Ask "Did You Know?" Questions

It's not overly dramatic to say your destiny hangs on the impression you make. TV journalist Barbara Walters

It's daunting, isn't it, to think the destiny of something you care about depends on your ability to create a favorable impression for it in the first minute?

That was how Kathleen Callendar, founder of PharmaJet, felt when she told me, "I've got good news and I've got bad news. Springboard Enterprises is giving me an opportunity to pitch to a room full of investors at the Paley Center in New York City."

I told her, "That is good news. Springboard has helped female entrepreneurs like Robin Chase of ZipCar receive more than $6.4 billion dollars in funding. What's the bad news?"

"I'm going at 2:30 and I have only ten minutes. You can't say anything in ten minutes. How can I possibly explain our team credentials, clinical trials, and financial projections in ten minutes?"

"Kathleen, you don't have ten minutes. Those investors will have heard sixteen other pitches. You have sixty seconds to break through the afternoon blahs and earn their attention."

Here is the intro we crafted that not only helped Kathleen win buy-in and funding, it helped her be named one of BusinessWeek's most promising social entrepreneurs of 2010.

Did you know there are 1.8 billion vaccinations given every year?

Did you know up to half of those vaccinations are given with reused needles?

Did you know we are spreading and perpetuating the very diseases we're trying to prevent?

Imagine if there was a painless, one-use needle for a fraction of the current cost.

You don't have to imagine it, we've created it. It's called PharmaJet, as this article shows ...

And she was off and running. Are you intrigued? So was everyone in that room.

Let's put this in perspective. The PharmaJet team used to open their presentations by explaining they were a "platform for a medical delivery device for subcutaneous inoculations."

Yikes. That intro would have lost people at hello. Yet that is how many people open their communications, with blah-blah-blah explanations that cause listeners to think "duh" or "huh?" They've already concluded this is "hard work," and they switch their attention to something more enjoyable or urgent. Kathleen had a competitive advantage because, one minute in, everyone was already curious and eager to know more.

How Else Can the "Did You Know?" Intro Be Used?

You can't just give someone a creativity injection. You have to create an environment for curiosity.

#1 rated TED talker Sir Ken Robinson

In case you're wondering if you can use this opening online and in print, as well as in person, the answer is a resounding yes. If fact, you may choose to follow Sean Keener's example. Sean and his BootsnAll team used a "Did you know?" opening in a sixty-second video posted on the home page of their website. He tells me it has helped their new product, Indie, become an instant success. His intro starts with:

Did you know you used to need a travel agent to book a multi-city trip with five stops?

Did you know it used to take up to forty-eight hours to book a five-stop trip?

Did you know it used to take up to five days to receive a price quote for a five-stop trip?

Imagine, if for the first time ever, you could plan and book a five-stop trip yourself, without ever having to use a travel agent?

Imagine if you could get your own price quotes for a multi-stop trip? Imagine if you could do all the above in less than an hour?

You don't have to imagine it; we've created it. It's called Indie.

Intrigued? So have been the thousands of people who have watched that video and were sufficiently intrigued to click on the link to find out more.

Ready for an example of how this opening can be used in print? Imagine you're writing an e-book on how to get hired in today's tough job market. You could start with this opening:

Did you know that:

* Of the 3.6 million job openings in 2012, 80 percent were never advertised?

* 118 people (on average) apply for any given job and only 20 percent get interviews?

* In 2013 in the United States, 53.6 percent of bachelor's degree holders under the age of twenty-five were jobless or underemployed?

Imagine if you could:

* Find out about quality jobs that were never advertised?

* Dramatically increase your likelihood of getting an interview this week?

* Learn ten new, yet proven ways to stand out in today's supercompetitive job market?

You don't have to imagine it. This sixty-page e-book shares real-life success stories of individuals who found jobs in three months as a result of these techniques. In fact, ....

Isn't that more interesting than most "tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em" openings that leave you thinking, You're insulting my intelligence. Just get to it! And in case you're curious, the statistics in this sample e-book copy are true. An Intrigue Agency team member found them, in less than five minutes, by GTS (Googling that Subject).

Three Steps to Crafting a "Did You Know?" Intro

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. astronomer Carl...