Don’t Write Sales Copy That Gets Lost In The Noise

We live in a world of noise.

It’s true. The news is overcrowded with loudmouth politicians vying for attention, and meaningless celebrity gossip.

Advertising has become so ubiquitous that it’s inescapable. Everything truly is an ad for something else.

Our social media feeds aren’t much better, with memes trying to distract us from focusing on any one thing for too long.

But this isn’t about me sounding like the old man yelling at a cloud.

It’s about the bigger question for those who are looking to cut through all of that static.

How do you avoid getting lost in the noise?

You Have Something To Say

The problem with so much of the news and content that’s out there is so much of it has absolutely nothing to say! It often sounds repetitive because, frankly, it is.

Sometimes there’s a method to the madness, that’s true. Repetition is often a tactic to get the audience to pay attention, or to hammer home a point. Why do we remember old ad slogans decades later? Because they were repeated to us over and over and over again.

There was a time where we trusted the opinions of respected professionals. We read columnists and their opinion pieces, heard them on the radio, or watched them on television in rapt attention. We wanted to read or hear what they had to say!

The Social Media Floodgates Are Open

Today, social media has opened those floodgates. Anyone with even the notion of a thought can publicize it to the world, no matter how poorly fact-checked or inaccurate it may be. The largest social media platforms in the world recently boasted about eliminating their fact checkers, creating an open market for some of our worst ideas to roam freely.

The reality is that most of these folks have nothing to say, yet still feel empowered to say it. While speech is free, social media has offered it a platform that puts every idea on this equal playing field. As such, it creates a world of cacophony that means that it’s far too easy to get lost.

So how do you break through the noise?

There is a way! In a world where so many people have nothing to say, the people who do have something to say are the ones who still get attention. We’re so used to the world of inane chatter that, perhaps now more than ever today, our interest perks up when we hear something worthwhile.

Sales Content Is Noise

Yes, everything is an ad for something else, but bad sales copy is part of that constant flow of noisy chatter.

When was the last time that you read bad sales copy? Can you remember anything distinctive about it? Do you even know the product or service that was being pitched to you so aggressively?

Probably not, because nothing in that copy was memorable. It had followed an age-old formula so rigidly that any ounce of originality was lost. It may have read like AI wrote it, and maybe AI did. Yet even before AI, that sort of bad sales copy was all over the internet.

For a time, it worked, but it no longer captivates like it once did. Even using the best of sales psychology, it fails in one significant way – it comes off as completely fake.

If all you’re hearing is sales psychobabble, your instinct today is to tune out quickly. That’s because it’s just noise that’s coming at you, instead of having a conversation with you. It’s not a human interaction at all – it may as well be a machine talking to you as if you’re one, too.

You’re not a machine. You’re a human, with a story.

Your Story Matters Most

Why is storytelling such a hot topic today? Why are so many companies focusing on brand stories, or founder stories, or making sure that a human is face-first in their business?

Because stories cut through the noise!

In a world full of robots, it’s the humans that are going to stand out. Humans aren’t perfect! We ask questions, we analyze, we think, and we make choices. Sometimes they’re the wrong choices, but they’re our choices.

Our lives are a journey, and we learn things along the way. We also have a strong inclination to offer that wisdom that we’ve learned to others. If you’ve ever received unsolicited advice, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Our stories are what make us interesting. They’re what bring us to life.

Most importantly, stories cut through the noise.

Have you ever been in a room where a speaker starts telling a great story, and everyone else stops to listen?

That’s because stories capture our attention. They’ve been programmed into us since we were small – they’re how we best gather and interpret information.

If you want to cut through the noise, tell your story. If you’re looking to introduce yourself to potential new clients, tell your story. If you’re looking to remind the world who you are, and what you do? You guessed it, tell your story.

Empty, filler sales content doesn’t matter. Stories are what matter, and they’re how people will remember you the next time they need to reach you.