Let’s admit it: we’ve all hyped a “live broadcast” like it was the second coming of Beyoncé, when in reality, it was some poor DJ sweating under a pop-up tent outside a mattress store handing out stickers. We’ve all been there. You’ve written that liner, too—the one that made a remote at Bob’s Big Screen Bonanza feel like a Rolling Stones farewell show. “Everyone will be there!” (They weren’t.) “Spin the prize wheel!” (For a keychain.) “Win circus tickets!” (To the off-brand animal-free circus with jugglers and disappointment.) It was loud, breathless, and completely detached from how real people talk, think, and listen. But there’s a fix. And it starts by flipping the mic around. The next time you write liners, imaging, or promos, stop and ask: Would your listener say that?
Would Your Listener Say That? Shifting from Inside-Out to Outside-In
