Don't Plant Poison Pills in Your Readers’ Minds

The other day, I passed a sign outside a hospital that read:FAST EXPERT ER CAREThe first word in the copy was “FAST,” which is the message most emergency rooms emphasize in outdoor advertising.But the word that got my attention was, “EXPERT.”  Expert care? Something about that word in that context got under my skin, and not in a good way.Then it hit me: the sign’s copywriter had inadvertently planted a classic “poison pill” in my mind, by introducing a negative concept that had not been there beforehand.The writer was forcing me to think about the competence of the team in that emergency room…something I would otherwise have taken for granted.See, when people are rushing to the ER, they are focused on getting help with an urgent medical problem. In a crisis like that, most people don’t think about whether they’ll get “expert” care instead of incompetent or amateurish care. That rarely happens so it’s not part of their usual thought pattern…unless someone brings it to their attention.In the anxiety of the moment, the ability of an ER team to handle most typical emergencies is assumed.But by sticking that unnecessary word “expert” into the copy, readers of that sign begin to think about, not just how quickly they’ll get treatment, but the competence of the healthcare workers who’ll provide it.It’s an idea that hadn’t occurred to them before, but now that it’s in their heads, it’ll be hard to shake. That was not the writer’s intent, obviously, but for a lot of readers, it’s going to be the result.Poison pills are the unintended consequence of focusing too much on the message you want to convey, and not enough on the message your readers will receive.The worst thing about poison pills is that they often backfire. Not only will the readers of that sign question the competence of other emergency room personnel, they will lose trust in this ER just because one copywriter felt the need to draw attention to their expertise.Pointing out something that people think should be obvious makes them question the organization’s motives. It creates the same kind of doubt as when a seedy-looking salesperson flashes a wolfish grin and says, “Heeey, trust me!”As you write, avoid gratuitous byways that may lead readers away from your topic and send them on a train of thought that could take them almost anywhere. Carefully consider how your message will be perceived by a careless or skeptical reader. Keep your writing simple. Keep it clear and tightly focused on your message.