Today Jen Stevens (author of AWAI's Ultimate Travel Writer's Program)
shares a critical insight she's gained from her expertise in writing
sales copy.
"It works gangbusters to sell everything from books to tours to
widgets," Jen told me. "And, as it just so happens, it's also one of
the surest ways there is to sell a travel article."
Read on below for her secret…
Lori Allen
Director, AWAI Travel Division
P.S. With the credit squeeze tightening, the cost of jet fuel high,
and inflation pushing prices up… lots of travelers are thinking about
scaling back their vacation plans. But you don't have to.
In fact, we can show you a way to recession-proof your travels…
forever. So while other folks are tightening their belts and trimming
their trips, you can be enjoying even more -- and better –-
adventures.
We lay out all the secrets in The Ultimate Travel Writer's Program. If
you agree to take a look at it today, we'll pull a box together that
includes the first two installments for the price of one. Plus, as an
added bonus today, we'll throw in a copy of our popular special
report: "How to Bag the Best Freebies: Five Real-World Tips for
Scoring VIP Travel Perks" (a $29.95 value) absolutely free. Do it
here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/twr/frin/od
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November 8, 2008
The Right Way to Travel
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3 QUICK STORY TRICKS TO SELL TRAVEL ARTICLES
By Jennifer Stevens in Colorado Springs, CO
I write for a living. That means I have to sell what I write. I can't
just scribble for the sake of the exercise.
I write travel articles -- about my hometown and about places at the
far reaches of the globe.
But I also write marketing copy. That is, copy meant to persuade… to
sell things.
And one of the secrets to my success in that arena -- a line of work
that pays me six-figures a year -- has been my ability to tell a good
story.
People like stories. They'll stick around to hear them. And if they
stick around long enough, you can sell them something.
This is useful for travel writers because, after all, you're "selling"
a reader your ideas about a destination. Do it well, and editors will
come knocking. Because they're in the business of selling magazines
and newspapers. And they manage to do that by printing articles that
consistently engage their readers.
When it comes to engaging readers, stories work.
We understand stories. We've been listening to them all our lives. Our
mothers sat us on their laps to read us stories.
I don't think it's an overstatement to say that stories hold the key
to our understanding of the world -- whether we're reading them in
novels or in newspapers or we're watching them unfold on the silver
screen.
Every society, every culture has its stories. Myths. Legends. Fables.
Our religious texts are full of stories.
As a way to pass along information... or lessons... or gossip... no
form is more accessible than the story. Particularly when told well.
You know how it is: When a good storyteller launches into a tale, your
ears perk up. You pull that bar stool a little closer. You're engaged.
When you start an article with a well-told story, the same thing
happens. Your readers focus a little more intently. They're engaged.
And, since it's your job as the writer to engage your readers quickly,
arguably THE best way to do it is through a story.
Here are three quick tips for telling a story well...
** 1. Start in the middle of the action.
Say you're writing an article about traveling with young kids. Drop
your reader into your story at the moment when the infant child pees
on your lap in seat 5B. Explain that it was a mere 30 seconds later
that your nursing-mother breasts began to leak.
That way you're reader sees your quandary right off the bat. You're
cruising at 17,000 feet in a now-translucent blouse, soaking wet from
neck to knees. You're emitting a faintly ripe odor. And you're
wondering how, exactly, to handle the situation, given that you're
seated between two clearly conservative businessmen in expensive
suits, neither of whom appears to have a wife, a child, or an ounce of
sympathy.
Now, if you started that story at the point when you boarded the
plane, it just wouldn't be as interesting. With very few exceptions, a
well-told story does not proceed chronologically.
** 2. Make sure your story is relevant.
Open your article with a quick story that illustrates your main theme.
If your article is about what to see and do in Paris with young
children, it wouldn't make sense to start it with a story about your
disastrous plane ride. On the other hand, if your article is a how-to
piece that offers tips for smooth trips with young children, that
plane story could work just fine.
** 3. Use specific details. And rely on more than just your eyes to
find them.
Don't say "I was a wet mess on the plane" when you can, instead, take
your reader to the mess and show it to him. Vivid imagery is what
really engages a reader. And to get that, you need the specific
details.
The most powerful images aren't just about what you see. Think about
the smells, the sounds, the feel of things. When you include those
references in your descriptions, that's when they begin to take on
more dimension, to transport your reader.
And once you've done that... you've hooked him.
Your first reader is an editor. And if you can hook that editor with a
relevant, well-told story up front, you'll sell your article. I can
just about guarantee it.
[ED NOTE: There's a lot of "cross-over" between travel writing and
copywriting. The skills you foster for one invariably serve the other
well. Both kinds of writing can provide you the freedom to live
anywhere in the world… or travel wherever or whenever you like…
Here's the thing, though: Copywriting pays better. A lot better. And
if you can write travel articles, you can easily write sales copy.
Jen, for instance, writes a lot of sales copy about travel-related
topics. You could, too… and even find yourself pocketing six-figures a
year while you're at it. Learn more here:
http://www.thewriterslife.com/tw/freeshipping.]
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