Call me a freak, but project kickoffs rank right up there with coffee and cute animals on my list of favorite things.
It’s not because they bring something fresh and new into my work, although that’s nice. It’s that there’s something so satisfying about laying out strong groundwork for what a writing project is all about.
You might be wondering what on earth I’m going on about. Groundwork? What groundwork? Um, I just start writing.
If that’s what you’re thinking, this is for you.
I don’t care what you’re writing. It could be a book, a blog, a website, a white paper, a script—doesn’t matter.
It’s true, the final products look very different. But as I’ve learned from writing all these things many times, on many topics, for many people, they all need the same kind of foundation.
That’s why, whether it’s a book or branding project, I always kick it off with the same 4 questions.
1. What’s your core message?
Start by seeing if you can get it out in a paragraph or two. This is a nice middle ground that’s easily achievable. In marketing copy, you would tighten it down to a sentence or two. In a book, you would expand it to 30,000 words or more.
Don’t go for either extreme right away. Both take quite a bit of effort, and you’ll probably get paralyzed if you aim for that right off the bat. What you’re writing here isn’t the final product. It’s just a starting point to help guide your work. Say what comes naturally—what you might say at a cocktail party if someone asks what your project is about.
If you find yourself freezing up or writing more than a couple of paragraphs to get the idea out, your message isn’t clear yet. That’s okay. Sometimes, you just need to keep writing and experimenting until you discover that message. Just know that until the message is clear, the foundation for your work will be shaky.
2. Who is your audience?
Nothing is for everyone. Even if, in theory, all 8 billion people on the planet could benefit from what you offer, most of those people will be completely uninterested.
Don’t write for people who don’t want to listen. Write for the people who will be immediately hooked and gobble up your every word because they’ve been waiting to hear what you’re saying.
Define those people using any characteristics that are relevant. That might include demographic characteristics like age, gender, occupation, or income. It probably also includes deeper factors like personal history, emotional state, worldview, desires, beliefs, and problems.
If you don’t know exactly who those people are, it’s very difficult to write words that will resonate with them. You might think it’s more important to write from your heart than to craft your message for the reader, but that’s only true if you don’t care whether anyone reads your work. Even a novelist or screenplay writer needs to consider their audience—not just the readers but also the agents and other gatekeepers who will decide if the work ever sees the light of day.
3. Why should they listen to you?
Who are you, anyway? I’m not talking about your whole personal identity—just the parts of it that lend you credibility and build a relatable personality.
Both of those elements are important. It’s easy to focus on the credibility piece. Yes, it’s powerful to show that you’ve won awards, achieved things, worked with big brands, etc. etc. But that’s impersonal, and the real connection with your audience lies in your stories.
So, why does your message matter so much to you that you decided to spread it? When you share that, your audience can see you as a human being—someone they can begin to know, like, and trust. Same thing if you’re writing on behalf of an organization. Who are they, and what’s their story?
4. What are you trying to achieve?
Anybody who publishes their writing is trying to achieve something—otherwise you would just get it off your chest and then shove it in a drawer.
Maybe you want to start a public dialogue about an idea. Maybe you want to grow your business or become a recognized thought leader. Maybe you just want to create something that people like.
You don’t make any of those things happen. Your readers do. So, given what you want to achieve, what action do you need your readers to take? Maybe recommend your work to a friend, buy your products and services, invite you to speak—there are many possible answers.
The point is that when you know what you want the reader to do, it’s easier to write words that will inspire them to do it.
There you have it—the groundwork that makes my eyes light up. *sigh* There’s nothing like a solid foundation for writing a powerful message, am I right?
