Three-Word Hooks
Steve: Netflix reels in its viewers with three-word hooks. The ANA does the same thing with its education program’s goals: explore, study, connect.
For Netflix, the New York Times explained that shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” might be called soapy, emotional and drama, while another might be campy, witty, and quirky. Netflix has a team of 30 people devoted to these three magic words.
Alan Donald, a product director at Netflix said, “Imagine magazines that have no cover lines, and there were just photographs on them,” explaining, “Tags make as much of a difference as a cover line in this snap ‘this is for me’ decision.” The three keywords help viewers navigate the thousands of titles available, matching subscribers to titles that they might enjoy. Donald described it as a cocktail party test: how would someone describe a film to a person they just met at a party?
It made me think of how hooks are essential in numismatics. Catalogers use them in auction lot titles, bringing out the best elements of a coin in a few words, emphasizing things like luster, strike, rarity or toning, high-grade and key date. I’d imagine most collectors, if pressed, could define the things that they look for in three words (perhaps with the help of an editor friend).
When writing for a broad audience, if a topic can’t be summarized in an appealing short sentence, it’s probably going to be a tough sell. A title must accurately describe the content, while a good title makes people want to read further. When editing, I often ask writers: what do you want the reader to get out of this? I’ve started to think about the three-word hook in my own writing. The ANA’s three words: explore, study, connect can relate to many groups of people interested in numismatics in that it encourages learning and sharing (though I wonder what movie Netflix would recommend with those three keywords).
Louis Vuitton’s chief said what they sell is quality, success and optimism. Another three-word summary.
Dennis…what are three words that resonate with you right now?
That might be an entertaining game for numismatists: Sum up your collection or hobby experience in six words.
[Image: A quote by Michelangelo that I keep in my office: “I am still learning.”]
For me, right now, at this stage of my life and career, three words that resonate are “family,” “community,” and “creativity.” Retirement from full-time work at Whitman Publishing has brought me the time to focus on all those things in new and fulfilling ways.
I like the ANA’s triptych of “explore,” “study,” and “connect.” Exploration and study are two things collectors or students of numismatics can accomplish on their own. The third, connection, is a natural byproduct of exploring and studying. For most numismatists it’s also the most rewarding part of the hobby. Dave Bowers always extols the benefits of collecting friends as much as collecting coins. “To have a friend, be a friend” is something he’s told me many times when describing how he accomplished so much as an author and researcher. Learn and explore, and then share what you’ve found!
[Image: Fellowship through shared love of numismatic learning at the ANA's annual Summer Seminar.]
Be on the lookout for another installment of Collecting Friends next month or subscribe here and never miss a post! In the meantime, explore beautiful coins from the ANA's Edward C. Rochette Money Museum Virtual Exhibits.
Hello! And welcome to the ANA’s blog series, “Collecting Friends.”
We decided to approach this much like a conversation between friends. One of us starts with a topic, then the other responds. Simple as that. Along those lines, we’ll keep the tone conversational as much as possible.
We both write about coins professionally, and will keep our relative style guides in our writing. For Dennis, Publisher at Whitman Publishing, that means capitalizing “Proof” and italicizing Red Book and never saying anything bad about Ken Bressett, who’s awesome anyway.
For Steve, who’s written with Coin World for 15 years, it means Winged Liberty Head dime instead of “Mercury” dime, and similar nuances and oddities. And, it means writing A Guide Book of United States Coins (better known as the “Red Book”).
Both of us started collecting when we were little, introduced to coins by a chance encounter with an old coin that sparked our curiosity. One of Steve’s interests is coin valuation, and he gravitates towards the intersection of art and coins. Dennis enjoys medals and world coins, and studying modern U.S. coins in the context of older series, what came before.
We met in 2012 at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money in Philadelphia at an event hosted by the Austrian Mint where there was both a Ben Franklin and a Betsy Ross impersonator. We’ve become great friends in the past decade. We even were appointed together to sit on the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee starting in 2016, but Steve resigned soon after he was appointed to accept a full-time job at the Treasury Department while Dennis was re-appointed in 2020.
We taught a course together on numismatic publishing and writing a few years ago at the Summer Seminar, and while life has gotten in the way of us teaching another class, we jumped at our friend Caleb’s suggestion that we write a column. We hope you enjoy it!
The American Numismatic Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and encouraging people to study and collect coins and related items. The Association serves collectors, the general public, and academic communities with an interest in numismatics.
The ANA helps all people discover and explore the world of money through its vast array of educational programs including its museum, library, publications, conventions and numismatic seminars.