Phrases That Keep Your Reader’s Attention – Download

In the Attention Age, getting your prospect’s attention is harder than ever.

But it gets worse – because once you get attention, your job has just started.

You see, the real trick is holding onto your reader’s attention long enough to get your message across. 

My good friend and world-class copywriter John Carlton says:

"The most common blunder rookie copywriters make is to assume the reader will ‘hang in there’… Your reader will not hang in there. At the very moment you bore him, confuse him, or ask him to ‘bear with you’…he’s out of there."

Think about it: Doesn’t your own experience confirm it?

The truth is, readers don’t bail on your blog post, email, or salesletter and then come back to it again later. Nope. Once you lose them – chances are they’re gone for good.

However, don’t take my word for it. Just check your website’s bounce rate (Bounce rate is the percentage of single-page visits) and the average length of time on your site to see how unforgiving your readers can be.

Now don’t get bent out of shape about this just yet.  Because I’ve got something for you that’ll instantly make it easier for you to hold on to your readers attention. And today it’s my gift to you.

PhrasesThatKeepAttention.pngFirst, let me switch gears for a moment – it’s important.

You may have noticed the blog has been a whirlwind of activity lately. More and more marketers and entrepreneurs are starting to realize that attention or the lack of it, is one of the big hurdles you must overcome to be successful.

Frankly, it was bound to happen – but I want you to know the increase in attention has brought a new level of enthusiasm here at our office. And that’s good for business.

So, I’ve got a proposition for you…

If you like what were giving away, post a comment, or better yet use any of the countless social bookmarking sites (&title=< ?php the_title(); ?>“>del.icio.us,
sphinn, etc…) to help us get these materials out. In return, we’ll keep giving you great resources to download. Fair enough?

OK, let’s get down to business.

Have you ever heard of the Bucket Brigade?

You’ve been reading it, all through this blog post.

Phrases like: "But it gets worse", "You see", "Think about it:", "The truth is", "However", "First" and "Frankly" are phrases that are referred to as the "Bucket Brigade".  They are phrases and words that keep the reader moving forward, providing a constant momentum.  When done right, they make your writing seem more conversational. Even better they’ll turn your writing into a greased slide, making it almost impossible to stop reading until the end.

John Carlton said one of the easiest ways to come up with them is to "use the old journalism trick of ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’. For example: ‘Who else uses this secret?’ ‘What does this mean for you?’ ‘Why would I share such a valuable tactic with a stranger?’ ‘Where did I find this information?’ ‘How would you like to see it for yourself?’ "

So check this out: As a way of expressing our gratitude for all the comments and traffic we’ve been receiving we’ve put together a "swipe file" for you of 472 bucket brigade phrases to use to keep attention in your writing. Consider it your own stash of attention-capturing phrases.

You can grab your copy of the Phrases That Keep Attention swipe file right here.

But, before you go, tell us what attention tools you would like to receive from us next, plus any interesting or unusual ways you use or used to capture your prospect’s attention.

To higher profits,
Rich Schefren

PS – My favorite SEO Blog and SEO Book is written and run by a gentleman named Aaron Wall. That’s why it was an honor when we discovered his well know site SEOBOOK linked to our Attention Age Mindmap yesterday. So props to you Aaron. And if anyone was curious which SEO blog and expert I follow – you couldn’t go wrong following Aaron Wall’s advice. You can find him at www.seobook.com/blog



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Comments:
  • http://organicEmotion.com 500ml

    Thanks for letting us know which phrases to AVOID in order to maintain our fresh and creative originality so that we do not stray and become average like the rest of the heard.

    thank you

    alibaba

  • http://adamsnider.com Adam Snider

    Great list, Rich. But, why is “Here’s why…” on the list multiple times?

  • Stuart Carter

    Thanks Rich.

    Anything that makes ad copy easier and more flowing should help big time with CTR. I’m off to test it now!

