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Blogging 101: How to Counter Your Reader's Objections · The Daily Writer

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: You've worked hard to create content that teaches or inspires your reader.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: You're ready to release it to the world, except there's one little problem.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: You haven't thought through your reader's objections.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to dive into this critical topic on this episode of the Smart Business Writing Podcast.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks so much for joining me.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm a ghostwriter and professor of communications.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is the show that helps you write amazing content so you can save time, stand out from the competition, and get more leads that turn into customers or clients.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now, before we get into today's main topic, which is reader objections, I want to give you a quick reminder that we're going to be doing a pivot on this podcast starting November the 1st.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if you missed that announcement, here's the basic gist of it.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to be transitioning this podcast, Smart Business Writing, to a different show called The Daily Writer.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the two shows will be very similar in a lot of ways, but the main focus of the new show is going to be on writing habits, success, and mindset.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it's going to be geared more toward writers and less toward the business side of writing, if that makes sense.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: There's still going to be teaching episodes and interviews, and the weekdays are going to be very short episodes with a quick thought or meditation for writers.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm going to be sharing more details about this on November the 1st when the new show launches.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: But if you'd like more details now, particularly about why I'm switching and what I hope to accomplish with the new show and kind of what led up to all this, you can go back and listen to my special announcement episode that I put out on November, I'm sorry, on October the 5th.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: So October the 5th, that's the episode where I really kind of share the background story of all this.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: All right, let's get on to today's main topic, which is dealing with reader objections.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this might seem like a strange topic because reader objections don't usually come up in conversations whenever people talk about writing good content.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: But it's vital because you have to think about your reader.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you can create a great book chapter, a great speech, a great lesson, sermon, blog post, podcast, or whatever, but you have to think about your content from the reader's point of view.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: And this really all comes down to understanding your reader's psychology and what's important to them.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: And as I've said in previous episodes of this blogging 101 series, this is going to apply to almost any type of content.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: The only exceptions being fiction.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: And this is not necessarily going to apply to narrative nonfiction.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: For example, you know, a lot of journalism pieces are narrative-based.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: So they're telling a story about a situation or an issue or a topic or something.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: We're not really talking about those kinds of things.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm more talking about content where you have an introduction, you have several main points or sections, then you have kind of a conclusion or call to action.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: We'll get to the call to action in the next episode of this blogging 101 series.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: But today I want us to think through reader objections and what these are all about.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Reader objections are the mental and emotional roadblocks that a reader experiences when they read or hear your content.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now there can be a variety of reasons why a reader objects to what you're saying, but I think that it all comes down to a loss in some way.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: When a person feels like something is being taken away from them or they feel like they're losing something, that's when they object.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you're speaking to a group of people and you can see their faces, you're not always going to be able to tell if they're objecting because many times this is an internal dialogue they're having with you.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Again, even if you're there with them in person, you can't always tell what people are thinking by their faces.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I think many times, and not just if we're in an audience somewhere, but many times in life in general, our expressions and the things that we say and the things that we project to people are designed to almost kind of distract people from what we really feel and think inside.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's a topic for no that's a whole other topic for a different episode, but I think that is pretty fascinating that what we project to people, oftentimes it's not what we really think and feel about things.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Remember what we talked about earlier in the series, and this goes back to I think the first or second episode in this blogging one-on-one series, and that is that there's only two reasons why people do anything as humans.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: We really only have two motivations when you get right down to it.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: And our two motivations are seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Anything that we do in life, we do to seek pleasure and we do it to avoid pain.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to lose something, so we perceive that as a pain.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever we feel like we're we're losing time, we're losing energy, we're losing money, we perceive that as a point of pain for us.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why sometimes we well, that's why oftentimes, not just sometimes, that's why oftentimes we object to things that we see.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: We object to pitches that people give to us, we object to uh sales pitches and commercials and getting junk mail in our mailbox.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: We we have objections to all these things because we don't want to lose something, whether that's losing time, money, freedom, or whatever it is that we perceive that is going to be taken away from us if we do what's being asked of us.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: As humans, we are hardwired to do everything we can to survive and to protect the things that are most precious to us, which is our family, our health, our safety, our money and resources, our time, and our freedom.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Those are really the main things that we care most about in life.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: And whenever we perceive that something is threatening that, then we object to it.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're sitting in an audience and you're hearing a speaker, that speaker probably doesn't have a gun to your head and they're not like threatening your family or your safety or something.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, these can be very minor types of things where the speaker is saying, you need to change this, you need to change this, you need to hustle more, you need to work 100 hours a week to build your business or whatever it is.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: If they're saying that, we're internally objecting to that, and we perceive that as a pain point.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to feel the pain of working too much and losing our family.