I used to think all my ad copy needed to sound super smart and polished

I was working on a campaign for a local gym in Austin, and the owner straight up told me, 'This sounds like a textbook, not like someone talking to my neighbors.' That comment made me scrap the whole thing and just write like I was telling a friend about the place. How do you guys keep your brand voice from getting too stiff?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendyk569d ago

Honestly that polished textbook style exists for a reason though. Trying to sound like a friend can backfire and make a brand seem unprofessional. If I'm looking for a financial advisor or a lawyer, I don't want their website copy to sound like my buddy telling me a story. I want clear, precise language that shows they know their stuff. That local gym might lose members who see casual writing and assume the training isn't serious. A formal voice builds trust in certain fields.

elliot_thomas829d agoMost Upvoted

That formal tone just feels fake and out of touch now. People see right through the corporate speak and it makes a brand seem stiff and uncaring. Trust comes from being real, not from using fancy words nobody uses in real life.

alice2699d ago

But what if you split the difference? @wendyk56 I've seen law firms use plain English on their sites without losing that expert feel. You keep the serious tone but cut the confusing jargon so people actually get what they're paying for. That builds way more trust than a wall of text nobody reads.