“Show, don’t tell” is one of the most repeated adages writers hear.
The phrase is a reminder that it’s far more powerful to paint a picture for readers than to tell them what to think, how to feel, or what to do. Show them enough, and readers will arrive at their own conclusions or explore to learn more.
Content marketing writers sometimes forget this lesson – defaulting to telling the audience things. I’m sure you know how this happens. Marketing or sales departments want to let the audience know about a new product, a new promotion, a new executive, or some other new development, and they filter that messaging to the content team. Busy content creators get to the task of creating content to support that messaging.
But if the writers forget a crucial step, the content may miss the mark with the audience – even when it fits the marketing brief. That step was drilled into me by a great editor who asked me this question for every story: “Why should our audience care about this?”
