He was bigger than me. Stronger. And more aggressive. And as expected, it was hitting me across the uneven grass like a piñata. But instead of being terrified or scared, I was getting more and more angry with my classmate bullying me. As passersby gawked at his antagonistic antics, he laughed!

At that moment I remembered the story of David and Goliath. How did things turn out for the little guy on that one? Oh yes, David killed the giant by gouging out the oaf’s eye. But I had no slingshot! And even if it did, you probably wouldn’t know what to do with it. All he had were two weak and ineffective fists.

Which is why what happened next would forever shape the way he viewed the conflict…

Leave your audience hanging… just a little

“So”, you may be wondering. “What happened after?” “Did the thug do us a favor and pulverize this guy or what?” But the last thing I want to do is reveal the result. That’s because the beginning of that story is there solely to plant a seed, a “seed of curiosity” in the minds of the readers, so that they stick with this entire article.

Curiosity serves as a great tool when you need to communicate an idea that requires a lot of explanation. For example, if you wanted someone to sign up for a seminar, donate to your charity, or try a mail order product.

Once you’ve read about “curiosity seeds,” I’m pretty sure you’ll start to notice them in advertisements and elsewhere. More importantly, you’ll have acquired a potent ingredient for writing your own compelling copy, no matter what your purpose.

The Known Advertising “Secret”

In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, I first heard the phrase “seeds of curiosity” while reading the book. Advertising Secrets of the Written Word, by newsroom king Joseph Sugarman. He explained the power of arousing people’s curiosity as a way to keep them transfixed by your message until you finish explaining it. We humans have a natural need to desire closure, finality, and completion to the things we experience. You can tap into that natural longing in the pieces you write.

Think about it, our movies and TV shows often have a beginning, middle, and end. Unless a book is really bad, we try to finish it and feel a little awkward if we don’t. We start home improvement projects and take great pride (and relief) when we finish them. And a feeling of failure when we don’t.

In the pieces you write, whether they’re short stories or long-form sales letters, the last thing you want to do is deliver something predictable and linear. Bo-o-ing. Our readers do not “do” boring. Look at the most successful and fascinating movies: sure they focus on the main character’s story, but what makes them really compelling is the presence of backstory, subplot, and even historical context. Everyone gives the story, even a fictional one, a sense of realism or “likeliness.”

And that’s how it is when you plant the seed of a mystery at the beginning of your writing. After planting the seed, he goes on to the body of his copy, noting the benefits and features of interest. All of these things you point out will support your main idea, which is that you, dear fellow writer, can enrich, energize, or entertain your reader enough to make what you ask of them worth doing.

Surrendering your end

OK, so you’ve almost gone all the way. It is time to reward the reader for following faithfully and patiently. It’s time for the reward, the money injection. It is time for the seed of curiosity to sprout.

Which brings me back to that day when I was being spanked by a guy who still had his baby teeth. “Bobby” was what today would be called a “hard target.” The punches bounced off his plump body like raindrops off a cormorant. Fighting him would have been suicidal. Like David the sling-miester, I went strategically and decided to go for an eye.

My nemesis reached out to give me another shove, but I hit him like a rattlesnake before he could even touch a finger. My knuckles, small as they were, made a direct connection to the soft eyeball. Bobby’s right eye exploded with pain, if his screams were any indicator.

In geopolitics and business, we often hear the phrase “might is right.” At least that’s what I heard in my house growing up. The big dog gets the bone, always. But my direct experience had just shown the opposite: even the big dog has at least one weakness. And the puppy can have many strengths: the ability to use tactics and strategies that give it leverage.

Seeds of curiosity are a tactic you can use to leverage your strengths against larger, more established, and well-entrenched competitors. So it’s time to plant!