Written by Karen D. Swim
Have you heard the expression “All sizzle and no steak?” It is an old saying that means lots of flash or style but no substance. Sales people are admonished to sell the sizzle not the steak! However, in business, sizzle may attract initial interest but you have to back it up with steak or you will not be able to keep your customers at the dinner table! 
However all steak and no sizzle is just as bad! Steak without the presentation can come across as dry and boring. Many educators have learned this lesson and find ways to add a little entertainment and relevance to difficult material to engage their students. The substance does not change but adding style enhances the content and draws in the reader or listener.
Let’s face it packaging matters. You can put pretty words on a dull package and buyers are likely to pass it by for the more attractive package. A highly credentialed job seeker with a flat, boring resume is unlikely to get an interview. Sizzle matters folks. Purists may try to sell the value of substance and having the right stuff but without the packaging, your marketing is going nowhere.
So how do you dress it up without “dumbing” it down? Glad you asked!
- Use images. Powerful images tell a story and evoke an emotional response. An image that aligns with your brand can leave a powerful, positive impression. Have you ever viewed a
photo in a travel brochure that made you sigh aloud with desire? How often has a delectable food photo awakened a sudden craving? This is sizzle baby at its finest! An image that gets the senses firing until the reader is touching, tasting and feeling the experience. - Make it visually appealing. A visually appealing layout will enhance your marketing message. The key is to make the layout attractive but not distracting. The use of white space, clean lines and clear focal points can make your message dazzling rather than dizzying.
- Seduce them with words. Your words can wrap themselves around the reader like a cashmere wrap causing them to purr with delight. Food, travel and luxury writers have a deep understanding about the art of seduction in writing. They romance you with words that melt your insides. They paint a picture with words: “A storm had come through the night I arrived, and the following morning was brilliant—hard cornflower blue sky, light that brought out the folds and pleats of the landscape, and a wind like the wake of a wide-body.” (Walther, Gary, New Tuscan Trio, May/June 2008)
- Engage your audience with storytelling. Wrap your facts and benefits in a story that makes your audience experience your product or service on a deeper level. Make them laugh, cry, giggle or get angry but by golly lead them to action with a good story.
- Tastefully accessorize. A pair of jeans can from ho hum to hot with a great belt and a sizzling pair of shoes. You may not have a Madison Avenue marketing budget but you can add sizzle with the right accessory. Your accessory can become your signature touch and can be as simple as a decorative font for your name, a signature sign-off or even a color. Accessories can personalize your marketing and enforce your brand even on a shoe-string budget.
So go ahead and add a little sass and flash, you can never go wrong when you serve up your steak with a little sizzle!
Have you ever been enticed to buy something because of the sizzle? How do you add sizzle to your own marketing efforts? Please feel free to share your comments, questions or tips in the comment box. If you have a marketing issue and need one-on-one help contact me by email at karenswim at gmail dot com.
Resources:
Bob Younce’s Series on Food Bloggers – Helpful tips and techniques that you can apply to any writing style
Joe Vitale – Industry expert in hypnotic marketing techniques
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Hi Truby! You are always so kind! I would love to hear any tips you have too or results if you implement any of these. 🙂
Thanks Karen for these sizzling tips. You sure do know how to steam up a crowd. Very appealing to say the least. Tastefully accessorize.
My next one to work on is storytelling. I do it well when I teach a class, but committing stories to my blog is tough for me.
I struggled with images for a long time…take pictures, resize, upload…etc. I changed: now I use images from the web, public domain or CC licensed images. It’s easy!
Good post and great reminder for me: tell stories.
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Hi Karen,
Thank you – this is a timely discussion for me!
I feel that this is one area where I have considerable room for improvement.
Currently, as an English teacher and part time blogger, I feel that my approach toward both teaching and blogging reflects my roots as a former accountant. Whilst this may be fine for the ‘steak’ aspect of the equation, an accountant’s personality is not particuarly conducive towards achieving excellence in the ‘sizzle’ aspect.
Your first suggestion is one which I simply must implement. I have been promising myself that I will include appropriate images in the majority of my blog posts, but I have not actually implemented this self-promise to-date.
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What? No chimps? 🙂
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Oh alright. If you give me meaningful benefits and a good deal I will.
LOL! I agree with your assessment! You are much more creative and talented than the Mad Ave crowd 🙂 Ah, but are you ever interested enough when presented with smart copy, and meaningful benefits to smell the steak the next time you’re in the neighborhood? One of the mistakes we make is selling to the see it, want it, buy it only people. Some are like that but others are the see it, tuck it away for later, hope I remember when I need it. 🙂
Hi Lillie! I just noticed your latest post, it didn’t show up in my reader but Google has been a little wacky for me lately. Yay, I made you hungry! lol! I love good food with a good presentation and also happen to love that in marketing. 🙂
Hi Mitch! Images can be tough especially images with people. Studies have shown that women are much more attuned to emotions and interaction in images so you have to be mindful of facial expressions when your market includes women. There are two food photos, and yes one is dark chocolate flan and the other is a steak. I don’t eat beef but the chocolate definitely had me drooling. Go have some chocolate on me. 🙂
Karen,
Ha! Madison AVE doesn’t have anything on me! I think that a lot of the sizzle has to do with anticipating future trends. Although a lot of people would like to swallow that magic pill with writing fiction.
Yes, I will buy the sizzle if I can smell it. I’m a marketers nightmare. But I’m a hard sell.
I bet you have all of this down pat, eh?!
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Karen,
I’m off to find a good steak—you’ve made me hungry. 🙂
Seriously, you make excellent points. We need both sizzle and steak.
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I like the idea of images, but I have to admit that I don’t integrate them all that often into either my blog postings or in any of my advertising in my regular business. I do introduce videos here and there, though.
By the way, everyone else is saying that’s a picture of steak; you sure it’s not chocolate, which is making me crave chocolate?
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Alina, LOL! I love your description of buying the Vaio and it proves that we will also pay more when substance also has sizzle! If it’s good AND has bells and whistles you can charge a higher price. Good lesson for marketers to learn!
Brad, I like that – “sometimes sizzle IS steak.” You are so right and this just may be the sweet spot for marketers! When you can dazzle and deliver, you will be successful!
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Karen, I am a sucker for sizzle once I’m sure the steak is all good 🙂 That’s why I bought a Vaio when I changed laptops early this year :d I just love their design, how the shops look like etc. Other than the added luxurious look, there are dozens of other laptops, less expensive of course, that can do the same tricks. But when you buy something to use for a long time and for long daily hours, how it looks and how you feel using it become extremely important.
Alina
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Hi Karen, I really like a little sizzle in a sales presentation/PowerPoint. It tells me the presenter cares enough about me not to be boring. It’s a sign of respect and empathy. That’s the kind of person I’d want to do business with. So, my point is, I guess, sometimes sizzle IS steak.
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