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to feel the pain of working 100 hours a week and not being healthy or losing something else that's important to us.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that's kind of an exaggerated example just off the top of my head, but you understand where I'm going with this.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: So when a reader feels threatened by something that you're suggesting in your writing, even if you're trying to help them, whenever they feel that threat, whenever they feel that sense of potential loss, if they do what you're asking them to do, they're going to object to it unless they have a good reason to accept what you're saying.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: And here are some reasons that people typically object to things.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's too expensive, it takes too much time, it's too complicated, they don't see why they need it, and there's probably hundreds of other reasons, but those are the main ones that I can think of off the top of my head.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, people like comfort and they like predictability.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, people don't want to feel threatened by something that's different unless it presents what they feel is a positive change.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: People will change if they think they're they're going to be better off from that change.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to give people a reason to change, or really, better yet, you have to give them multiple reasons to change and to do what you're asking them to do.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: They have to feel that taking action on what you're saying or what you're or buying what you're offering, they have to feel that it's worth the price of change, or that it's worth the price of whatever you're charging for your service or product.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Whether that be they're parting with some money, they're taking some kind of action or doing something uncomfortable or signing up for something or whatever it is that you want them to do.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: So as you're creating content, you have to put yourself in the reader's shoes and you have to do something that's so important in all of our relationships and our communication.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that something is that we have to empathize with the reader.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: People want to feel like you hear them.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: They want to feel like you understand them.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: They want to feel like you know what it's like to be in their position or you know what it's like to walk in their shoes.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: They want to know that you understand their pains and their frustrations in life.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: So if you can think through those things and you can address those potential objections before the reader even raises those objections, that goes a long way toward persuading them to do what whatever it is that you're asking of them.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: So let's take a super common example, which is losing weight.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, lots of people can relate to that.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: Let's say you're writing an article on three ways to eat healthier during the holiday season.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: And your three main points are plan your meals in advance, avoid the cookies in the break room at work, and ask for accountability from a friend.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: So let's break down some of the objections that people might have to those pain points.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, the first point of this imaginary article on uh three ways to eat healthier during the holidays.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the first point that you would have: plan your meals in advance.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, if you're saying plan your meals in advance, what are some objections that the reader might have to that?
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: So as soon as you say plan your meals in advance if you want to eat healthier during the holidays, the reader might say, Well, that takes too much time.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: That takes too much effort, and I've never done it before.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, those are pain points that the reader is going to have.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, as a person who's writing the article, you might think, well, those are silly, those are inconsequential, that's juvenile, that's whatever.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: But you can't just blow off potential pain that the reader feels internally.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: You can't just ignore things that they feel like are important just because you don't think they're important.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Again, this is all about creating content that serves the reader.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to seriously take into consideration the things that they feel like are important.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: We have to think about the reasons they're not going to do what we suggest.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Even if something comes easy for us, it may not come easy for them.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: I deal with this all the time as a college prof, and sometimes with clients as well, but let's take the college prof example just for a second.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: So, one of the things that I teach, and I've taught this for years, is I teach students guitar.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I've played guitar since I was a teenager, so I played it for about 85 years.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm just kidding.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: So whenever I sit down with students and I teach them guitar, uh in fact, this happened just this semester where I've got a student who is a first-time guitar player.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I've played guitar for a long time, and I know that if you practice, you'll get better.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: I know that if you keep on working on the chords, that you'll eventually develop calluses on your fingertips.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: I know that if you just do what I tell you to do, you will be successful hands down, because I've been doing this a long time.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: But the student doesn't have that life experience to help them to know they're gonna be comfortable.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I have to think about their pain points.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: So the student I have this semester, I have to think about his pain points.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: I have to understand in my own mind that he's gonna get frustrated about two weeks in because his fingers hurt, he's not making progress as fast as he wants, and probably five or six other reasons.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: But I have to think like him and not think like me, if that all makes sense.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: So back to our example of planning meals in advance.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, the objections that a reader might have is that planning meals in advance takes too much time, it takes too much effort, and I've never done it before.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: So, again, those are pain points the reader has.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: And the reality is that we don't like to spend a lot of time on stuff.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: We don't like hassles, and we usually don't want to try new things.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: So you would need to address those issues in that point in that article if you wanted to really convince the reader that they need to plan their meals in advance.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's take point number two in this imaginary article, which is avoid the cookies in the break room at work.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you were suggesting that, what are the potential objections that a reader would have as soon as you say that?
