Learn how to add personality to your copywriting, connect with your audience, and increase conversions!

Have you ever come across one of those websites that looks great but reads like a phone book? Lots of helpful information, but the copy is dry, bland, and has all the personality of a brick wall. An easy way to fix this is to add personality to your copywriting. Easier said than done, right?

Whether it’s a lack of creativity or bad copywriting skills, many make the mistake of thinking that conversion copy needs to be bland and uber-corporate.

I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be the case!

There are plenty of ways to add personality to your web copy and maintain professionalism.

Ready to make things personal? Read on for five ways to add personality to your copywriting! 

1. Write The Way Your Target Audience Talks

Wait, didn’t I just tell you to focus on your personality when writing copy? Confusing, I know. But I’m starting with this tip because it is one of the biggest challenges for copywriters; how do you write for your audience and remain loyal to your own voice?

It’s crucial to add personality to your copywriting while keeping the focus on your customer. This doesn’t mean you abandon the principles that make your biz unique. Instead, you’re looking to strike a balance between relatable and authentic.

Adding personality means making your writing more engaging, more actionable, more stimulating. It’s personal, but not necessarily about you.

With that in mind, avoid using industry jargon and focus on keeping your overall tone less formal. Simple tweaks to sentences can make them sound less stuffy and more approachable.

Let’s compare:

• Formal: We conducted an extensive survey of past and current customers to gain a better understanding of what they look for in a product before making a purchase. 
• Informal: Our customers told us what they wanted, and we listened. 

Using language your readers can relate to helps them develop a sense of trust in your brand and makes them more likely to become a customer. Don’t believe me?  

Let’s take a look at this Hubspot study. In an effort to improve conversions, they did an extensive copy revamp. Through customer interviews, they learned specific pain points, anxieties, and priorities. The stroke of genius move? 

They used their customers’ feedback as website copy. They paid close attention to recurring themes and frequently used words, then used this data to write brand new copy for their website. 

The results?

• 35% increase in product demo requests
• 27% increase in signups after the product-launch

These are incredible results, but what if you don’t have the time (or budget) to hire a team of professional copywriters or conduct multiple rounds of customer interviews? 

Luckily, there are multiple tools available that can help you add personality to your copywriting and captivate your readers.

One of my favorite writing tools is Grammarly, a Chrome extension that provides feedback on everything from emails to Tweets. I personally upgraded to the Grammarly Premium account because I use it every single day and wanted to screen my writing for readability, engagement, and vocab suggestions!

One of Grammarly’s features that is especially helpful when writing copy that resonates with your audience is their Tone Detector. If you tell the Tone Detector how you want your document to sound (informal, confident, and informative), it will provide tips and feedback as you write to keep you on track. 

2. Tell A Great Story

Another way to connect with your audience and showcase your company’s personality is through brand storytelling. 

When told correctly, a good brand story has the power to turn a casual customer into a lifelong evangelist! 

As humans, our brains are wired to connect with stories that fill our minds with pictures and our hearts with emotions. 

A brand story stops your customers from seeing your business as just another faceless entity and allows them to connect with you on a personal level. 

Let’s take a look at exceptional brand storytelling in action via ethical clothing brand, ABLE. Their entire story lives in one sentence:

“Challenging the culture of the fashion industry by creating transformative opportunities for women.”

This sentence is the first thing to hit visitors when they land on ABLE’s website. Why is it so impactful? Because it instantly displays its mission statement and brand values, a.k.a. the brand story.

As you scroll, you learn about ABLE’s origins, but two themes are recurrent on every page:

1. The mission to offer customers ethical, high-quality fashion
2. To provide more opportunities for women around the globe

By the time you get to the bottom of their homepage, you are emotionally invested and ready to purchase! 

Why Brand Storytelling Works

In today’s digital landscape, customers are becoming more discerning and aren’t willing to just buy from anyone. 

They want to connect with brands on a personal level before making a purchase. Because of that, brand storytelling isn’t only an essential part of your business — it’s absolutely critical to your success. 

When you add personality to your copywriting, you enhance the user experience and convert readers into customers.

Side note: This is why it’s absolutely *CRUCIAL* to have an About Page on your website. Your target buyers want to know about your brand because those are the details that set you apart. 

Do I buy clothing from ABLE because it’s more stylish than other brands? Not really. I buy from the brand because I’m invested in their story and mission to change the landscape of fashion and give job opportunities to women.

It doesn’t hurt that their collection is uber minimal and ultra-cool. But that’s just the cherry on top of their compelling story and compassionate business model.

Can you tell I’m invested? That’s what good brand storytelling does: turns your customers into advocates!

Use freewriting to polish your storytelling skills!

