This week, I wrote a LinkedIn post that was fundamentally about me, but it still helped someone else. I know because they shared it and wrote about how it helped them. That was my goal. It’s not enough to get the word out. For a thing to be worth someone’s time and attention, they must get something out of it. So, it’s a good idea to give something.
Here’s a framework I reference when writing. I’ve used it for blog posts, presentations, meeting facilitation, really anytime I’m creating something that I want someone else to engage with or take an action.
I call it the IF or UNLESS Value Test:
- My audience probably will <take the action e.g. read/like/share this post> IF __________________.
or
- My audience probably won’t <take the action e.g. read/like/share this post> UNLESS ___________________.
In other words:
What will it take for the audience to spend time or pay attention?
What value will they get from it?
What will make it more than worth it?
It’s overly simplified, but a nice way to empathize with the people you wish to influence. In the spirit of statistician George Box, “All models are wrong, but some are useful.”
Thanks for reading.