    Stu

  • http://bitesize-marketing-nlp.com John Sadler

    Rich I am still learning, discovering, enjoying the first rate content in the Doctrine. Many thanks for a real challenge, a new way to look and a great way to succeed.

  • http://www.jasonfinch.sungator.com Jason

    Jason Finch

    Thanks for the great pdf file. These are sweet. I can definately use them in all of my writing… well done!

  • Idetrorce

    very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
    Idetrorce

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  • http://www.LetsStartEarning.com Sheree Motiska

    Wow, thanks so much for this little gem. As soon as I started to scan the list, my mind just went into overdrive with creative ideas for articles to write on my blogs and wherever else.

    I’m definitely keeping this blog in my favorites. Keep up the good work and thanks for the inspiration.

    Sheree

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  • http://attentiondeficitsyndrome John Brandow

    Your downloads are great but your( as does a lot of the links I click on ) intro articles has attention deficit. I scroll down a few paragraphs and sometimes pages to get to the point.
    I recently downloaded an eighty eight page report from somewhere and on page 32 I only got the drift of what the writer was on about. Is this a problem with the American Gurus ?

  • http://www.richbeyondwords.com Claudia

    Dear Rich!

    I love your name, is it short for Richard or is pure, plain and simple Rich?

    Copy writing is indeed I believe the greatset skill a person need to succeed on the net.

    Thanks for the swipe file.

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  • http://bigsellingconversions.com/ Pugsley

    Boy, is that really true today, people don’t take time to do anything if you don’t really have a naked girl in front of them or something like that. Thanks for the swipe file, they can be really useful , especially those times your mind just goes blank

  • http://ehangar.com Aviation Art

    Rich, thanks for the swipe file. I occasionally get writers block, even phobia, when writing! ;)

    So this swipe file of phrases should come in very useful.

    Keeping it personal and conversational are two challenges I face when writing as I tend to write more from the third person perspective, so these phrases should help keep in on track. Thanks again!

    Sunny

  • http://www.GolfSwingImprovements.com Rick

    Rich,

    Thanks for the swipe file. Now these pharases are something I can put into practice right away. Thanks again!

    - Rick
    http://www.golfswingimprovements.com

  • http://guardyourselfnow.com Safe & Secure

    Thanks for the great swipe files. This will help me to get my thoughts togeather and a running start when I need it which is every day. Thanks again Love the tranning class last yesterday I am looking forward to putting it all to work for me Today

  • Edward

    Hi Rich,
    Thank you very much for this. This ia a pricelss info for me, since I am starting my copywriting skills

    Edward

  • http://www.laurajchilds.com Laura Childs

    Hey Rich, thanks again for this. I’ve been going through some old files and realized I’d kept the email announcement for this…

    Certainly worth revisiting!

    Cheers, Laura Childs

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  • Juri Maruli

    Fantastic.

    I’ll try this to write my copy then i’ll get a tested response.

    Juri

  • http://microbizmadesimple.com Ed Martin

    Loved your swipe file. I’ve been using phrases like that without thinking about it. Now that I’ve got the list I’ll pay more attention. Thanks

  • http://clayfranklin.com Clay Franklin

    This is a great list Rich!
    I think you gave it to us in GPS, yet I really enjoyed reviewing it again here.
    My Blog is coming along nicely. I have a lot of articles about you and your business.

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    Hi…
    That is such a nice information. It can be very helpful to a lot of people here. Thank you so much for sharing.

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    I am very interested in what you write. I think I can understand a lot for me to learn better.

  • http://www.thesocialone.com Ed the social media guy

    Why didn’t I come to you a long time ago! Your swipe file of “bucket brigade” phrases is awesome. Now I won’t be spending hours on trying to find the perfect phrase of word to write in my blogs.

    Thanks again!

