Hey Reader,

I'll never forget the first time I read a post from a "writer" saying if you don't get up at 5am to write every day, you're never gonna make it.

Hot damn, the way my blood boiled.

"Don't you dare tell me to get out of bed before my toddlers make me, you a#$@#!"

Oof, that was cathartic.

Anyways, my point:

Getting readers emotional is the best way to make them remember you.

In my case, I was in the 10% of readers who had a negative reaction to his post. The other 90% probably loved him for it and set their alarms then and there.

Either way, I remember it vividly, and it's because science tells us that memories linked with strong emotions improve recall.

This is why emotional relevance is recall gold.

Why does recall matter?

Because it bridges the gap between awareness and action.

We're all competing for mental real estate in our readers' minds, so the more familiar and recognizable our content is, the more likely people will like us, follow us, resonate with us, and buy from us.

But here’s the thing: getting people to feel something doesn’t mean we need to be polarizing or tell them they must do something utterly stupid, like wake up at 5am to become a better writer, or else.

It’s about curating moments when readers think, “This is exactly what I needed,” or “Finally, someone gets it.”

Here are 3 of my favorite ways to get readers to feel something (so you can win mental real estate):

1. Tap into shared struggles

Whether it’s the chaos of work-life balance or the frustration of writer’s block, bring up the challenges they know too well and speak about them like you 100% get what they're going through. (Ideally, you do.)

Take this post I wrote the other day.

I saw yet another job description asking for writers with "5+ years experience," and it pissed me off.

I've shared the struggle of being a new writer who deserved a chance and being a hiring manager routinely frustrated by "experienced" writers who weren't nearly as coachable to our voice/style/tone/needs as newer ones.

So, I wrote this up with two audiences in mind:

1. Writers who are annoyed at the same thing and want a chance (people behind me)
2. People evaluating writers who are either prioritizing the wrong metric OR agree with me (peers)

I wanted to relate to writers, challenge my peers who are doing it wrong (IMO), and rally those who agree with me.

The post got 46k impressions because my background allowed me to tap into multiple sides of a complex struggle.

If you're keen to do something similar, here are a few prompts to ask yourself:

• What complex topic do I have a unique take on?
• What experience(s) do I have that allow me to speak to both sides of the equation?
• What does my industry keep getting wrong that feels like an obvious fix?

2. Ask yourself: “Why should they care?”

Every time you write, answer this question with your audience in mind.

In the example above, I knew my audience would care for so many reasons, primarily:

1. Writers are going through it at the moment. AI is confusing everyone, and nobody knows who the hell to hire or for what.
2. Budgets are also getting slashed.
3. But in the same breath, quality matters more than ever, and people often conflate experience with quality.

When you know the why, you’re way more likely to reach them where it counts.

3. Practice empathic listening

I always argue that the best writers are empathic listeners.

You have to understand and connect deeply to:

• What your audience is going through
• Why they feel the way they do
• What got them to this point in their lives/careers
• What they dream of achieving
• What, exactly, would get them closer to this dream
• What pisses them off
• What lights them up
• What's holding them back
• What their inner critic says to them
• What limiting beliefs they have

Then, you need to mirror those emotions back to them in your writing.

I wrote more about this in a previous newsletter.

I'll leave you with this:

It’s not just about landing in your audience's memory; it’s about staying there. If your content makes them consistently feel seen, they’re far more likely to recall you when they’re ready to act.

Cheers,

Erica

PS. 424 people picked up The Launch Content Playbook during the launch 🙏

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Results:

A few awesome testimonials:

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So, if you're interested, go check it out :)

Catch you soon!

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