I don’t need to look at sales
to know how well a story is doing.
Immediate feedback from readers
signals whether or not a story will sell.
If I have to use lines and lines of copy
to sell a story,
it isn’t going to sell well.
A story that sells well
sells with one line.
I see/feel the immediate excitement.
Clearly it makes sense to pitch the one-liner
to a limited trusted group
BEFORE I write the story
(launch the product).
“Walk people in your target market
through your vision.
Take their feedback into account
and look for patterns.
Your concept may make
a ton of sense in your mind,
but it may not make sense to customers.
If they don’t “get it”
or see value in it,
chances are they won’t give you money
—which is what you’re typically after.”
Pitch your one liner
and watch the reaction.