🍴Try this simple swap

A small tweak that completely changes the tone of your content

Author

Maria Marchewka
February 12, 2025

350 words ⬇️

If you want to elevate your content instantly, try this quick tip:

Swap "we" for "you."

Seriously, it’s that straightforward.

BUT, while the advice is simple on paper, sometimes we need a nudge in the right direction to grasp it.

Here are three practical tips for using this in your content:

  1. Identify a pain point or aspiration of your customer.

  2. Use your selection as your content compass. Focus on how you can help them fulfill their needs rather than showcasing your product/service capabilities.

  3. Intensify the spotlight on your customer by using action words, not passive statements about your company. (Ex: “We teach LinkedIn marketing.” // “Grow your LinkedIn presence with your own stories…”)

This isn’t traditional business news

Welcome to Morning Brew—the free newsletter designed to keep you in the know on the business news impacting your career, company, and life—in a way you didn’t know you needed.

Note: this isn’t traditional business news. Morning Brew’s approach cuts through the noise and bore of classic business media, opting for short writeups, witty jokes, and above all—presenting the facts.

Save time, actually enjoy business news, and join over 4 million professionals reading daily.

Are things starting to click?

Excellent. Here are a few examples to bring the lesson to life:

Local Coffee Shop:

❌ "We make the best coffee from the finest beans..."

âś… "You deserve the best coffee from the finest beans..."

Real Estate Company:

❌ "We sell luxury homes…"

âś… "The keys to your luxury home are waiting..."

Software Company:

❌ "We build the most comprehensive productivity tools on the market…”

✅ "Your time is too valuable to waste…”

Why Does “YOU” Language Work?

Listen, we’re inherently self-centered. Play to this when writing your content.

Here are four reasons this approach works:

  1. Attention grabber. When we read something that says “you,” our brains automatically tune in because it feels like we’re being personally addressed.

  2. Promotes visualization. The best writing transports people from where they are to where they could be. Phrases like 'You deserve' help people envision their ideal future with your product or service.

  3. Emotionally invested. “We” statements feel self-serving. “You” statements validate your customers’ desires and needs. Put them on a pedestal.

  4. Strengthens relationships. Just like a friendship or romantic relationship, the relationship between a brand and consumers is a two-way street. Treat it more like a conversation than a sales pitch.

YOUR Turn

Pick one of your latest brand social posts or newsletters.

How many times did you mention “we?”

I challenge you to replace and rework those instances with “you" or “your.”

Notice a difference?

NICE :)

Before You Go