This is the third in our “lazy, busy, selfish” readers series.

The essence of them is that even if your readers aren’t lazy, busy or selfish, if you assume they are you’ll get much better results.

Here’s how to write for selfish readers:

• Make it about them and how it affects them. E.g., don’t tell them you want to meet to tell them about your doodad; do some digging so you can say you want to meet to solve a problem you KNOW they’ve been struggling with (that your doodad fixes).

• Transmit on WII-FM. All readers are listening to this station: “What’s In It – For Me?” E.g., first tell your staff about how the new computers will improve their lives, and THEN about how good they’ll be for your company and your customers. Selfish first; idealism second.

• Use “YOU” more. Research shows that using words like “you”, “your”, “yours” and the reader’s name at least twice as much as “I”, “me”, “my”, “our”, etc, makes writing much more engaging. E.g., don’t say, “Customers who do X will get Y.” Say, “If YOU do X you’ll get Y.” (Capitals for emphasis only!)

• Specifics sell. You need all the persuasiveness you can muster to hook selfish readers. Selfish people are cynical, so quantifying some of your claims can boost your credibility. E.g. don’t say X will save them time; give them some idea of how much time it could save them.

As sales guru Zig Ziglar says, “You can get everything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.” ‘Nuff said.

Have I helped you get more of what you want? Got a “selfish” tip or experience you could share? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below…