“It’s not about you” is TERRIBLE marketing advice!

I see this advice thrown around a lot. That the things you write should be about your customer, not you.

Their reasoning is essentially that we’re all selfish pricks who only care about ourselves. And talking about yourself will send your readers into a never-ending slumber.

And do you know what people can’t do when they’re asleep?

Buy stuff!

So make it all about them, and they will rain dollar bills down on you like you’re a Tory donor during a pandemic.

But…it’s bullshit.

The recent Avatar film didn’t make over $2 billion because cinemas were filled with lanky blue aliens.

Similarly, my favourite video game of all time, Red Dead Redemption 2, didn’t sell more than 46 million copies worldwide because cowboys were letting off steam in the evenings.

The reason they sold so well was because they were well made, and told great stories!

Hell, I’ve spent hours on Red Dead looking for herbs and flowers, just because the herb collector William seems like a lovely chap.

What they really mean when they say “It’s not about you”, is that if you’re not a great writer, making it about them is the easiest way to get engagement.

I’ve heard the same advice about dating. That if you want someone to like you, just bombard them with questions and faux-interest in their life.

But that will only get you so far.

Whether you’re writing emails, landing pages, or whatever, the whole point of marketing is to build a relationship with your customers and potential customers.

That’s a two-way street.

As much as you should get to know them, they will also want to know you. What you stand for as a company, who the people are, what your personality is.

And to do this, you’ve got to talk about yourself.

Tell stories, make jokes, get angry when something pisses you off. Just show real emotion, and be honest about who you are.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t keep the reader and the goal in mind. A marketing email isn’t a marketing email if there’s no point.

If someone just signed up to your free trial, be honest with how you feel about that. Maybe tell the story of the first time someone signed up. Or why you created the product in the first place.

It doesn’t have to be the whole email. You could maybe add it at the end as a P.S.

But by showing some of yourself, you give your customers something to care about, and someone to root for.

I have mixed feelings about the saying ‘people buy from people’, but the sentiment is certainly true.

People buy from brands they like and connect with.

That could be because they hold the same beliefs. Maybe because their story is inspirational.

It could be as simple as the brand showing they have a sense of humour.

My partner and I have a rule for job interviews that if you make them laugh, the interview went well.

This has also been pretty accurate for pitches and client meetings since I went freelance.

That’s because laughter is an amazing way of building a rapport, and connecting with who you’re talking to/writing for.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should pack your red nose and whoopie cushion next time you have a big business meeting, but you should think about ways to create those connections.

To simplify it as much as possible, you need to make them *feel* something.

Sometimes you’ll do that by talking about them, and sometimes by talking about you.

Don’t over-simplify it by following some bullshit rule, perpetuated by marketing bros looking for cheap engagement on Twitter.

If you think you’d enjoy reading what you’ve written, then there’s a good chance your customers will enjoy it too.

And if they enjoy what they read, it doesn’t matter who it’s about!