How Great Copywriters Gain Interest By Using the Second Person "You"
We don’t normally think about the second person when writing. When delving into a book, they’re almost always written in first person (“I/We”) or third person (“He/She/They”). But that’s one of the elements that separates copywriting from writing in general. It all starts with the second person “You,” when it comes to writing copy that sells.
The Second Person
To achieve copy that speaks to your target audience, you need to write to the person within that target audience. That means utilizing the pronoun “you” throughout your copy. Take a look at the following example. Which one is more likely to stand out to the reader?
The second statement is the correct choice for creating copy that sells. But why?
Making it Personal
The first statement is less effective than the second because it focuses entirely on the product. Your target audience simply doesn’t care what attributes your product has. They want to know what the product can do for them. When you use first-person pronouns, you’re talking at your audience which can feel sales-y and turns them off to the product/service. When you use the second person, that tells the consumer how they will benefit from the product.
In short, remember these pronoun facts when copywriting:
👉 First person talks at your customer
👉 First person makes the copy about the product/service which turns off customers
👉 Second person makes the copy feel personal to your target audience
👉 Second person tells the individual how they will benefit from your product/service
👉 Second person encourages the customer to relate to the product/service
Of course, utilizing the first person is necessary for many situations, but limiting the number of times you use “I” or “we” and increasing the times you use “you” will make your copy more effective at generating interest/clicks/sales. If you’re struggling to know whether your copy is hitting the mark, consider hiring a copywriter. A copywriter will understand the nuance that comes with crafting copy for any situation.
