People like how you write, but they do not fan your texts? They find your articles useful, but they read them without pleasure?
Even to yourself, your very best texts do not seem so steep. You put your soul into them, but you still feel it – it’s not quite what you would like.
Perhaps your texts lack something special. Just remember. When you read your favorite authors, their ideas seem so clear to you, so clear, so simple … They are firmly deposited in your head. But with your texts exactly this does not happen.
Let’s see what they do not have. Maybe this? …
Super tool that you are afraid to use
Every successful entrepreneur who uses a blog to promote his business always has many tools. Some are tame as chisels, others are more serious and work automatically like a drill.
By the way, about the latter. Of course, they would greatly facilitate your work at home. But, if you are not a pro (especially women now understand me), you may even be afraid to use them. You do not know how to handle them properly. And sometimes you do not even know how they turn on. However, once you understand it, your life will be easier.
Why am I doing this? Yes to the fact that copywriting also has such tools. And one of them, the least used, is an analogy.
Here’s what it is: “Comparison of one concept with another in order to explain the meaning of this concept.”
Or even so: “When we talk about the thing X, we mean Y and use their similar features, although, at first glance, there is no relationship between them.”
I will give some examples:
- To publish content on holidays is how to teach a child to swim in a storm.
- To write to a blog that does not have an audience is how to teach in an empty classroom.
- To be at work that you hate is like being a fish thrown out of the water.
teach in an empty classroom
If you read a lot, then you can remember a lot of examples simply because such comparisons are almost visual and firmly settle in your head. Do you think it’s worth trying this tool in your texts?
Why do analogies do double work in less time?
The strength of analogies is that they use all familiar and understandable things to explain new ones.
So why do analogies work cool? There are 3 reasons.
1. Analogies attract attention
Analogies help to explain complex or complex concepts with the help of those that are close to the reader. They convey a new idea without immersing themselves in the intellectual jungle.
For example, in physics, current flow through wires is often compared with the flow of water through a pipe. Do water and current have something in common? No! Moreover, when mixing water and current, you know what is going on. However, in this context, they are quite similar in order to be used in comparison.
2. Analogies change the point of view
Many entrepreneurs work tirelessly on their texts when they do not yet have a fairly decent audience. At the same time, they are sure that this is an inevitable stage and “we just need to wait a little”. And readers will soon pull themselves up.
Do you remember the analogy I gave at the beginning of this article? To write texts for a zero audience is how to teach in an empty classroom.
Strong, is not it? A teacher who explains the material in front of an empty audience … It looks at least strange. Nevertheless, thousands of entrepreneurs do so constantly. And they wait until the “disciples” find them themselves, without even trying to “leave the classroom” and come to their audience.
This analogy makes it possible to look at the situation from another angle, from which everything looks not so rosy at all. That is why analogies are so convincing: they use truthful facts about one concept in relation to another. They allow you to look at the subject differently.
3. Analogies – enemies of boredom
Analogies make your texts brighter, clearer and more interesting. People love unexpected connections and comparisons. It activates the imagination and allows you to keep the audience in good shape. For example, blogging without a strategy can be compared to a fight with a blindfold. Just one capacious comparison – and you immediately understood what was meant, was not it?
Experienced teachers often use analogies in their lessons. Not only because it simplifies the understanding of the material. But also because it makes lessons more alive.
The main idea is that the perception of a new material is hard work. And if the material is also dry and uninteresting, then no one can perceive it as it should be. A capacious analogy in this case is an effective remedy.
How to find the ideal analogy
I admit, it is difficult. And often the most interesting and effective analogies are so obvious that they are the hardest to find. Of course, in a fit of inspiration it’s easy. But is it worth always to rely on your muse?
Now I will tell you a secret that will allow you to find a cool analogy in just 3 steps.
1. List the distinctive features of the concept X
How can you describe what you are writing about? For example, you are blogging about building a career. And they decided to write a post about a painful period when you work in one company, but you are already looking for another place.