  • http://virgilcook.com Virgil Cook

    Boy, this really confirms all of my thoughts lately for what it takes to get traffic today. The addition of the swipe file gift was awesome. Virgil Cook

  • http://aaachooreview.net/ Alex

    Thanks for the swipe file I found it very helpful. Also you are absolutely right it is very important to try to keep your readers attention the whole time because people don’t really like to spend too much time reading.

  • http://www.matthewlordconsulting.com Matthew Lord: Atlanta Marketing Consultant

    Thanks for the information, it was very useful. Keeping your readers attention is very important, which is why I try to front load my blog posts and articles, yet at the same time make sure that a provide enough great content throughout the articles to keep them interested!

  • http://www.clickherenowmarketing.com Mark-Strategic Marketing Consultant

    Great idea of offering a swipe file in exchange for comments, I love this type of marketing ingenuity and “power” words can make a real difference as part of your strategic marketing plan. Keep up the good work, looking forward to more

  • http://www.targetyoursitelocally.com Calgary Local Internet Marketing

    I agree with most of what you have said, while content is usually king, in some aspects it is not all. We use some of your info, the swipe file is great btw, but video is now one of our major contributors to site growth and rank, so…content is now taking a back seat in certain markets.
    Thanks,
    Steve
    TargetYourSiteLocally.com

  • http://www.internethomebusinessopportunities.net Vinman of Internet Based Business

    A probing question or a statement of solution to problem will always attract reader’s attention.
    Internet Based Business

  • http://blogtalkradio.com/hollischapmanshow Hollis Chapman

    This article has open my eyes to how much more i have to learn,it is very hard to keep up with all this,i am trying to be successful online,but it is not a over night thing.”Bucket Brigade” i have never heard of that phrase.Thanks for the great tips and the free information.
    Hollis

  • http://www.freedom.ws/slawsonfinancialsgroup Anthony Slawson-CEO/CFO

    *Fantastic- I highly recommend!*

  • http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles SubmitYOURArticle.com

    Hi Rich
    Gee.. for a while there I almost forgot what I was going to say after reading all the comments(mostly positive and some negative). Anyways, I really agree that there’s more to a site than just driving traffic to it, you have to capture the readers too. Honestly, I have mixed emotions whether these ‘killer phrases’ are as effective as they used to be. I mean just like in one comment there that with all the people using these captivating phrases, it sometimes becomes too uniformly common that sometimes readers become immune to it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it won’t work. I guess what’s important is not to overdo it with fancy words. Still, I think it’s worth a look. I’m more interested in the concept of how words are used. Anyways, thank you for such a wonderful post(enjoyed everything especially the comments section)!

  • http://www.minandmotion.com.au Renee

    Very handy to have some phrases that help to keep the readers attention – thanks so much! I am sure they will help me to write better articles for my business coaching site.

  • http://www.acidmarketing.com M. Shaalan

    Just downloaded your guide and Wow 472 nice phrases to be used.

  • http://torontoonline.blogspot.com/ harlton stone

    Thank-you, i needed that lesson. I was writing this morning and trying to think of exactly what would keep the readers attention. I use to write a newsletter and kept it at a grade 5 to 6 level for my readers- i’ve stuck in that level for a while now, but i started running out of attention grabbers. I really appreciate this-
    HStone

  • http://torontoonline.blogspot.com/ harlton stone

    just another comment, we use all these when we are talking almost everyday but don’t think of them when we are writing.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogxznbSsweg monitium

    Grab words form a strong connection with the reader, and in turn, suck them into your content so you can deliver the primary message.

    monitium

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    Not your business!

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    great tip. i think these phrases works wonder to bring attention of readers. thanks for this 

  • http://www.johnphung.com John Phung

    Last time I downloaded this resource was probably 4 years ago. I’ve lost the file since, but glad to see it’s still online! Thanks

  • Itzevb

    Thanks for sharing this Great Information!

  • http://www.globaltoners.com/ printer toners

    Its a great guiding post for all the bloggers and especially for newbie bloggers like me. thanks for adding this important post because after that post i am able to give something attractive to my readers.