Posts Tagged “authentic writing”

Last Christmas, my daughter posted a few fliers on the community mailboxes for all-natural dog biscuits that she had baked. I was so convinced we’d be overwhelmed with demand that I only let her put up five posters.

We didn’t sell a single biscuit.

This is the original copy from her poster that she wrote all by herself.

You’ve shopped for every one, but what about your little Santa Paws?

Dog biscuits for your little pampered pooch.

They’re perfect stocking stuffers for your cute doggy. The dog biscuits are Christmas shaped. 3.99 for a dozen. All proceeds go to the SPCA Biscuit fund.

 When I thought about her poster, I came to the conclusion her copy wasn’t good, it was too good—for someone her age. Her clever copy sounded like it could have been written by an adult (in my humble opinion).

But if you’re reading this poster thinking an adult had written it, you might question the seller’s motivation. You might wonder why she left out some important details such as ingredients, and or that they’re homemade. The poster doesn’t build trust in this respect (would you feed your dog any old biscuit off the street?).

If, on the other hand, the copy had begun:

“Hi, my name is Mary, and I’m 9 years old. I have made some dog biscuits for your little pooch.

All my sales will go to the SPCA.”

sales may have been a little more brisk. The lack of details might have been forgiven. And what 9-year-old would have anything but the best intentions in mind?

In an earlier post, I talked about how to write copy that was authentic to your company and brand. For example, if a bank tried to be too hip or informal, it rattles us because this is not what we’ve come to expect from banks. We actually began to feel distrustful.

The next time you’re drafting copy, ask yourself: if my company was a person, would she talk like that? This will help you find your authentic voice.