So, you tell me how to write a resume at lunch time. How they disappeared to answer the calls of the new employer, while trying at the very least to fulfill their duties at their current work. What are the distinguishing features of this situation?
For example:
Secrecy. As a rule, you do not put colleagues (and even more so the authorities) in the knowledge that you are looking for a new job.
Secret meetings. You leave work early to attend an interview, thinking up the unimaginable reasons for your absence.
Guilt. You feel uncomfortable, because you have to be not completely honest with others. But you do not see any other way out.
2. Try to find concepts with the same characteristics
For each feature of the concept X, find another concept that has the same characteristics.
Given the example above, please reply:
- What other situations require secrecy?
- When else do you have to lie about where you are and what you are doing?
- In what other situations do you feel guilty?
I come to mind the following:
- Work as a government spy. Here, too, secrecy is needed. You have to lie to friends and relatives about where you were and what you were doing at a certain time. There is a sense of guilt from conducting a double life.
- Preparing a surprise for the birthday. You do not want the birthday boy to learn about the upcoming surprise. You have to secretly meet with friends, order a restaurant, buy gifts and so on. You partly feel guilty (even though you do not do anything wrong).
- The affair is on the side. You do not want the second half to find out about this. You are deceiving to cover up your adventures. The sense of guilt is absolutely natural.
3. Test the analogy and look for other similarities and differences
Once you have picked up the options, find the differences between the two concepts and consider whether they can destroy the analogy.
For example, work by a government spy is not very suitable. This is not a short-term situation, like job search. Is this a strong difference and can it destroy the analogy? Maybe. The difference is also that if you are a government spy, then you do not need to hide your affairs from your superiors. This really weakens the analogy and can embarrass the reader.
The second situation is similar to the search for a new job, because this is also a short-term period. But unlike the search for work, party planning is not a search for something new.
And what about the intrigue on the side? You can say that this is, rather, not the search for a new job, but additional work elsewhere. But sometimes the intrigues turn into a new marriage. So, these situations have something similar. There are other similarities: for example, the scenario develops similarly if you are caught. At work, you are likely to be fired, and your second half is likely to leave you.
So, this is the most suitable analogy of the 3 found. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough. Should I look further?
3 indicators of incorrect analogy
Choosing the right comparison from several options is a real art. But there are 3 indicators that none of your ideas are 100% fit:
- 2 concepts have more differences than similarities;
- 2 concepts are similar to most points of view, but in the main they are different;
- The concept that you use as an analogy is too long to explain or difficult to understand.
The key here is this: try to analyze whether the analogy of the situation makes it clearer and easier to understand or better at all without it?
3 ways to use the analogy at full power
When you are already used to this new instrument, remember 3 simple rules:
1. Transfer abstract concepts to life
Some ideas are very difficult to understand, because they are completely abstract. For example, the very concept of “conveying an idea to others” is an abstract one. How can I describe it? Using an analogy, you can compare it with the assembly of furniture Ikea. Assembling furniture, the detail by detail is a more tangible concept, and it has much in common with “assembling” an idea in someone’s head.
2. Use strong emotions from another context
Sometimes the advantage of analogy is not the knowledge of the concept used for comparison, but the emotion it brings. For example, a singer who has lost his voice and can no longer rejoice the audience can be compared to a superhero who has lost his abilities.
Find the right analogy. Then the feelings and emotions will explain your idea better than any words.
3. Be simple – explain with humor
Have you ever heard the concept of a “seagull manager”? This is the manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, crap at all and flies away. I think you all can remember this character.
Sometimes the correct analogy brings humor even in the driest and most uninteresting text. Classical analogies are hard to find – that’s why this technique is suitable only for strong authors. But if you find a gift to look for excellent analogies – people will quote you for years.
Unpack, turn on and go!
Analogy is one of the most powerful tools. This is a real puncher in the arsenal of any author. Yes, they need to be treated competently. But if you remember all the chips that I told you about, finding an analogy will be as easy as using a screwdriver.
Picture Credit : StartupStockPhotos