I think some of the biggest constraints in my writing stem from following how people are telling me to write. I can’t believe I listen to them.
Supposedly, the second person ‘you’ is the way to go. We always have to write as if we’re trying to lure people in by sounding a certain way. Like we always have to have them in mind. Is this really the voice of the future, they style and tone — “hi I care about you. I’m writing to you and for you.”
So there’s a time and place for everything (ie copywriting). But I’d like to switch to the fourth person – ‘we.’ It’s actually called the first person plural, bit I like Nth person better.
When you speak we you introduce empathy into the conversation. It’s no longer a sales pitch. It says “I’m in this with you” instead of “I’ve crafted this message just for you.”
Speaking in 2nd person dominates but it shouldn’t. Often it’s simply not a true voice. The ‘expert’ copywriter who crafted it has experience in sounding pleasing to your ears, in making you believe his benefits and features. There’s a whole emerging industry built on this.
The future of business would be better served in nth person, but it’s gotta be honest. Years of 2nd person marketing have worked but it’s becoming such a fad a lot more ‘we’ enlarges the conversation, connects people to one another, removes the isolation.
2nd person isolates, nth person includes. Evolution of conversation as in social media.