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Ulysses Santillan's avatar

I do see the pattern and grasp the notion. Thanks for the read. 3 words, one syllable, no writer. It's just something that popped in my head now.

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Jake Varrone's avatar

Thanks for reading. Out of curiosity, what do you mean by "No Writer"?

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Nicholas A. Webster's avatar

You know, putting in this perspective makes sense why some creator’s notes perform better than others who have just as much to offer. Thanks for sharing! Perhaps I ought to give it a try.

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Jake Varrone's avatar

Definitely worth a shot. It's something I learned after paying attention to the way I was consuming writing in highly saturated places. And then I confirmed "it's a thing" after seeing the technique brought up by some legendary copywriters. Think it was Joe Sugarman if I remember correctly. All the best, and let me know how it goes.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Hello Jake. That's some great advice in your post and I'm game to try it. Thank you!

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Jake Varrone's avatar

Hey CJ! Glad you enjoyed! Let me know how it goes :)

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thanks again!

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Boggs's avatar

Does this work outside of writing? I’m assuming this translates to the spoken word as well.

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Jake Varrone's avatar

I think so! The idea applies anywhere your work competes for attention. Whether through audio (spoken word) or visual (written word).

When your work is surrounded by a sea of noise, you need more than a clear, compelling hook to grab the reader's attention. You need a clear, compelling "micro" hook. The first fraction of a second, or the first 3 words, of your hook. Simple, compelling words that can pull in a doom-scrolling stranger and entice them to read (or listen to) the first sentence— which should then entice them to read (or listen to) the second sentence.

And so on...

That said, spoken word is a bit different (as is novels, movies, and other isolated works.) When you're on stage, you already have your audience's attention. You don't need to optimize your first 3 words to grab them. However, if you were posting a video of a spoken-word poem on Instagram, then you'll want to optimize those first three words. Because the viewer is on Instagram, they will keep scrolling if they aren't hooked.

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Ulysses Santillan's avatar

I was about to write "one writer" but I didn't want to repeat it. So I was thinking " no writer", now everyone or some are using AI to write things . Hopefully, I explained it well. Thanks Jake for the posts and wordplay. It's giving my perspective on writing and methods. Until then be cool 😎 and you.

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Jake Varrone's avatar

Gotcha! Definitely love using AI to help me think smarter, differently, clearly—but NOT to do my writing for me! NEVER to do my writing for me :). Hope this was helpful. Be well, my friend!

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