It was all the way back in the 1920s when Edward Bernays, commonly known as “the father of public relations,” realised that the key to getting through to people is by tapping into their subconscious emotional desires.
A modern-day theory of how our brain operates states we have two systems. System 1 Is fast-thinking and impulsive, normally that fuelled by emotion. System 2 is slow, deliberate and fuelled by logic.
Let us look at 3 steps you can take to help ensure that your content is distributed is effective.
Step 1: Using Psychology in your Content Creation
Think fluency. Fluent content is easy to read and digest. To go a step further, think perceptual fluency, such as the ease of identifying characteristics e.g. colours. Remember, when it comes to fluency, simplicity is key. Aesthetically pleasing, fluent content is almost always simple. Think:
Easily readable fonts
Symmetry
Strong colour contrasts
If your content carries emotional charge, such as nostalgia, it won’t connect with readers. This is emotional contagion.
Step 2: Using Psychology in your Outreach
The use of case studies in your press releases are an effective way to tap into the aforesaid emotional System 1. Its effectiveness revolves around an empathy-generating method called homophily. This is where the tendency is for people to have socially significant ties with others. To augment this, the case study can be specifically tailored to the journalist or site you are attempting to get content promotion on. You can go one step further through the use of tools such as PAMCO, whereby you discover the site’s target demographics and gender, allowing you to tailor your case study accordingly.
Step 3: Using Psychology in your Emails
Compare the following two email subject lines:
· 10 Ways to Save Money
· 10 Surprising Ways to Save Money
Notice that the simple injection of an emotional trigger word sparks your interest by tapping into System 1.
With content creation be careful and considered adoption of these three steps, the chances of your content being seen online can only be increased.
Best of luck!
