Rivet your Audience by Writing from the Inside Out

Ever had one of those moments when your "gut" told you to act in a certain way that just couldn't be explained in words? Part of the reason for this is biological – the part of the brain that is responsible for decision-making and emotion (the limbic cortex) is separate from the part of the brain responsible for language (the neocortex).

In his thought-provoking (and IMHO brilliant) presentation, Simon Sinek argues that inspired organizations (Apple), leaders (Martin Luther King) and innovators (the Wright brothers) all think, act and communicate differently from the rest of us. Their "inside out" approach enables them to focus on the "why" rather than the "what." Their rare ability to clearly communicate a deep commitment to a belief or a cause enables them to inspire and attract like-minded believers. In Sinek's words, "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." By doing business with people who believe what you believe, you will be able to inspire customers and engender loyalty (back to the limbic brain).

This simple argument has major ramifications for marketing, in general, and copywriting in particular. We've always known the importance of understanding and addressing the needs/problems of our target audience. But what if we turned this inside out as well? What if we focused our message on why we do what we do? What if we spent less time writing about the wonderful features and benefits of a given product (which may or may not trigger a positive vibe with the average customer), and instead focused on explaining why we went to the trouble of creating this new product in the first place.

An inside-out strategy would focus the messaging on the company's underlying philosophy or purpose (e.g., "we believe in simplifying your world"). It's why you do what you do that makes you different (or better) from your competitors – the product itself is much harder to differentiate. The message here should be inspiring and crafted to drive emotion. Once you have established a common emotional ground with your target audience, then it's time to delve into the "how" and "what". These details will be used to show how your product or service helps your customers to achieve the stated purpose.

Writing from the inside-out is far from being a trivial task. It forces us to think about and formulate answers to questions that we may have avoided in the past. But it also gives us the opportunity to truly connect with our customers.

Is it worth the effort? Feel free to share your thoughts on the subject.

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