BuzzFeed
A digital media company built on shareable viral content.
Where BuzzFeed comes up2 episodes and tests
How I WriteHow to Tell an Unforgettable Story (The Shaan Puri Interview)
How I WriteHow to Become a Bestselling Author (Mark Manson Interview)BuzzFeed wrote for a specific reader, "Debbie at her desk," a bored worker who wants a five-minute distraction to forward, and picked the target reaction before writing. Mark Manson copied its sales-copy approach for Facebook feeds, titling first, and grew his blog from about 100,000 to 2.5 million monthly readers in roughly three years. Lesson: define the reader and reaction, and craft the headline first.
- 1Imagine Debbie at her deskBored at work, wants a five-minute distraction
- 2Pick the reactionLaugh, WTF, OMG or aww
- 3Work backwards to contentWrite the post to produce that reaction
- 4Debbie forwards itShared with other bored people
From Shaan Puri on BuzzFeed's Debbie
What was said about BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed wrote for one imagined reader, Debbie at her desk. Debbie is bored at work and wants a five-minute distraction she can forward to other bored people. Writing for her meant picking the reaction first and working backwards from it.
Shaan Puri heard the same idea three times: Steven Bartlett's 'Jenny in her bedroom', BuzzFeed's Debbie, and an ad agency that starts from an emotion. His summary is that people share things that make them laugh, say WTF, say OMG or go aww. Chris Quigley's agency reports viral hits on 8 out of 10 videos using this method.
BuzzFeed applied sales copywriting to the Facebook news feed. Along with Upworthy, BuzzFeed used direct-sales copywriting techniques on headlines and the image under each post. Mark Manson watched this, spotted the Facebook shift early and copied the approach.
Manson began with a title that could carry a post, then found research and content to justify it. His blog grew from about 100,000 monthly readers to about 2.5 million between 2012 and early 2015.
How to Tell an Unforgettable Story (The Shaan Puri Interview)
Its version of the target-reader idea is Debbie at her desk. The bored-at-work network wants a five-minute distraction to forward to other bored people.
BuzzFeed wrote for one imagined reader, Debbie at her desk. Debbie is bored at work and wants a five-minute distraction she can forward to other bored people. Writing for her meant picking the reaction first and working backwards from it.
Shaan Puri heard the same idea three times: Steven Bartlett's 'Jenny in her bedroom', BuzzFeed's Debbie, and an ad agency that starts from an emotion. His summary is that people share things that make them laugh, say WTF, say OMG or go aww. Chris Quigley's agency reports viral hits on 8 out of 10 videos using this method.
How to Become a Bestselling Author (Mark Manson Interview)
Manson watched BuzzFeed and Upworthy apply sales copywriting to the Facebook news feed, which helped him spot the Facebook shift early and copy the approach.
BuzzFeed applied sales copywriting to the Facebook news feed. Along with Upworthy, BuzzFeed used direct-sales copywriting techniques on headlines and the image under each post. Mark Manson watched this, spotted the Facebook shift early and copied the approach.
Manson began with a title that could carry a post, then found research and content to justify it. His blog grew from about 100,000 monthly readers to about 2.5 million between 2012 and early 2015.
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