Beat Author, Neal Cassady, once wrote a letter to his friend, Jack Kerouac. Eschewing the more formal tone of writing at the time, Cassady wrote it like he was talking to Kerouac directly. This letter would inspire Kerouac on how to write “On the Road”, one of the greatest classics of the 20th century.
We have replaced letters with emails, but using a conversational tone to communicate has not lost it’s relevance, especially for writing emails. A “conversational tone” engages with your readers better because
- You build a immediate rapport with your readers
- It’s easier to understand
- It will increase your conversation rates.
So below are some tips to make your writing sound exactly like how you talk.
Tell a story
If you enjoyed the story at the beginning of this article then it did it’s job. People will read a story over generic sales copy any day. Stories create an emotional connection for readers by taking them to a different world, keeping the reader interested and invested in what you’re telling them.
On the Apple iPhone page about design, below is a story used to describe earbuds, which only makes them look more appealing than they are.
Apple engineers asked more than 600 people to test over 100 iterations of the Apple EarPods. Testers ran on treadmills in extreme heat and extreme cold. They performed various cardio workouts. They were even asked to shake their heads from side to side, and up and down. The result: Apple EarPods provide stronger protection from sweat and water, and they’re remarkably stable in the ear.
Describing products/services in story is not the only way to tell a story. Inserting details of your own life into an email is another way to connect with your readers, so they get to know you better and sympathize with who you are and what you’re saying.
Be Honest
Now, if you’re going to share pieces of your life narrative to your audience, you have to be honest. For example, in Warren Buffett’s annual shareholder letters, he’s direct with his shareholders. If he has bad news he has to share he will share it. By being direct and honest with his readers, Warren Buffet instills trust in them and convinces them to continue being his shareholders. Self-deprecation was used by Sidekick in an email they sent to me recently. Not only are they willing to point out that they do send out automated emails they also used it to try and persuade me to try their product out (Note: I am still using Sidekick).
Being honest with your readership will make you come off as trying to help them rather than trying to sell to them.
Keep it casual (but not too casual)
By not taking yourself too seriously, you set yourself as close and personable with your reader, it goes a long way in keeping your email warm and conversational. For example, Garrett, not Founder of CoSchedule but just Garrett wanted to offer me something, he introduced it in a easy and casual manner.
Using words like “I” and “You” (or their first name if you have it) do wonders for talking with people. It establishes a one-to-one interaction with the reader and makes them feel closer to you. A word of warning however, you are ultimately writing for your audience, and if your readership are hardcore professionals being too casual about it will turn them off.
Make it Brief and Punchy
The words used and sentence structure is incredibly important in making your copy sound like a conversation. Conversation ensures the message will stick and make you understandable and clear. In order to ensure your message has brevity and engaging you should
- Remove all adjectives (describing words), instead use more verbs (action words).
- Simplify your language by avoiding jargon and using slang.
- We use contractions when we speak such don’t, or won’t, so use them in your writing.
- Keep your sentences short and too the point (13 words or less) so it’s easier for someone to understand you.
In the below example, Impactana email to me is short clear and punchy.
Read your email out loud
After you’ve finished your email, read it out loud. Why? Not only does reading it aloud let you catch onto possibly embarrassing mistakes that you may have missed the first time, but it will let you know if your writing feels natural when read aloud.
Do you feel awkward reading it? Then you either got to brush up your grammar skills or it’s too formal. If it’s easy on the tongue and something you could tell someone without cringing then you have a conversational tone for your email.
Overall, a conversational tone isn’t hard to master, but with enough practice you will be able to engage with your readers in a deeper way and see your conversions increase.
Biography
Joshua lives to write and he has a lot to say about narratives in pop culture, marketing and the world at narrativeispower.com. You can find him at joshuapng.com and on twitter at @joshuapng1.
