When I’m looking to write persuasive content, my default is Clean Sequence 140497
Here's a 320-word article...then I show you how it emerged from a Clean Sequence.
If you’re wanting to persuade people about the superiority of your way of solving a problem, you’ll want a scaffold that draws on proven formats for ‘selling’. I use quote marks around that word because you are probably not selling anything for money. But still, if you want people to accept something that they have not accepted before, that is a form of ‘selling’ to my way of thinking.
My default scaffold, in situations like that, is Clean Sequence 140497. I’m using it now as I write this article. I guess my intention is to ‘sell’ the idea of using 140497.
Th scaffold is built in five stages:
State the situation that is facing the audience
State the idea you want to ‘sell’
Explain how it works
Reiterate key benefits
Suggest an action that seems immediately possible
For each of these stages I’ve written questions, which together make up the set of questions in Clean Sequence 140497. You can read the questions (they are in italics) in the ‘showing-the-working’ section that I’ve pasted below the end of this article.
When I use 140497 as a scaffold for my writing, I find it’s a very solid way of reaching a first draft of a persuasive piece of writing. And the first draft is often the hardest. Once the blank page is filled, it’s easier to expand the content and allow something even better to emerge.
When you try out 140497, and test how it works, you should find yourself with a reliable scaffold that you can use again and again. You can think of it as an easy way to leverage the insights of the canny sales professionals who swear by the five stages. It’s certainly helped me, over many years, as I’ve used it to draft numerous brochures and audience-focused documents.
If you’re at all intrigued by this, please read the ‘showing-the-working’ section that comes next. It’ll show you 140497 in action.
<ends>
Now I’ll share how the content for that article emerged from a Clean Sequence (code = 140497). The questions posed by the Clean Sequence are in italics:
Thinking of the idea that you would like to communicate…
My idea is to ‘sell’ the Clean Sequence 140497 as a useful default for when people want to write persuasively. My draft subheading is ‘When I’m looking to write persuasive content, my default is Clean Sequence 140497’.
[State the situation that is facing the audience]
And what do you know... about the world of your audiences... that could make this idea useful to them?
If you’re wanting to persuade people about the superiority of your way of solving a problem, …
And, when that's the situation, what kind of needs might your audiences have?
…you’ll want a scaffold that draws on proven formats for ‘selling’. I use quote marks around that word because you are probably not selling anything for money. But still, if you want people to accept something that they have not accepted before, that is a form of ‘selling’ to my way of thinking.
[State the idea you want to ‘sell’]
And what is the idea that you would like to communicate?
My default scaffold, in situations like that, is Clean Sequence 140497. I’m using it now, as I write this article. I guess my intention is to ‘sell’ the idea of using 140497. I’ll leave you to judge for yourselves if the scaffold helps or not.
[Explain how it works]
And what do you know about how that idea works?
The scaffold has five building blocks:
State the situation that is facing the audience
State the idea you want to ‘sell’
Explain how it works
Reiterate key benefits
Suggest an action that seems immediately possible
And is there anything else about how that idea works?
I’ve written Clean Sequence 140497 with those elements in mind. You can read my set of questions in the ‘showing-the-working’ that I’ve pasted after the end of this article.
And when that idea is working, then what can happen?
In my experience, responding to the questions in 140497 is a very solid way of reaching a first draft of a persuasive piece of writing. And the first draft is often the hardest. Once it’s done, you can build on it and allow something even better to emerge.
[Reiterate key benefits]
And when that idea is working, what happens to the needs of your audiences?
When you try out 140497, and test how it works, you could well find yourself with a reliable scaffold that you can use again and again.
And is there anything that could add credibility to the idea in the eyes of your audiences?
You can think of it as an easy way to leverage the insights of sales psychology. It’s certainly helped me, over many years, as I’ve used it to reach the first draft of numerous brochures and audience-focused documents.
[Suggest an action that seems immediately possible]
And when all that, what should happen next for your audiences?
If you’re at all intrigued by this, please read the ‘showing-the-working’ section that comes next. It’ll show you the scaffold in action.