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Yeah, but can you dance to it?

by Jeremey
2 replies
Rhythm....

When you write a great sales letter, how much are you consciously developing the rhythms and patterns in your letter to create a subconscious "beat" in your writing?

I know there's the tried and true formulas and required elements to every letter, but what I'm talking about is your personal writing style. What do you do to create a pulse throughout your copy?

Things like variety in sentence length, use of em dashes and alliteration - used correctly they all can create patterns that can better engage your prospects and keep them caught up in the "current" of your sales letters or emails...Of course overuse and incorrect use can really bust things up pretty badly as well.

Are you conscious of the "beat" of your writing as you're writing? Or is it something you revise and "quantize" in the editing stages?

And how much can writing to music affect the rhythms and patterns in your copy? I'd be interested to see the results of a sales page written to Judas Priest playing in the background, versus Pachebel's Canon or Willie Nelson.

Jeremey
#dance #yeah
  • Profile picture of the author JRVogt
    When I'm getting all the basic ideas onto the page, I'm not necessarily as aware of any rhythm right then, though I tend to listen to high-energy music to keep the fingers typing as fast as possible.

    Rhythm, for me, keeps more in the revision process. To ensure my copy has a good reading rhythm, often I'll turn off any music or other outside audio input, and then read the content out loud several times through. I make sure it feels natural...that I'm hitting peaks and valleys of emphasis...and that I don't feel like I'm trying to win a tongue-twisting contest in the process.

    So, yes, music can certainly impact my writing. For establishing a good rhythm though, I've found the read-it-out-loud tactic to work very well for me. The ear picks up on a lot of things they eye won't.
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  • Profile picture of the author JRVogt
    Here's a funny coincidence. Just ran across this webcomic titled "Coding with Music." Replace "coding" with "writing" and you're set!

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