How to Create a Free Report That Actually Gets Read And Acted On wortechnologies.com Marketing Infor

From a practical perspective, unless your prospect has a burning need for your services, it's unlikely they'll pick up the phone and contact you. Thus if your call-to-action is limited to Give us a call today to discuss your . . . you'll never hear from a large percentage of your readers. And that's a shame since there are likely to be lots of people who would like to learn more about you but are understandably wary of leaving themselves open to a full-bore sales pitch.

However, if the call-to-action is for more information you'll find that a healthy percentage will take that next step.

That's the role of the Free Report.

Your Free Report should build credibility for you and move the prospective client forward to the next step in the relationship building process. If they put down the report without taking that next step, then your report hasn't completely done its job.

So we want to build credibility AND move the process forward. Quite an agenda for a free report, but it's one that you can accomplish if you follow a sequence of steps.

What you want to do first is . . .

1) Develop an attention getting title:

Most writers don't give this the thought it deserves. I've tested hundreds reports and the conclusion I've reached is that what initially makes someone want to read your report is . . . your title.

Ideally when you send out a report you want people to be so interested that they stop what they're doing, and read it right then. That's my goal when I write a free report for a client, and I think that's a good goal for you.

So here's a tip. When you're developing your title focus on . . . Results.

That's what your reader wants. That's what they're interested in. That's what they're going to read.

For example this article isn't titled How To Write A Free Special Report. Its title is How To Write A Free Special Report That Actually Gets Read And Acted On. The "Gets Read And Acted On" are the results I'm presuming the reader of this article wants.

Thus, ask yourself, what result do your readers want?

Here's another tip. If you really want to make your headline compelling ask yourself this question; What would accomplishing the goal or solving the problem enable the reader to do that they can't do now? How would their life be easier?

Here's a fun example that illustrates this. Which would you rather read?

How to automate your business? Or How to set up your business so that it runs on autopilot so you can play golf?

Key Point: Identify what the desired result would be and include that in your title.

Here's another suggestion. Whenever possible your title should suggest TARGETED results. By this I mean that the more you reference your niche audience in the title, the greater the response and interest. Time Management for Physicians, Tax Tips for the Family Owned Business, 7 Things All Finance Directors Need To Know About Sarbanes Oxley.

Naturally there are all sorts of different titles that can work effectively. However let me share with you some "tried and true" formats that work real well.

• How to________In_______Steps
  How to develop a college recruiting strategy in 5 easy steps.
• How to____In________(Time Frame)
  How to get 75 new clients in the next 45 days.
• The Real Secret to Quickly__________
  The Real Secret to Quickly Getting New Employees Up to Speed
• Top 2 Ways To_____
  Top Two Ways to Avoid Hackers.
• 5_____ Mistakes That____ (Undesirable Result)
  5 Accounting mistakes that actually increase your tax liability.
• ____ Checklist: Are you_____
  Plant Startup Checklist: Are you on ready to open on schedule?
• The Hidden Costs of_____
  The Hidden Costs of systems implementation.
• 7 Simple Steps to_____
  7 Simple Steps to Acclimating a New Executive to Your Organization.

The bottom line is that your title is absolutely critical. That's why I urge you to give special attention to it when you begin writing your free special report.

In my next article we're going to move into the second part of the process; developing the content for your free report. I'll also discuss how to make sure your report gets read by incorporating great stories into the content, tips on tone and style, and a whole bunch of other stuff that will ensure your free special report actually gets read and acted on! Naturally if you have any questions don't hesitate to send them to mark@gentlerainmarketing.com or visit my website GentleRainMarketing.com.

About the Author
Mark Satterfield is the founder and CEO of Gentle Rain Marketing LLC. Since 1992 he has advised consultants, financial advisors and owners of small businesses on strategies for developing new business relationships. In addition to his consulting work, Mark has written over 250 articles on professional development which have appeared in publications including the Atlanta Constitution, the Los Angeles Times and numerous professional, trade and technical journals. He is also the author of five books, including Power Prospecting: How to Gain Access to Key Decision Makers, How to Negotiate the Raise You Deserve, and Career Etiquette. Find out more at www.gentlerainmarketing.com Mark Satterfield may be contacted at http://www.gentlerainmarketing.com. Click here to view more articles by Mark Satterfield.