People don’t remember books, they remember sentences.
Morgan Housel quoted this line from a forgotten source, but the source doesn’t matter. It’s so true. And it can be applied to whatever you do.
It took me years of trial and error, but this is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from making a living by cold calling complete strangers. Your first sentence determines whether they will hear you out or tune you out. You have to pique their curiosity immediately. If not, they’ll hang up. And you’ll never get another chance to make a first impression.
Same with you. You only need one good sentence to describe your work or art. There’s only one goal: make them curious. That’s it.
It should not try to describe everything you’ve ever done since the day you were born.
It should not try to justify your existence on God’s green earth.
It only has to make them want to find out more. That’s all.
Think about the last time you opened up TikTok, or any other god forsaken social media app, for that matter. How long did you give that first video before deciding to scroll on to the next? Three seconds. Max.
It could contain the secret to becoming an overnight billionaire. But if it doesn’t hook you within three seconds (or less) then it doesn’t matter. Bye-bye. See ya never.
It’s nothing personal. Everyone is busy. Or at least they like to think they are.
I describe my writing like this, “Don’t read this if you can’t stand poking holes in conventional wisdom.” It’s a dare. Of course not everything I write about does that, but that single sentence gets people curious. Mission accomplished.
I used to say something like, “Exploring my curiosity on life, art, business, and sharing what I find with others.” Boo. That’s too generic. No wonder my amazing words weren’t being read by anyone besides my wife and mom (who I forced to subscribe in the first place).
Keep it short and sweet. Give them one good sentence and shut up. Leave them wondering, “what’s this all about?”
You may have libraries full of amazing ideas that everyone in the world needs to hear. But it all starts with one good sentence. And you’ve only got three seconds.
Your thoughts? Please leave a reply below.
Yes, needed this reminder. Going to go work on my sentence.
...great advice and your example is a spot on improvement...i'm going to leave my attempts here...let me know if any work...
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...i write thought provoking fart jokes...
...what if chunk from goonies grew up to research dolphin sex...
...the TV show "Who's The Boss" but everyone gets fired...
...a series of building demolition videos, in writing...
...an argument for the good old days of clinically prescribed cocaine...
...proof that aliens exist (paid subscribers can meet real lizard people)...
...hair metal vibes on a yacht rock keyboard...
...a retelling of the bible with none of the same stories or words...
...cheap attempts to meet everyone's mother...
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...appreciate the prompt...