Learn to edit words like a pro. I've edited 3M+ words and each week, I share a lesson to teach you what to cut, how to add value, and how to finally feel confident when editing. Every subscriber gets access to my Editing Library, a database of 62 edits broken down by the problem, my take on how to improve it, and my edited version.
🪄Cut the Fluff: What everyone gets wrong about tension
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Cut the Fluff is a weekly newsletter that will help you become a more confident writer & editor. If this was sent to you, subscribe here so you don't miss the next lesson. Hey Reader, The alarm bell rings. It's 5pm. Time to feed my Frankie the chihuahua dinner. Gasp! I've run out of food. Frankie impatiently paces around the kitchen. "Food, food, food, food, food, food, FOOD." Ah ha! I remember I've got an extra bag of food in the basement. I open the door to head downstairs and BANG. I slip and fall. I'm somehow OK. I get up, turn on the lights, and OH NO. The basement has flooded and the food is ruined! BUT WAIT. I realize I have enough food for one serving in a ziploc bag in my purse (don't ask me why, I just do). I run upstairs, find the bag, feed Frankie, and all is well. ---THE END--- 👆This is a silly and over-embellished example of tension in storytelling. (My favorite way to teach is to break things down into very simple versions so no one can get lost. No surprise this is also my favorite way to learn.) Tension is the gap between what is and what could be. In my silly example:
Every time I get closer to finding food for her, I'm hit with a new form of conflict.
The more conflict, the more the reader is on the edge of their seat. You see this kind of tension play out in every TV show ever. The number of times Ross and Rachel in Friends almost get back together but, "oh no!" — the cheating, the note, the new hot lover, and on and on and on. The second a conflict gets resolved, of course, a new one is introduced. Eventually, though, you have to resolve the tension. In my example:
I love tension in storytelling, and anyone who writes online needs to use this tool. It's a powerful way to market your products or services, build resonance, and win trust. But... Most advice for how to use tension in writing relates to fiction. It's so easy to show tension in examples like Friends or any gripping novel. But what about tension in content writing? How do you create tension when writing blogs, newsletters, and LinkedIn posts? How can you use tension to captivate your readers, build resonance, and eventually compel them to buy? I'm no expert, and I don't claim to be. But here's what I've found in my research and personal experience with creating tension in my own writing: In content marketing, it's extremely compelling to show readers what's wrong with a situation and how they can do something better. To emphasize the gap between what they have and what they want, then present your solution as the answer. Tension, done right, leads to action. There are a zillion copywriting formulas for this, like:
I've talked about these many times before. And they feature in my Hooks and Editing courses. But here's the most interesting part of creating tension in content marketing that I think too many people overlook: People must first care about you in order to care about the tension you're creating. If a random character is facing tension, you'll be curious, but you won't feel super emotionally connected to the outcome. But if you care about that character? You're on the edge of your seat, extremely invested in the outcome, and maybe even looking for ways to help. This is why, in my opinion, so many people struggle to get the results they crave from their writing. They're out there on LinkedIn or in their newsletter doing all the "right" things but it isn't working. In my opinion, it's not that you're doing a bad job writing (although there's always room for improvement I'm sure). But it's more that you aren't giving people enough of a glimpse into your values, the things you care about, your enemies, the hills you'll die on, and the forcing factors that motivate you. Don't get me wrong: You are not the hero of the story. Your customer is the hero, and you are the guide. Go Google "the hero's journey" if you don't know what I'm talking about. But when it comes to marketing your products or services, you are still a character that needs to be developed. People are picky about who they choose as guides, and the options are aplenty. You have to give them a reason to trust you if you want them to choose you as the solution to the tension you're creating. I f*cking hate the term personal brand because people aren't brands. But it's true that in this day and age if you are selling a service, or even buying a product, buyers want to know about the people behind it. In many cases, buyers want to connect with you, understand how you see the world, and then decide if there's enough alignment to hand over their money. The best ways to do this?
My client for Content Sparring 🥊 was struggling big time with this. She was creating extremely valuable content, but it didn't seem to resonate with readers. Her engagement on LinkedIn was fine, but not great. So when she hired me, I knew the best way to help her was to incorporate more of "her" into her content. As amazing as it was, it lacked personality. The second we did that? Boom. Engagement shot up. I'll talk more about that soon, cuz I'm building some resources on how to add personality to your content 👀. Meantime, I hope this was helpful. See you next week! Cheers, Erica Check out my 3 courses that 1600+ people have taken, loved, and gotten meaningful results from: 1. Long to Short: Turn one long-form piece into a month's worth of posts. A step-by-step system to repurpose, remix, and remaster your best ideas. 2. Hooked on Writing Hooks: Turn your ideas into content that actually gets consumed. Learn to write scroll-stopping hooks on social without resorting to clickbait nonsense that feels inauthentic. 3. Content Editing 101. Kill decision fatigue and build confidence as a writer and editor. A look inside a professional editor's workflow & best practices. Packed with lessons, examples, and a roadmap so you can stop second-guessing your writing & editing decisions. Each course is AI-powered 🪄 You can go through them manually or use AI to play, get it done faster, and test your new skills in real time. My friend & prompt genius Rob Lennon wrote all the prompts and bots for the courses. What'd you think of today's email? Reply and let me know. Erica Schneider ​ ​ |
Cut the Fluff
Learn to edit words like a pro. I've edited 3M+ words and each week, I share a lesson to teach you what to cut, how to add value, and how to finally feel confident when editing. Every subscriber gets access to my Editing Library, a database of 62 edits broken down by the problem, my take on how to improve it, and my edited version.
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