Stop Blaming “Short Attention Spans”
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Everyone says people don’t have attention spans anymore.
But that’s not the real problem.
Because people still binge-watch entire seasons in a weekend. They’ll lose themselves in a two-hour YouTube rabbit hole. They’ll scroll TikTok long past the point of embarrassment.
The issue isn’t attention.
It’s tolerance.
Your audience has zero patience for content that wastes their time.
Here’s how it usually goes:
You start with a long preamble that finally (maybe) gets to the point. They’re gone.
You pack in jargon to sound smart. They’re gone.
You repeat the same surface-level insights they’ve heard everywhere else. Definitely gone.
That’s why content length—short vs. long—is a distraction. The real question is: Did you give me a reason to stop? And then, did you reward me for staying?
In this episode of The Storyteller’s Edge, I’m sharing the two-part formula that separates messages that die in the scroll from messages that actually hold attention.
Step 1: Hook.
The first 10 seconds are everything. Whether you’re on stage, writing an email, or posting online, you need something that jolts people out of autopilot.
A bold statement.
A provocative question.
A story that makes them curious enough to want more.
Step 2: Substance.
Once they’ve paused, you have to deliver. Otherwise the hook is just clickbait—and clickbait burns trust.
Specific insights.
Stories that land.
Ideas that feel worth the investment of time and attention.
Because here’s the truth: attention is borrowed, retention is earned.
In this episode, we’ll unpack:
-> Why audiences have no tolerance for content that meanders.
-> The traps that make people tune out (and how to avoid them).
-> Why hooks alone don’t cut it.
-> And how to use the Hook + Substance formula to sharpen everything from LinkedIn posts to high-stakes board presentations.
And I’ll give you a Tiny Challenge you can try right away:
Write a hook using this format → [Emotional Trigger] + [Unexpected Twist or Tension].
Try it in your next post or presentation and watch how it changes the way people pay attention.
🎧 Listen in. This is your blueprint for making sure people don’t just see your message, but actually stay with it.
Specific insights.
Stories that land.
Ideas that feel worth the investment of time and attention.
Because here’s the truth: attention is borrowed, retention is earned.
In this episode, we’ll unpack:
-> Why audiences have no tolerance for content that meanders.
-> The traps that make people tune out (and how to avoid them).
-> Why hooks alone don’t cut it.
-> And how to use the Hook + Substance formula to sharpen everything from LinkedIn posts to high-stakes board presentations.
And I’ll give you a Tiny Challenge you can try right away:
Write a hook using this format → [Emotional Trigger] + [Unexpected Twist or Tension].
Try it in your next post or presentation and watch how it changes the way people pay attention.
🎧 Listen in. This is your blueprint for making sure people don’t just see your message, but actually stay with it.
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