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: They might think something like, Well, yeah, but I really crave sweets in the afternoon.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Or they would they might say, Well, my co-workers put all this pressure on me.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if I don't eat the cookies in the break room, then I'm gonna look kind of silly and they're gonna sort of give me a hard time and and I'm it's gonna feel socially awkward.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Or they might say, Well, you know, my friend and coworker Sally, she makes these amazing cookies during the holiday season, and I only get to have those once a year.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, those are all pain points that the reader might be thinking or feeling.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: So the reader's thinking, how am I gonna deal with the pain of these afternoon cravings?
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: How am I going to deal with the pain of social pressure from coworkers?
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: How am I gonna deal with the pain of not having Sally's once a year cookies that I love so much?
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Now, again, those sound kind of juvenile a little bit, but those are the kind of things that really drive us.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: We're not complicated people.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: We want to fit in, we want to enjoy the pleasures of food, we want to be comfortable, and we don't like change.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: So that basically describes 99.9% of people all the time, right?
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: We like to fit in.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we want to be socially accepted, we don't want to deal with hassles.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, for example, let me give you a perfect example.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Why do we have an obesity problem in the U.S.?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's not because we're complicated, it's because most of the time we give in to our bad impulses too often, and we don't like the discomfort of limiting our calories, and we don't like the hassle and the discomfort and the pain of exercising.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly why we have an obesity problem in the U.S.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's not complicated.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: We have this problem because we love to seek pleasure, we love the pleasure of food and of desserts and of fast food, and we typically avoid the pain of exercise or of getting or of getting healthier.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: So even if you you don't agree with the reader on those objections, even if you think their objections are silly and and you think, well, they're they're just being lazy or they're they just don't want to work hard or whatever, you've got to put yourself inside their head and you've got to try to empathize with what they're feeling.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: They want to see that you understand them.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: They want to feel that you understand the things that they're thinking and feeling.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Let's have one more example from our imaginary article, which is three ways to eat healthier during the holidays.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, point number three would be ask for accountability from a friend.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when you say that in your imaginary article, uh, what kinds of objections might the reader have?
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: They might say something like, Well, I've never asked for accountability before, and I don't know how to do that.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: They might think, Well, I can't think of anybody to ask.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Or they might think, What happens if I fail and then I feel embarrassed, and I've asked a friend to be an accountability partner, and then I have to come cling to them, and it makes it all awkward and all that.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you know how our minds work.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we have one little thing and that snowballs into a big gigantic ordeal.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's a very dramatic thing.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's how our minds work sometimes.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Again, remember that we're not people who are driven by logic.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: We are people who are driven by emotion.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes as we're writing this nonfiction content, as we're writing our sermons and lessons and blog posts and articles and stuff, we tend to approach it very rationally and logically.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, especially if you're an analytical person like I am.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an Enneagram 5.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I tend to not be super emotional most of the time.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so I kind of approach life in a logical way, but but the problem is I don't always act logically.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe I don't usually even act logically, and you probably don't either.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: We're not people of logic, we're people of impulse, we're people of emotion.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: So when you say ask for accountability from a friend, realize that that's a big deal for most people.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, those are some very real concerns that people have about asking for accountability.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: So put yourself in the reader's shoes and give them some solutions that really address their concerns.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let's talk about some specific ways that we can counter those objections.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: Let me give you four ultra specific strategies.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you can use a mixture of these, you can use all of these or none of these if you want.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, it's your life, I guess.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm here trying to help you and give you some stuff that uh that I think will work.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um I use this stuff and I think it really does work.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: And when it's used on me, whenever people use these things in writing and I read it, it works on me.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in here.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: Four specific ways to counter objections.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is give examples of people who have succeeded.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: For example, um, speaking of examples, let me give you an example.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm using the Noom app right now to help me lose some weight and get healthier.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: And this is something that the Noom people do really successfully.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: In the app, they oftentimes tell you a story about a person who's followed the program and they've they've kept the weight off.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: And this is awesome because it helps you to see that you're not alone.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it helps you to see that you can have success with the program.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, everything everything in life is kind of, you know, it's all theory until we put hands and feet on it.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: And when you put hands and feet on something, when you share the story of someone who's had success with whatever it is that you're talking about, that goes a long way toward answering that person's objections.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: Number two is give incentives.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: Now we all love incentives to change.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure and help your readers see the benefits of doing what you're asking them to do.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of possible incentives.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's a lot of possible benefits physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, social, financial, and so on and so on.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: But think about these and give your reader some reasons to follow through.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: And you can also emphasize the urgency of the situation, like if you really want to ratchet it up to level 10, you can emphasize the urgency of the situation and why they need to change right now.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, help the reader visualize a better future.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: This is a technique that's often used in setting goals.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, this is something that Nume does really well, also.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: They help you think through your goals and what you're going to feel like when you're healthier.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, how can you help your reader picture a better future than the one they have now?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, the fourth way to counter your reader's objections is to use data, statistics, and science.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I mentioned a minute ago that we're all creatures of emotion and impulse, and that's very true.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: But also keep in mind the opposite that some people are not motivated by those things.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: Some people are motivated more by reason and logic.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: For example, if you're dealing with an overachiever, okay, the the guy or the gal who made all straight A's in school, and if you say something like, 97% of people will try this and fail, well, that person, that overachiever, is going to be very motivated to succeed because they want to be in that top 3%.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: Again, this is the person who always made straight A's in school.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: And if you use data or stats like that, that's going to automatically motivate them because they always want to be on top.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: So remember that some people are motivated by emotional arguments.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: Some people are motivated by stories, some people are motivated by examples, and some by data, stats, or science.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, to summarize here before we begin to wind up this episode, um, those four ways to counter the reader's objections are to give examples of people who have succeeded, give an incentive, help their reader visualize a better future, and use data, statistics, and science.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this might all sound like we're trying to manipulate readers and almost do some kind of reverse psychology on them, you know, when we're thinking through their objections and then countering those before they even raise them.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: But really, that's not it at all.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: All that we're doing is we're trying to put ourselves in the shoes of our readers.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: We're imagining what they think and feel about our topic.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: And this to me is the best way that we can serve our readers.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: We take their pain points and their experience into consideration.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: And why do we do that?
