Happy 2019, Big Visionaries!

With the start of the New Year, many of you might be ramping up your efforts to reach new audiences. You’re making your best guess about what tone to use in your e-newsletters, website copy, blog posts, and social media copy.

Here’s the deal. No one wants to read copy that is written as if a robot will be reading it. No one. I mean, wouldn’t people enjoy reading something like an appliance manual more if it was written like a human talking with another human? “How psyched are you to have a new dishwasher? Don’t be freaked out by all the lights and buttons. It’s really simple to use. Promise!” I’m not saying that you don’t need to express why your work is beneficial in a clear way, but it also needs to be written as if a human wrote it for another human.

What I usually recommend is that you think of at least one person who represents your ideal client and write for them. Be specific. If we go back to the example of pitching a corporation, think about who would be making the decision to hire you. What position do they hold? Would they be in Marketing? HR? Sales? Creative? Write to their particular needs, not to a stereotype.

It’s also important to think of an ideal client who you like. This is another type of “othering” I see. If you feel like your ideal audience is so different than you, when you write copy for them, they may sense that you just don’t get them.

So, when you choose that person to represent your ideal audience, choose someone who you like. Put a photo of them near your computer to remind you to write in a way that speaks to them specifically, not to a generic version of them. When you write to your potential clients in a way that shows that you care, respect, and understand them, they will feel it, and maybe want to get to know a little more about you and your work.

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Photo by Boris Smokrovic on Unsplash