What can Sara Cox teach us about compelling content?
I’ve always had a soft spot for Sara Cox as she has provided the soundtrack of my 20s, 30s and now 40s ! In her autobiography she explains that she has always loved words, language and making people smile. She certainly knows how to write compelling content.
I’m impressed by how Sara uses the thirty second opening link at the top of her 5pm Radio 2 show. I believe it can teach us a lot about content. Here’s why.
If you haven’t heard it, Sara always starts her show with a rundown of what’s to come. It’s her first chance to persuade us to keep listening and she uses some persuasive writing tricks to keep us hooked.
Alliteration
It’s simple but memorable, and a great way to launch into an opener such as…
Welcome to your marvellous Monday teatime extravaganza.
Welcome to your thigh slapping Thursday teatime extravaganza.
Listen, LOL, love the music and lob us a text.
Run with a theme and paint a picture
Like a good ballad, Sara takes a theme and runs with it…
So much potential and promise… it’s a bit like the moment you start to take the top off a boiled egg. You tap into it… will the weekend be delicious, oozing ‘good times’ and ‘just riiiiight’? Hey, come dip into us for three hours if you fancy…
It feels like summer, so lie back and sizzle while we play hot hits. There are features so fun you’ll spill your factor 50.
It feels like the weekend is almost upon us, it’s baking in the oven like a batch loaf rising into view.
Being colourful and playful is never a bad thing when the time is right. It will help you write compelling content that makes people listen.
Consistency
Sara always ends her intro consistently with the words; ‘I’m excited, ‘x is excited’ [insert a sound clip from a famous person], then as the music bed ends the final comment is always about playing great music…and cue the first song.
If you think about the people you are closest to, it’s pretty easy to predict how they will respond to certain situations and that makes us feel safe. Sara uses that consistency to build trust and familiarity with her audience. Being consistent will help you do the same, but you also need to really know your audience and that’s where audience personas will help.
Personality
Sara’s link is always energetic, fast paced, humorous and packed full of her personality. If you’re a brand with a personality it’s good to inject that in your communications – don’t force it, just let it naturally flow and that will help build relationships with your customers.
