What do blogs, copy, and fiction have in common?

They might be totally different genres with a completely different agenda. But what blogs, copy, and fiction have in common is the fact they?re there to attract an audience. Unless you?re writing purely for your own pleasure, the whole point of it is for people to read your efforts. And hopefully enjoy it so much they come back for more.

Copy is written to attract customers to do business with you. Therefore it has to be based on fact not fiction. Fiction of course is just that. And blogs can go either way. But it?s the people reading them that?ll decide if it was worth it. Or just an annoying waste of their precious time.

Readers of fiction have their task made easier for them by the way books are displayed. Most bookshops and libraries have them laid out on the shelves in alphabetical order. Or in relevant sections. It not only saves time, but also acts as a signpost to what they can expect. No one wants to trawl through mounds of romantic fluff if they?re a science fiction buff for instance. Or vice versa.

The title and cover will also be a clue of course. But it?s the brief description on the back or inside the front cover that usually clinches it. If it sounds good, we trust it will be.

With copy or a blog there?re no such convenient pointers. The title has to do the job of giving enough information to let browsers know what they can expect. It?s that that?ll entice them to come inside and see if it?s what they?re looking for. And it?s something they?ll want to know sooner rather than later. But as with all types of writing, that?s just the beginning.

You can?t just throw words together and hope for the best. It has to be written well and with care. And with a clear understanding of who your audience is likely to be. With fiction you drip feed them clues and red herrings. With copy you give it to them straight. With any type of audience you have to reel them in. But that?s only likely to happen if you use the right bait.