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: We do that because we care about them.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: We want the best for them.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: And ultimately what we do as writers has to be motivated by love.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: I know that sounds very Pollyanna, especially in a year like 2020 where there's so much hatred and division and divisiveness.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: But I really believe this.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, this is legit what I think.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: Is that if you don't love the people that you're serving with your writing, then then don't write.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, if you're motivated by just money, if you're motivated by just um, if you're if you're motivated by wanting to just make a name for yourself, if you're motivated because you like the status that comes with being an author or with being a writer, then you shouldn't be writing.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I really do think that.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, just get out right now if that's your motive.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I because if you're listening to this podcast, I don't think that's your motive, by the way.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm just kind of putting it out there and saying that our motive, our number one motive should be to help people.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: Our number one motive should be that we love people and we want to serve them and we want to help them and we want to add value to the world and we want to do good things because we ultimately care about people.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: And if we do that, then the other things will follow.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: We'll we'll develop more readers.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think it will make more money.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's just kind of like a proven thing.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, people will like us more, we'll have better social relationships.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's all kinds of good things that come out of doing things for the right reasons and with the right motives.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's really important to think about that.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: And we're thinking about these reader objections because we care about the readers and we're trying to put ourselves in their shoes and think about what life is like from their perspective.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I think people appreciate that.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: People like the fact that we're thinking about them and their needs, we're not just kind of blowing smoke or just putting info out there just so we can put that out there and move on to the next thing.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one more thing, um, you might find that when you're thinking about potential reader objections, that you can't figure out a way to adequately address some of those.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: So if you say, you know, here's what we should be doing, um, here's my suggestion, here's three steps to do whatever, and then you can't think of a way to address the reader objections to your points, then that's helpful because that means that we might need to change our content in some way.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if we develop a product and we can't think of ways to counter reader objections to to buying our product or service, that might mean that our product or service is flawed in some way.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so thinking through these thinking through these objections can actually help us improve what we're doing and serve the reader in a deeper in a deeper way because they bring up um points of improvement before the reader does, and that's always a good thing.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: If we can realize our flaws, and if we can can recognize the uh the potential downfalls in what we're doing before somebody else does, that's always a good thing.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one quick word to freelancers and ghostwriters.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so if you're a freelancer or you're a ghostwriter, listen up here.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you're pitching ideas to clients, make sure and include something about reader objections, if you can, and if it fits into what you're what you're doing.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, for example, when I created a book proposal for the book that I'm currently working on, and I sent that to a client, this is before I even had the gig.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I basically wrote a whole book out, a detailed book outline, and sent it to them and said, here's how I would do this book, and they loved it, and I got the gig because of it.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: When I put that proposal together, I did a big section in there where I basically went through every chapter of the book.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: The book has 12 chapters.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: I went through every chapter of the book and I thought through potential reader objections to what I would be saying in the book.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then I developed different ways that we could counter those objections within the book.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: So that really, really does work.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you do that for your clients, they know that you're really paying attention.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: They know that you're a detailed person, and they they know that you're thoughtful and care about the reader.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that really is helpful.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: All right, uh, friends, that's all I have for this episode.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, as always, I appreciate you listening, and I hope that this has been helpful.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: As always, you can find lots more resources for writers at KentSanders.net.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: And make sure to be on the lookout for this new version of the podcast, which is called The Daily Writer, which launches on Sunday, November the 1st.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that your writing has the power to change people's lives.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you in the next episode.