01.30.07
“I’m Not a Market. I’m a Person…”
You’ve seen it before. You visit a corporate Web site seeking answers. What you get is a mission statement. "We at XYZ company believe that…. snore!" You lost me at "mission statement."
But once in a while, things are different. You stumble across the occasional site by the rare company that "gets it." Gone is the impersonal, almost robotic tone. The conversation is inviting. It sounds like one friend talking to another.
The Starbuck’s Principle
Let me introduce a priceless test I run my content through. I call it "The Starbuck’s Principle." It simply states:
The Starbuck’s Principle of Writing Compelling Copy"If the copy you write doesn’t sound like something you might overhear at a Starbuck’s, it isn’t personal enough!" -Steve Myers
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99% of the sites out there don’t sound like a conversation. They may sound like a sales brochure. It might have the tone of a corporate meeting or press release. But they certainly don’t sound like two humans engaged in natural conversation.
Break the Rules
You may have noticed my writing style would call down the wrath of most English teachers. I begin sentences with "and", "but", and "because." You may even find a sentence ending in a preposition.
When do I break the rules? Simple. If doing so makes what I write sound more like a conversation than a more formal style would, I toss aside formal style guides. I risk the painful looks of my editors. I speak from the top of my mind as if speaking to a friend.
I force myself not to go back and edit my writing much. The more careful planning you put into each sentence, the less natural it will sound. I’m sure I ruffle the feathers of academic writers and journalists.
I’ll risk that, because the only way to never offend with what you say is to say nothing. And I’m guessing your message is too important not to be heard.
-Steve Myers