A balance of plot and connection is the key to turning boring topics into irresistible promos.

But all too often, marketers miss the mark.

“Research has shown the connection is often neglected,” said 602 Communications President Graeme N. Newell. “We usually default to plot.”

Newell and Marketing Trainer Greg Derkowski laid out how to incorporate this balancing technique “even when your story is a piece of crap,” during the session “Secrets of Making Promos That Work” at PromaxBDA Station Summit 2016 in Las Vegas on Thursday.

The trick, Newell said, is to get to the plot as quickly as possible to leave more “opportunity to really hit their heart.” And marketers can do this by building their promos backwards.

“The key is to make sure your copywriting is the very last thing you do,” Newell said. “And most promo writers do not do that. They start with the writing.”

Instead, marketers should start with the most flexible elements, beginning with music and moving on to soundbites, graphics and video.

“Now pause, right there,” Newell said. He suggests taking a minute to look at the inventory and then start creating your script. It will be too long, but it can be carved down.

“By writing it backwards, you’re going to make sure those connection elements … don’t get squeezed out by words,” he said.

In fact, Newell recommends using as few words as possible by throwing sentence structure out the window.

“If you’ve got a period in it, you’ve probably got a problem,” he said.

Eliminating verbs and writing into and out of soundbites are an effective methods to get to the plot as quickly as possible while leaving room to showcase emotion. Inserting sound bites into the middle of one long sentence is another way to get straight to the point while letting your subjects do the talking, he said.

And sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words. Visual elements can be used to tell viewers about the plot, leaving more room for voiceovers that hit highlight the characters and their emotional struggles.

Having said that, there are also some surefire ways to doom your promo. The same way that a vehicle driving along a seaside cliff is the epitome of every car commercial, the television business is full of “been there, seen that” cliche promos about dropping gas prices and stories that feature two sides of a debate, that give away too much of the story upfront.

But marketers can create cliffhangers that “unlock the surprise in our daily topicals“ by picking out the most important element of the story they’re trying to tell.

“It unlocks the most surprising facts, and that’s what grabs you,” Derkowski said. “You’re watching that story.”

Even as attention spans become shorter, Newell said, “master these skills and you’ll be able to entice and bring people in.”

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