Practice freewriting! I’m talkin’ coffee steaming, blank page, blinking cursor, doc open, and thoughts flowing. Or, throw it back to pen and paper and practice journaling for ten minutes a day.

Don’t try to sound any way in particular, just write. Avoid any academic or technical writing principles and simply state what’s on your mind.

Freewriting is a great way to learn how to write the way that you talk because it’s just you with your thoughts.

3. Keep your copy conversational

Whether you’re meeting a friend for coffee or talking with a loved one on the phone, everyone likes a good chat. Is it possible to write copy that gives your readers the same warm feeling they get after having a great conversation? It sure is! 

Conversational copywriting is a personalized way of chatting with your audience as if you were catching up with a good friend.

Why? Because digestible, easy-to-read articles outperform rigid, academic writing every. Single. Day. 

Need a stat to bring this concept home? I got you.

Marketing guru Neil Patel did an A/B test to see if conversational copywriting truly made a difference.

The result?

A 247% increase in people reading the article all the way to the end! 

Bottom line: people skim bulky walls of text, but they’ll stick around for easy to read, conversational writing that makes them feel good. You don’t need a magic elixir to write casually, you just need to add your personality to your copywriting — and that’s when the magic truly happens!

Tips to write conversationally:

Imagine you’re writing for an audience with a 6-8th-grade reading level. Keep your sentences short and straightforward and remove any unnecessary fluff. 

It’s also good to keep a sense of empathy in mind. Understand the problems your readers are struggling with and address those problems using their words. 

A great tool to help with this is the Hemmingway app, a writing and editing tool designed to help you polish your writing.

I use the Hemmingway app to avoid grammatical errors and ensure I’m using active sentences (passive sentences are one of those tell-tale signs of dry academic and technical writing). 

If you need help writing casual, personalized copy, read my full guide to conversational copywriting.

4. Make it personal

Truth is, customers don’t only buy from you as an identity, they buy from you as a solution.  

When someone clicks on your page, it’s because they think you’re the solution to their problem. How do you let them know you understand their pain points and can solve their problem? 

By sticking with a conversational tone and writing in the first and second person. 

Writing in the second person means using pronouns like “you,” “your,” and “yours”, which puts you in your reader’s shoes and helps you present information relevant to their needs.

First person writing uses “I” and “we” to humanize your brand, rather than sound like a behind the screen bot.

When you add personality to your copywriting, your audience builds a connection with you. That trust often turns into sales.

How to make your copy personal:

• Tell stories about your real life
• Share behind the scenes insight into your business
• Create a “spotlight” series where you highlight loyal customers
• Talk about the current events happening in your niche
• Tear down the curtain between you and your audience and speak directly to them.

5. Take risks!

Launching a business and building a website can be scary. It’s a labor of love, but there’s no denying that the fear of failure and rejection exists. To avoid this, many copywriters play it safe and create content that mirrors their competitors.

In other words, their copy isn’t special because it’s just like everyone else’s. While this tactic may be risk-free, it doesn’t allow you to stand out and get the attention you deserve. 

I can’t stress the importance of risk-taking enough. No, you don’t want to accost your readers with your opinions on the 2020 election, that’s distasteful. Instead, add personality to your copywriting by using your unique voice to tell your brand story in an authentic way.

Think about what gets you really excited. What could you talk about for days on end? Notice how the conversation flows naturally, even when accentuated by passion and zest?

That’s engaging. That’s exciting. People want to read that! 

The risks you take are what make your copy unique, and without a unique style or tone, you’re just putting out a couple thousand words without saying anything. 

I implore you: say something that moves you, because it’ll likely move your audience, too.

The online world is filled to the brim with tired pieces of content and overused ideas. Avoid the urge to regurgitate. Make your copy fresh by adding your unique spin and angle. Create a defined point of view by letting your own creativity loose on your content! 

This is how you will set yourself — and your business — apart from your competition. 

Ready to Add Personality To Your Copy?

I thought so! At first, you might feel uncomfortable writing in a candid, casual way. Over time (and after seeing positive results), you’ll gain confidence in this copywriting style.

If you’re struggling to add personality to your copy, remember these key takeaways:

• Write with the same language and vocabulary of your target audience, which will resonate with them on a deeper level.
• Tell a good story. Always. People forget content, they remember stories.
• Practice writing conversationally, mimic the way you’d chat with a friend over coffee.
• Add personal touches to your copy with real-life stories, customer spotlights, your perspective on industry news, and behind the scenes content.
• Be yourself, it’s the riskiest and most rewarding thing you can do with your business.

Looking for more writing tips and copywriting basics? Browse the blog to get the creative juices flowing!