One of the ways I help self-employed professionals and creatives build their businesses is with writing — blog or Substack posts, byline articles, ebooks, and more. To explain to them the type of editorial content self-employed pros need to write in order to attract and land clients, I coined a new acronym, R.E.A.L:
R = Relevant
E = Educational, Entertaining, and/or Evocative
A = Authentic
L = Leads to trust
Whether you are posting on social media, writing copy for your website, placing a follow-up call, or giving a talk, you need to consider the four R.E.A.L. elements.
Relevant – What you write or say must apply to both your audience and what you’re trying to sell. Posting cute kitten videos to Instagram isn’t enough to turn your social media presence into paying clients, unless you’re a videographer or a cat sitter. An occasional off-topic post or conversation is fine, but the majority of your written, spoken, and visual content should be directly relevant to your target audience’s needs and the services your business offers.
Educational, Entertaining, and/or Evocative – All your communications with prospective clients should fit into one (or more) of these three categories. Remember, in addition to these, they must still also be relevant!
- Educational: Informative communications teach your audience about principles, skills, facts, or resources relevant to their needs. Make sure communications of this type deliver immediate, practical value to your potential clients. They should always be aimed at helping your target audience achieve goals and solve problems.
- Entertaining: Communications in this category make your audience laugh, feel good, or daydream. You might tell stories or jokes, share amusing or positive images, or open people’s horizons.
- Evocative: Words and images of this type trigger emotions in your audience, such as awe, delight, or concern. They might stimulate deeper thinking and exploration. Or, they can inspire, motivate, or evoke empathy.
Authentic – Whatever you tell or show prospective clients must be presented in a voice that’s true to who you are. Sending a long sales letter that includes hard-sell phrases you would never use in a live conversation is inauthentic. When you try to use other people’s words to sell yourself, you’re likely to chase away the very clients that are the best match for your personality and working style.
Leads to trust – Consistently producing communications based on the elements above encourages people to trust you. They know you aren’t going to annoy or bore them by talking about irrelevant topics, and that they’ll get value from every read or conversation. They’ll also be confident that they’re seeing the real you. When prospective clients trust you, they’ll hire you.
Start getting R.E.A.L. about getting more clients. Include the four R.E.A.L. elements in your posts, emails, networking exchanges, and sales conversations. Relevant, authentic communications that are educational, entertaining, or evocative will build people’s trust, and therefore, help build your business.
