• 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, tell others, post a comment, or better yet use any of the countless social bookmarking sites (digg, del.icio.us, stumbleupon, 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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