Captivate me in 30 seconds.

ASSIGNMENT

Your assignment is to captivate me with your brand, product or story.

As a venture capitalist and former Mashable editor, I get a lot of emails. Here's your chance to stand out from the rest and post your captivating work directly here in my class!

Use whichever medium you're most comfortable with (image, video, text) — just remember, it should be short and sweet, in order to capture immediate attention first and foremost.

Whether it's a screenshot of your portfolio, an ad you designed, a 30-second video clip, or even a PR stunt that you orchestrated, I'm looking forward to seeing one (or more) of the seven captivation triggers in your work.

DELIVERABLE

Upload your captivating story / image / website / video to the Project Gallery.

Make sure you incorporate at least 1 of the 7 captivation triggers in your Project.
Include a few notes on how you made it more captivating using the lessons in this class.
Comment on your fellow students' projects and let them know if they grabbed your attention!

Here are a few starting points of how you might illustrate any 1 of the 3 stages of attention:

Immediate Attention:
Share your logo, homepage, poster, or some kind of ad you designed (perhaps your most captivating project from another Skillshare class?)
Short Term Attention:
Write a mock “pitch email” or mission statement to sell your idea (one paragraph), or take it a step further and record it in a 30-second video.
Long Term Attention:
Show me you’ve built up brand loyalty — share a piece of fan feedback (i.e. Yelp review, Facebook comment, increased social metrics).

RESOURCES

Books

Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave by Adam Alter
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
Captivology: The Science of Capturing People's Attention by me!

Articles

7 Ways to Capture Someone’s Attention in Harvard Business Review
7 Tips From Author Ben Parr's "Captivology" On Grabbing Digital Attention in Forbes
Best Business Books 2015: Marketing in Strategy+Business Magazine

Other Skillshare classes you might enjoy:

How to Build Habit-Forming Products with Nir Eyal
Storytelling for Leaders: How to Craft Stories That Matter with Keith Yamashita
How to Present: Share Ideas That Inspire Action with Simon Sinek
The New Business Toolbox with Seth Godin
Content Marketing: Blogging for Growth with Eric Siu
SEO That Matters: Tactics and Strategy for Entrepreneurs with Rand Fishkin

Ben Parr

Author of Captivology & Venture Capitalist

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