It’s one of the very first thing we learn about writing effective sales copy.
The word You is powerful…perhaps the most powerful word in your copywriting arsenal.
It puts the reader inside your sales copy. They can envision themselves using the product or benefiting from your services. They can feel as if they’re having an intimate conversation instead of being tricked into spending money.
But use the word You in the wrong way and you could seriously tick off potential customers and clients, sending them running in the other direction.
Directly addressing your prospects is usually a good thing. It’s just that you always need to remember to put yourself in the shoes of the person reading your copy.
When you read your own sales letters, product descriptions, emails and blog posts – don’t just look for grammatical errors, the right keywords and the perfect power words. Instead actually consider what it feels like to be the reader.
That’s called empathy. It’s the key to creating copy that hits home with the people you want to reach.
Three Ways “You Language” Can Turn People Off
1. Pointing Out a Personal Problem
Another basic concept of effective copywriting is that we offer solutions to people’s problems. We point out the benefits of a product or solution to show how it will add value or enhance the person’s life.
However…in some cases…using the word You can make your prospects feel embarrassed.
If you were selling herpes medication, would it be smart to use the word You all the time?
Just imagine a TV commercial with voice-over narration saying things like “your genital herpes” or “when you have a herpes outbreak.” It makes you a little uncomfortable just reading it here – doesn’t it?
That’s why you’re more likely to see a nice, attractive young couple talking about their personal problems with herpes and how the medicine helped them. This makes the viewer of the commercial feel removed from the icky issue, but they can still comfortably relate to the people telling a familiar story.
Medical conditions are just one area where you need to be careful about using the word You. Those are problems people are usually unable to avoid. But there are also personal problems that can be avoided.
Let’s take being disorganized as another example…
Maybe you’re selling a cleaning product or some sort of new closet organizer. You could come right out and say - “Your life is a huge mess, your house is disgusting, and you need to get it together!”
A lot of people would probably think – “Yeah, you’re right.” They’ll feel embarrassed and ashamed. Maybe they’ll buy your product…and maybe they’ll just feel terrible. Your goal should not be to make accusations and scold your customers like a grumpy granny.
A more effective approach is to make people feel like they are not alone.
This is one case when using the word We is the better choice. Of course, you’re not talking about your company, you’re talking about a much more collective We. As in – “We all have a tough time staying organized and keeping things clean. But “Product X” can help!”
Then when it becomes time to focus on the benefit or solution instead of the problem or fear – switch back to using You. “Now you don’t have to worry about what’s going to fall on your head when you open the closet door!”
2. Talking Down to Your Prospects
A good copywriter will research the product or service they’ve been hired to write about until they are an expert. If you’re a small business owner, you probably already are an expert in your industry.
Effective copywriting should eliminate overly-technical terminology and industry jargon that won’t make sense to the average person. On the other hand…you also want to be very careful not to insult your readers by simplifying your copy too much.
If you’re explaining how to make a Reuben sandwich, you wouldn’t say – “When you make a Reuben, the first thing you need is two pieces of bread.” Unless you live in a remote tribe somewhere in the rain forest – you already know that bread is required for most sandwiches.
Nobody likes being treated like an idiot. If the word You is used in over-simplified copy, it can feel like a personal insult.
I apologize in advance for this, but the fact is, over-simplifying copy and talking down to your prospects can actually make you look like the idiot.
If people read it and have the reaction – Well Duh! – that’s a problem.
Of course, my sandwich example is a bit extreme. Avoiding this pitfall can be easier said than done.
One good idea is to have a couple of people who aren’t experts on your topic take a look at what you wrote. Ask them how it made them feel, and if it was easy to understand.
3. Too Much Negativity
It’s always better to focus more on the positive aspects of what you’re selling, and less on the negative realities or possibilities.
Advertising legend Claude C. Hopkins wrote about this in his memoir My Life in Advertising.
Hopkins was trying to come up with an advertising campaign for Pepsodent toothpaste. As any good copywriter should, he did a ton of research. Hopkins read many journals on dentistry looking for the benefits of brushing your teeth.
In the end Hopkins, he discovered some research on plaque and decided to focus on how toothpaste could remove it. But he did not market Pepsodent as a product that would keep your teeth from decaying – instead he focused on the positive. Here’s the man himself…
“I resolved to advertise this tooth paste as a creator of beauty. To deal with that cloudy film.”
“People will do anything to cure a trouble, but little to prevent it…People do not want to read of the penalties. They want to be told of rewards… People want to be told the way to happiness and cheer.”
Try to imagine a toothpaste ad that showed imagery of rotten nasty teeth with copy that reads – “Don’t Let this Happen to You!” Wouldn’t you be much more attracted to an ad featuring a beautiful, clean, white smile?
It seems like common sense! Yet all to0 often we create advertising that tries to scare people into making a purchasing decision.
In this case, the desire to be attractive and having fresh breath outweighed the fear of having dental problems.
Claude Hopkins’ campaign for Pepsodent ended up being so successful – some credit him with turning the act of brushing your teeth into a daily habit.
Take the self-help industry as another example…
You don’t see promotins for all those books, conferences and DVDs telling people that their lives suck. They tell depressed, unmotivated people about how much potential they have, and how much better it could be. They build self-confidence right away instead of breaking people down and depressing them even more.
People want to picture their lives as happy and beautiful. Using “You language” with copy that reflects what people want instead of what they want to avoid is going to be much more effective.
What Do You Think?
Can you think of other examples where using the word You may not be the best idea? Dop you have any examples that prove this article wrong? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Kasey Steinbrinck is a co-founder of Copyjuice specializing in copywriting and content marketing. Contact him for a little help making your copy more effective.
Images: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Pipe Image – Flickr: gamera_obscura
