. Tell a story
Steve Jobs told stories, usually about how Apple technology would change the world. Like all good stories, his had a beginning, middle and end.
More to the point, they had heroes and villains and lots of drama. Do you remember when he pulled the MacBook Air our of an envelope at Macworld?
2. Start with the narrative
Before you work up a slide or video presentation, work out how best to tell your story. Jobs spent a lot of time thinking, brainstorming, sketching and ‘white boarding’ the story outline. He spent years in the movie business, remember?
Once you’re sure of the best way to tell the story, you can start thinking about the supporting visuals.
3. Add variety for spice
Jobs used stunning visuals. He knew the story he wanted to tell, and used slides and props to support the story, not drive it. He didn’t give his audience time to get bored or distracted either. He mixed it up with video clips, demonstrations and other speakers. He added drama.
4. Use catchy headlines
‘iPod. One thousand songs in your pocket.’ Few of us have products like those Jobs held up to his audience, but we can still craft great headlines: ‘The 4 Words That Will Get Your Email Opened.’ ‘The Three Key Elements of Irresistible Email Subject Lines.’ The last two are from Brian Clark (www.copyblogger.com) who makes a living teaching others how to write.