Just be a human: writing like a robot is bad for business

There’s a reason why people fall asleep in lectures. A lot of the time they are boring and unengaging. 

Few things grind my gears more than a one-sided conversation where you can barely get a word in and someone is talking ‘at’ you. Absolute snooze fest.

The best conversations are the opposite of that.

Pro tip: You do not need to use fancy words or long, winding sentences to sound smart or valuable. 

Stop using jargon that your customers don’t care about.

Stop speaking like a robot.

Stop adding unnecessary words that you’d never use in real life just to appear clever.

Start writing like you speak.

Start treating your copy like a genuine conversation.

Start writing the way you like to be spoken to.

If you’re a super professional business and that’s the vibe you’re going for – great. But it still doesn’t make you exempt from humanness. 

You can sound sleek and professional but without the mumbo-jumbo that doesn’t make sense to anyone but you.

That’s the fastest way for your copy to go through one eyeball and out the other. 

Be crystal clear in what you’re saying.

When writing your copy, ask yourself this: if I was reading this information for the first time, would I clearly understand it? Am I making sense?

Be obvious. You know your business and its offerings like the back of your hand, but your potential customers may not. It’s second nature to you. But don’t forget that it won’t be to your readers. So break it down. Make sure they get it. 

You’re a human, speak like one.

Think about those really great brands we all know and love.

Their copy isn’t super complicated.

Apple. Nike. Frank Body. Frank’s Hot Sauce. Go-To skincare. Dropbox. Netflix.

Stop writing what you think you should write and using the big words you think you should be using.

That’s your ticket to being memorable. 

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” – George Bernard Shaw