Think of your callout as a movie trailer for your story.

Movie trailers give the best stuff away for free to entice moviegoers to buy a ticket. Callouts — aka pull quotes — give the best stuff away for free to entice readers to read your story.

So go ahead: Find the most provocative point in the story — the more specific, the better — and give it away in your callout.

Here are three types of callouts to consider:

1. A dramatic moment

Choose the most dramatic moment in the story — the time when everything started going awry. If the callout is powerful enough, readers will read the story to find out what happened. That’s the technique we use for callouts like these for Saint Luke’s Health:

“Where my right elbow had been, I felt this hole.”

— Linda Thomssen, symphony violinist who smashed her upper arm

2. A provocative detail

Present a provocative detail that makes readers ask, “Am I ready for that?” This callout, from a conference brochure we wrote for the Public Relations Society of America, uses the same approach:

Nine out of 10 journalists use search engines to do their jobs. Do you know how to help Google find your release?

3. A fascinating specific

Entertainment is the No. 2 reward of reading. Call out details that demonstrate that your piece is interesting read. The New York Times Book Review does that in these callouts, which promote not only the review, but the book as well:

Instead of chanting “air ball,” basketball fans in the Chinese interior employ the Sichuan word for “impotent.”

— from a review of The Only Game in Town

Call to action

Take time to choose and craft compelling callouts. Research shows that callouts attract attention, draw readers into your copy, make your messages more memorable and more. Get more tips for writing callouts.

Plus, a short, carefully crafted callout might also make the perfect tweet.

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“On the show today: giant carnivorous birds, flying snakes, and what all of that has to do with how you season your French fries.”

That’s how Caitlin Kenney, associate producer of NPR’s “Planet Money,” introduced a recent podcast about the history of spices. These summaries at the top of radio shows and podcasts are called billboards.

And that’s what publication editors can learn from podcasters: Billboard your stories. Tell readers what they’re going to get and sell them on the story to promote your content.

Nobody billboards better than “Planet Money.” In fact, sometimes one host will congratulate another on a billboard.

“That was very well billboarded,” contributing editor Alex Blumberg said after Kenney’s spice story promotion.

So how can you create praiseworthy billboards for your publication?

1. Choose the right billboard.

Billboards are known as “refers” in the publication world. (Not that, silly! Refers because they refer readers to specific stories.)

They come in many forms. Consider billboarding your story in coverlines, tables of contents, skyboxes, rails, refers and indexes.

2. Draw readers in.

There are two main ways to drive readers to your story, whether in print or in podcast: 1) promise a benefit or 2) entertain. So focus on news readers can use or choose or on creative techniques like humor, drama or human interest for your billboard.

“Planet Money” entertains with billboards that tease the listener into sticking around for the story. (Yes, these people manage to make complicated economics stories hilarious or heart-warming — a skill any communicator could emulate.)

Here are some recent “Planet Money” billboards:

“On the show today, homeowners who want to be foreclosed on, and banks saying, ‘Eeeh … let’s wait a minute.’ The foreclosure mess enters a topsy-turvy, upside-down new phase, and we’ll hear all about the fascinating details from a foreclosure attorney in Phoenix.”

Alex Blumberg: “Our topic today, David, is tied to our economic indicator. The indicator is $14 billion. And that is one estimate for the size of California’s largest cash crop.” David Kestenbaum: “Oranges?” Alex: “Nope.” David: “Organic milk?” Alex: “No. … Marijuana.” David: “I thought that number seemed high.”

“On our show today, a story about a cable TV producer from New Jersey, a podcasting Libertarian economist, an international pop superstar and the two dead economists who brought them all together.”

“On the podcast today, we have something almost every economist loves and almost everyone else hates. Well, not everyone, but a lot of people.”

Adam Davidson: “Today, we have the second half of our look at Denmark.” David Kestenbaum: “Denmark: the awesome-est economy on earth, the country that figured everything out and figured out the best way to …” Adam: “(interrupting) Alright, David. Easy, easy …”

Get more tips for writing refers.

3. Don’t drop the billboard.

Content promotion — advertising stories within your publication — helps drive readership. Don’t forget to promote your stories within the publication itself.

Rev Up Readership

Want to master the art of lifting your ideas off the page with display copy?

• Bring Ann to your organization for a “Rev Up Readership” workshop.
• Work with Ann to write better display copy in one-on-one writing coaching.
• Have Ann review your publication or website.
• Get dozens of tipsheets on writing better display copy at RevUpReadership.com.