GUEST POST: Use the Rule of Three Trick to Create Better Content

If you have ever sat in front of a blank screen drumming your fingers to find something new to say, you’re not alone. Creating compelling content on a regular basis is a challenge for anyone, no matter how experienced they are. Even professional writers call it the fear of the blank page.

The hard part isn’t generating a point you want to make, it’s filling in the details so your thought is long enough to add value, both as an argument and for search engine optimization.

There is a trick you can apply right now that is so powerful, and yet so simple, it will transform the way you approach writing and content so you never have to be stuck again. It’s called The Rule of Three.

Why is 3 so powerful?

Our brains are wired to put new information into context so we understand how or why something belongs based on what we already know. Three is the smallest number needed to create a pattern, which tells us how things fit together.

Look around a little, and you’ll see patterns of three everywhere.

• Stop. Drop. Roll.
• Ready. Aim. Fire.
• Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (U.S. Declaration of Independence)
• Blood, sweat, and tears. (Interestingly Churchill originally said, “Blood, sweat, toil and tears, but has been shortened to greater effect)
• I came, I saw, I conquered. (Julius Caesar)
• Father, Son & Holy Spirit
• Ebenezer Scrooge’s three ghosts (Charles Dickens)

Steve jobs famously put the Rule of Three to work when Apple launched market-changing products. He introduced the iPhone as the third ground-breaking product, joining the Macintosh and iPod, and it did three things: phone, iPod, and internet device. Three years later, Jobs pitched the iPad as the third essential device, along with the computer and the smartphone. Creating these sets of three products or functions placed the new idea in a framework that immediately resonated.

 How to use the Rule of Three today

You can take that same technique and apply it to your content to make it easier, faster and more compelling than ever. Don’t be surprised… there are three steps.

Step 1: Brainstorm. Either on your computer or a piece of paper, write down your main idea, and then three support bullets.  Here’s an example from above.

Main Idea: If your clothes catch on fire, you need to put the flames out quickly.

Support 1: Stop

Support 2: Drop

Support 3: Roll

Step 2: Fill in the details.

Once you have your support points, you’ll need to expand on them to convince your readers of their validity. I like to use another Rule of Three here, called the S.E.E. method: Support, Explain, Evidence.

Support Point: If you run around with your clothes on fire, the most important thing to do is stop.

Explain: Running adds oxygen to the flames, makes it harder for people to help you, and increases the time you’re in contact with the fire.

Evidence: Recently, the New York Times reported a man died from burns after running down the street with his clothes on fire.

Step 3: Write the lead-in to the main idea and the conclusion. Once you know where you’re going, it’s a simple matter to set up the case for your main idea up front, and then restate its importance in a concluding paragraph.

Final Word

When that blank page is staring you down, take the well-worn Rule of Three road. If it worked for Jobs, Jefferson and Churchill, you can count on it to work for you, too.

_____________

 

Nikki Getman built her 15-plus year career on breakthrough customer marketing programs for national and niche brands, including Men‘s Health, Runner‘s World, Bicycling, Rodales.com, and Magazines.com.  She is owner and principal of Apio Associates LLC, a consulting practice strategically and tactically connecting businesses to customers. To better serve the needs of small businesses, she launched MyWebsiteCounselor.com in 2015. Her expertise has been featured in various marketing trade publications, and she has served as a requested speaker and panelist for national marketing conferences. In 1999, Nikki received her Master’s Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and sons.