?? Writing 101: A Masterclass On Evoking Emotions

Happy Tuesday troublemakers. ?? Some news: We’re moving our newsletter to a new platform soon. Sign-up here to continue receiving these stories.?

Writing’s kinda like sports. Looks easy in theory, hard to do in practice.

Watching Steph Curry shoot 3’s like watching J.K. Rowling write novels.

But as soon as you pick up the ball and don’t get a swish, you appreciate the scope of difficulty Steph has mastered.

One of the biggest q’s I got tossed my way on writing is:

“How do you create a relationship with your reader”

My answer: create a connection.

How you do that is through stirring up emotions on the other side of the screen.

Rapport in relationships gets built from aligned values, stories and experiences.

Writing is no different.?

Today I’m gonna try to teach you how to stir up emotions with your readers. Whether you’re running your own newsletter, personal brand or corporate social account.?

Here’s a photo of your readers before and after applying tips from today’s newsletter…

Go whip up an espresso b/c today’s breakdown is one of the best-o.?

Sprinkle Some Humour ??

Jokes are a great way to break tension and build rapport in any conversation. They also make the conversation worth remembering.??

Writing is the same folks.

With next month’s content, try tossing in some jokes:

• about your industry,?
• about a recent piece of news?
• about a hilarious behind-the-scene incident
• on an anecdote from past?

Jokes get your reader comfortable with your content.?

It’s almost like you’re building a cozy IKEA sofa for your reader to fall onto.

Ignore your grade 12 English teacher for a sec. Writing doesn’t always have to be serious’ to be valuable. You’re allowed to have fun.

And listen. You don’t have to be Kevin Hart-good to crack a decent joke. I write the Kernal newsletter every week. Here’s how I spice things up:?

Another great example is Shaan Puri’s Milk Road – a newsletter that breaks down the crypto world into easily digestible bites. ??

Jokes make people relate. Relatability builds familiarity, eventually leading to connection.?

Plug-In Mega Media Events ??

Every now and then something shakes the internet.?

A slap, a tweet, or a sports game.

It’s the kind of event that as soon as it breaks, people are texting about it in the group chat.?

Each event is already provoking some emotion or the other and you can plug those incidents in your writing to brdige a connection.?

Be it Elon Musk bidding for Twitter or Netflix stocks tumbling down after announcing a fall in subscribers, drawing parallels is easy and more fun.?

? Instead of: “His excitement died down.”?

? Say: “His excitement plunged like Netflix stocks after the subscriber announcement.”?

You might be thinking, “Hey marketing guy from Canada, what’s the difference?”

It’s simple → You’re remembered better.?

Another quick example from the Kernal Newsletter:

The Three Musketeers: Stories, Analogies & Expressions?

If you offered me a free trip to Australia in exchange for 1 piece of advice to improve your writing, I’d have to tell you about the legendary trio.

Nothing, I repeat, nothing makes your writing more alive than:?

• Stories?
• Analogies?
• Expressions?

If you’re paying attention you’ll realize I’ve drawn an analogy in the sub-heading too. ??

Analogies make ideas/insights instantly familiar and easily digestible by connecting them to a previously felt emotion. ??

A masterpiece example is Ann Handley’s newsletter Total Annarchy.?

Her writing is sweeter than a piece of Grandma’s blueberry cheesecake. ??

In merely 100 words there are expressions, stories, and analogies all over – a home run in my books.

When you write like you talk, great things happen. You go from boring to relational.

Inboxes and social feeds are flooding with emails and content – to get read, you have to make it a worthwhile experience.?

?? Psst… We’re Moving Soon

We’re shifting newsletter platforms to ConvertKit next month and would love to have you move with us. If you want to keep receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign-up here.?

Moving ahead, I’ll post the Personal Brand Brief to LinkedIn once a month, then convertkit every week. Sign up before it’s too late…

?? Riff of the Day

I’m planning a demo day for LOI Venture on June 14th and would love to see some of you there if you can make it out. Here’s the link to RSVP. More info coming soon.

Thanks for reading. I try hard to make it worth your time. Got feedback? Let me know.

Stay outta’ trouble and catch you next week.

??? Joel

Wanna learn more about storytelling? Check out my 3-week class in October.

You can also learn more about my work on my Website, Twitter or LinkedIn.