This is one of my favorite copywriting and journalism techniques to use in your content to help with your retention and keep people glued until the end. It's based on something called a nut graf, and I have used it in pretty much every single piece of content I have created over the past 15 years.

I have a secret technique that stops people from scrolling away from your content. It's called a shoulder tap, it's based on a very popular journalism technique, and if you're able to implement this, which you can, because it's so easy, this is going to stop that massive drop-off after your hook. And also by the end of this video, you'll realize that I've already used a shoulder tap on you. When I trained as a journalist, I learned about something called a nut graph or a nut shell paragraph. Basically, after your opening line, you need a nut shell paragraph that summarizes why this story matters to the reader. And in short form content, you need this too. Because whenever somebody is scrolling, especially at speed, half paying attention, and they've never seen you before, they're asking, why should I watch this? But obviously, in a short video, you don't have time for an entire paragraph, so this needs to be one line, which is what I call the shoulder tap. This is delivered after your hook, your hook makes somebody stop, the shoulder tap makes them stay. And there are a couple of ways that you can do this. First of all, you can tap them by identity or by problem or by specific situation. So a beauty creator might say something like, this is why your foundation is going cakey by lunchtime. If you have dry skin and you've tried every primer on the market, this is for you. If you're a book creator, you could say something like, here are five thrillers with twists that you will not see coming. And if you're somebody who always guesses the ending, you're going to love this list. You can also do it by timing or urgency. You could say something like, this is the passport rule that always gets people turned away at the airport. And if you're traveling to Europe this year, check this on your passport to night. You can also show people what it's costing them by not watching your content. So something like, this is the toddler bedtime trick that nobody ever told me about. If bedtime is taking more than two hours every single night in your house, this could get you 14 hours a week back. You can do it by a mistake that people are making. So let's say you posted by anxiety, you could say something like, this is what to do when your heart starts racing. Most people take a deep breath in, but that can actually make it worse. To write your shoulder top line, you basically need to ask the question that your viewer is asking, why should I watch this? If you know your content is good and it's not getting the attention it deserves, lots of little copywriting and marketing techniques like this can actually make a difference. And if you want to learn loads more, I have a ton more of these in the content club, which is my course in community for creators. If you want more info, the link is in my bio.