Garry Marshall, director of the move Pretty Woman. Garry was one of our favorite keynoters at the Maui Writers Conference. He said something so profound, I remember it as if he said it this morning.?

He told our audience, “Hollywood directors can predict when their movies will make money based on one thing:

Do people walk out of the theater repeating something they heard ...word for word?"

If they can, they become brand ambassadors who take that movie viral.

If someone asks, "Seen any good movies lately," and they repeat a catchy tagline “Make my day,”?“I’ll be back,” “Show me the money,” from a movie they just saw, they become a word-of-mouth advertiser for it - all because it had a phrase-that-pays that stuck in their mind.

So, here's the question.

When people walk out of your meeting (or watch your video, or read your blog, website, or marketing material), can they repeat anything they heard ... word-for-word?

If so, good for you.

If not, it's back to the drawing board.

I show a variety of ways to create easy-to-remember, hard-to-forget hook, line and thinkers in my POP! and Got Your Attention? books. Here's a head start to crafting one right now.

Step 1. Ask Yourself, "What CHANGE do I want people to make, what ACTION do I want people to take? Condense that into ONE 10 Word or Less SENTENCE.

What do you want people to start or stop? If they did one thing differently as a result of your message, what do you want that to be??Distill that into a single sentence with a verb to prompt people to act on that priority. If people can't repeat it after hearing it once, it's probably too long, confusing or clunky.

Step 2: ALLITERATION: Use Words That Start with the Same Sound

Have you ever put a “cardboard insulating sleeve” around a hot cup of coffee so you didn’t burn your fingers? Well, you can't build a business around an un-pronounceable name. Entrepreneur Jay Sorenson turned that unrepeatable phrase into Java Jackets. Instant competitive advantage. In fact, he said, "Customers who meant to contact our competitors call us because they can’t remember our competitors' name.” Alliteration isn't petty, it's powerful. it makes your language lyrical and your message instantly eloquent.

Step 3: IAMBIC METER: Put It In a Beat So It's Easy To Repeat

Think of your phrase-that-pays as a jigsaw puzzle. At first, the words may not fit, but if you talk out loud and keep experimenting with different combinations, the words will soon fall into place and sound right.?Say out loud, “If you see something, say something.” Feel how easily and musically those words roll off your tongue??Keep playing with variations until your ears tell you this is a harmonic combination and you wouldn’t change a word.?

By the way, this isn't petty, it's pivotal. This isn't word play, it's word profits.

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is one of the most quoted ad campaigns ever, and has generated billions of dollars in additional revenue for its city. That's a phrase-that-pays!

Step 4. RHYME:?Rhyme Is Sublime Because It's Remembered Over Time

The U.S. government was concerned about injuries in car accidents. So, they launched a public service campaign to persuade people to wear seat belts called.. Buckle Up for Safety.?

Yawn. Nobody noticed, nobody cared, nobody changed their behavior.

They went back to the drawing board, incorporated rhyme and rhythm and came up with Click It or Ticket. Compliance went up, injuries and fatalities went down - proving that a well-crafted phrase-that-pays can actually transcend semantics and save lives.

Step 5. Pause and Punch Before and After Your Phrase-that-Pays

Arthur Levine, Scholastic editor for J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, was a Maui Writers Conference keynoter. After watching me Emcee, he said, “Sam, I like the way you speak. You put space around your words." Thank you, Arthur. (Smile).

When people are nervous, they tend to rush and blush because they're sub-consciously trying to get their presentation or pitch over with. The thing is, we can't remember what people say when they race through their words.

If you want to be memorable, pause before your phrase-that-pays for three beats... and then punch it by articulating each syllable so people can clearly hear every word... and then pause again for three beats ... so people have time/space to absorb and imprint what you just said,

6. Draw attention to your phrase-that-pays by verbally highlighting it.

To ensure your hook, line and thinker, stands out in a sea of words, showcase it. Say:

* “The most surprising finding from our research was … .”?

* “Please write this down so you can share it with your staff ….”

* “The most important thing I’ve discovered is …”

* “If you remember anything from our program today, I hope it’s this.”

Hope you found this useful. Let me know what phrase-that-pays you create and the impact it has on the success of your priority project - whether that's a business, brand, book, cause.

Sam Horn, H.I. (Human Intelligence) Originated 5-8-2017. Updated 2-05-2025

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Want more ways to create communications that connect? Check out Sam's LinkedIn Learning video course that's used by organizations (Google, Walmart, KPMG, The U.S. Army) around the world for their employee sales, customer service, team-building, leadership training.