I found an amazing statistic this morning that really affects the way many of us present our ideas to others. Whether it is a blog post, Powerpoint presentation, or printed copy, the first 20 words have a major impact. In fact if those first twenty words don’t have an impact… you have just lost your audience.
I found this great material when I was perusing Liz Strauss’s open-mic morning at her Successful-Blog. She is having her readers leave links today from their most popular posts. I picked up this great tip from Char over at Essential Keystrokes from her popular post entitled… “You’ve Only Got 30 Seconds or 20 Words.” Char writes…
We would all like to think that our web sites contain such compelling information that users will stick around, browse, and really get into our material, but the brutal truth is, they won’t. Statistics show that over 80% of your site’s visitors will leave your site within 30 seconds of arriving. At first I didn’t believe it, but then I looked at the web statistics for more than 20 sites I maintain/host, and yep, the stats tell the same story.
Additionally, did you know that you have twenty words to capture your visitor’s interest or they will be gone? Twenty. Your message needs to be short, sweet and to the point if you expect to keep them around.
This is an amazing statistic and one that should be of concern to all writers. I work with many people doing Powerpoint presentations and their focus is usually to cram as many bullet points into their presentation as possible. Many of their presentations do not have a title at all and just start out with a myriad of facts and figures.
A compelling title would change everything.
All of a sudden their audiences would be interested before the presentation starts. A good title adds suspense, interest, and keys in on a “benefit’ for the audience. If you can solve a problem or add a benefit in 20 words or less, you are on your way to a successful presentation.
Now take these powerful words and add a compelling picture.
Now you have the power of words combined with the story telling power of a picture. Stories are the backbone of any exciting presentation. Stories draw you in and add emotion. A picture can truly be worth a thousand words.
Here is an example for a Powerpoint title page that could be used to sell the features of the new iMac.
Use the words…
Experience The Creativity of the Mac & Run Windows Too!
Add a compelling picture and you have a great title page
Power up your presentations in 20 words or less!
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