Why you should use the word You
Hello You
Today, let’s have a think about a tried and tested principle for writing effective copy…
Whenever you’re writing marketing copy, if you use the word ‘you’, you’ll speak directly to your audience and inspire them to stick around.
It’s something that companies these days should know all about. But alas, when another marketing agency emailed us the other day, there was a woeful absence of ‘you’. Tut tut.
This is the email we received 👇 Notice how few times the writer uses ‘you’. And by comparison, notice just how many times they use self-centred pronouns like ‘we’ and ‘our’…
Hey there!
I hope this message finds you well as we enter a new season filled with endless possibilities. As we say goodbye to spring, I am delighted to present our latest e-newsletter, which recaps the highlights and achievements that shaped our journey last season. We are proud to share our impressive list of accreditations and notable publications plus the exciting news of our acquisition.
Additionally, we will showcase our most-read content from the website. Join us in the spirit of renewal as we prepare for another remarkable season, full of innovative strategies and unwavering dedication to your success.
The email uses the word ‘you’ a paltry two times. Meanwhile, they use self-centred pronouns (I / we / our) a whopping 13 times.
Seriously?! Nobody really cares about a company’s own highlights, achievements, journey, impressive accreditations, notable publications, exciting acquisition of Globalia-a-fellow-HubSpot-Elite-Solutions-Partner…
The only thing customers care about is what you can do for them. That’s it. Nothing else.
Don’t just take our word for it
Pronouns such as ‘you’ and ‘we’ have been tested for many years in many different ways, for instance via eye-tracking tech. These tests tend to show that certain pronouns perform better than others. With this in mind, here is a hierarchy of words, from those that tend to perform best to those that tend to perform worse…
- You (the target audience)
- We (the organisation)
- The organisation name (e.g. Calibre Marketing)
Just remember – whatever you’re writing, from a B2C website to a B2B newsletter, use the word ‘you’. A lot.
Thank YOU for reading.
