A few years ago, I wrote copy for an e-newsletter. It started with a conversational “welcome” message from the company president (my client, who prided herself on the personal relationships she developed with this specific audience). Before the text ever got to the client, that welcome got edited out. I was told e-newsletters need to have a formal tone — that no one would ever write conversationally in this medium. I’m reminded of that story every time I open an e-newsletter from Chris Brogan or Jason Falls, both of whom take a conversational approach when addressing their readers.
There’s a couple lessons we can take from this:
- No one ever stood out from the crowd or set trends by doing the same old, same old. If you’re not willing to try things differently, you’ll always be playing catch up.
- Being true to your brand is more important than being true to how things have always been done. For example, if you’re creating content for a laid back company, the writing should reflect that. Why “read” as stuffy if you have a pretty laid back culture. On the flip side, if you’re writing for a very formal company, keep that in mind when drafting copy.
- Thinking outside the box will often get your further, faster than always coloring inside the lines.
What rules are you breaking today?
Photo credit: Jesse Wagstaff