How to Be Yourself When You Show Up & Sell with Your Sales Copy
“Really want to shine in the online space? Girl – just be yourself”
I’ve seen this sort of conversation all over the internet for the last few years. Every few seconds, phrases like “YOUR magic is THEIR why!” or “be you! It’s the ultimate key differentiator!” pop up in some iteration or another.
And I know it’s not just me seeing this kind of stuff. I’m willing to bet you’ve gotten that kind of well-intentioned-but-trite advice before:
Just be yourself when you show up online!
Selling feels icky? Sell like YOU!
Don’t know what to say on an IG caption? Talk like yourself!
Listen, the whole “be yourself online” thing is not bad advice. Because it’s true – when we do things our way (write Instagram captions, sell offers, send emails, etc.) – we actually do show up and sell better. Everything feels less icky and a whole lot more aligned.
The problem with this advice? Marketers will bark it at you without any shred of evidence on how to actually do that.
And listen, I’m not hating on this kind of advice. I’ve told my copy clients the exact same thing. Sales psychology and the power of the Liking Principle (we’ll get to that in a second) tell us that the more we show up as ourselves, the more opportunity we’re giving people to like us, trust us, and buy from us.
The more “you” you sound, the more they’ll think, “hey…I think I like this person. I’m going to pay attention.”
But if you have no idea how to do that…your goals of showing up and selling like yourself just keep inching further and further away.
Finally (finally!), I’ve finagled a little copy-specific advice for how you to pay attention to your personality in a real way, show up online with a you-packed punch, and sell in a way that feels like you – and that people will start to recognize.
And all it takes is three little tips to kickstart the process.
Why the “Be Yourself” Advice for Your Sales Copy?
Obviously, the quality of your services or products, plus the value you give people, is a reason they buy. But did you know that a lot of people actually buy from other people simply because they like them?
I don’t mean this as a popularity contest. I mean that people buy from people they like, trust, would get a beer with, or would ally with on Survivor.
All that to say, the more someone likes you, the more they connect with you, trust you, and are more likely to buy from you.
That beautiful link isn’t something I came up with on my own (I wish).
Sales psychology tells us that people are more likely to say yes to someone they like – a principle known (appropriately) as the Liking Principle.
And what creates that sense of likeability?
Familiarity. Warmth. Authenticity. Personality. In other words, you being you.
When your copy reflects your real tone, quirks, values, and vibe, it helps to build that needed trust and connection faster and more meaningfully. You start to feel more like a person and less like a brand-robot. And people don’t buy from robots. They buy from people they resonate with.
That’s exactly why the “be yourself” advice is still floating around. Not because it’s cute; it’s because it works.
The Problem With Being Yourself in Your Copy – It Isn’t as Easy as They Make It Seem
Everyone talks about authenticity. We throw that buzzword around like a hot potato – the quicker we say it, the faster it’s out of our hands.
But the problem with authenticity is exactly that – without intention and understanding, it’s just a buzzword that doesn’t help you. We all talk about authenticity, but no one ever hands you a road map to get there.
And frankly? That goal gets even fuzzier when we introduce writing words into the picture. Just showing up in a talking head reel online as yourself is hard enough.
Translating that into sales pages? Email newsletters? Blog posts? Instagram captions? Your website?
It’s hard! And often, we find ourselves getting caught up in what we think we should sound like (how the other pros in our industry sound) and what we actually sound like.
Three Practical Ways to Sound & Sell Like You In Your Sales Copy
Yes, I want you to be yourself when you write your words – but I also want you to have practical, actionable advice for doing that. Here are three things you can do literally right now to break out of that actionless “be yourself” advice and bust into actually sounding like yourself in your sales copy.
Create & Use Your Own Brand Voice Dictionary
My hot take? You can’t use your sticky lil brand voice and unique-to-you language if you don’t even know what your unique-to-you language is.
There are plenty of elements to sticky brand voice – AKA, the personality behind your voice that flips on the neon welcome sign for your kind of people. But an often overlooked one is the cute little vocabulary that’s entirely unique to you or your brand.
That’s where a custom Brand Voice Dictionary comes in.
We don’t always think consciously about this, but we associate words, phrases, and isms with people. And all those words and phrases guide how we feel about people.
The way someone phrases something could give us major red flags. OR (and importantly for finding our ideal clients), the way someone phrases something could give us big green flag feelings.
For example, my husband frequently drops words like “golly!” and “give me a shout!” and “lovers in love!” – all of those phrases give me green flag feelings.
His language tells me that he’s for me. I connect with those words. Those are big green flags for me! I hear his quirky lil phrases and think, “Wow, this guy is the best – I’m all about it.”
And all of that makes sense – I’m (inarguably) his ideal audience.
But someone else might hear those words and phrases and crash out about them. Those people? They’re not his ideal audience.
The same goes for business. Your words and phrases are going to give people red flags or green flags – but they’re also going to create associations in people’s brains.
Whenever someone I know hears the words “hype,” “pal,” or “sticky,” they immediately think of me. And that’s because I’ve documented (and used!) a language completely unique to Boundless Copy.
Building & Using Your Brand Voice Dictionary
You could have thousands of unique lil phrases that catch your people’s attention – but they only count if you use them consistently.
That’s where the Brand Voice Dictionary comes in handy.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building your own Brand Voice Dictionary.
STEP 1: Open up a note on your phone / in a Google doc (wherever you’ll actually add to it)
STEP 2: Title it [Your Brand Name] Brand Voice Dictionary
STEP 3: Start paying attention to yourself. When you’re talking to a client you work well with, when you’re on a call, when you’re emailing & it feels natural–just pay attention!
STEP 4: Write it down. Without judgment, without strategy. Just start writing–that funny thing you said to a friend, your regional slang you use all the time, a phrase your kids tease you for that you’ll never let go, a sentence you find yourself repeating to clients all the time.
STEP 5: Take a peek at what you’ve added. Which of these words and phrases align with the feeling of your brand voice that you discovered in your Voice Venn Diagram?
STEP 6: Enjoy the process and keep adding to this without pressure. This is a living, breathing, and evolving note that’s meant to flex and change.
Here’s a quick lil peek at a few pages of mine!
Now it’s your turn!
The key here is to keep adding to it, refining it, and refreshing it – and most importantly, using it! Sprinkle in all those words and phrases consistently in your copy (from IG captions to email subject lines) so people know it’s you talking.
Want a little help refining your sticky brand voice? Sign up to join my free(!) quarterly challenge, Brand Voice Bootcamp. In 5 days and five emails, we’ll take your brand voice from blaaaah to bold!
Ask Other People What They Notice – Then Listen
The fact of the matter is, other people pay WAY more attention to our bright ‘n’ shiny personalities than we do.
The only time we really pay attention to ourselves is when we’re focusing on the idiotic things we do (that time in 5th grade when you sprinted up a concrete stadium, tripped, and knocked yourself unconscious…just me?)
But that’s not always the best example of the lean-into-youness we’re looking for when it comes to our brand voices or the personality we want to infuse into our copy.
The real hack for getting to the good stuff about your personality is asking your best clients or your business friends what stands out about working with you or interacting with you.
What do they notice about your vibe? What makes you feel like you?
I came to the realization that I’m a copy pal, not a copy pro (a huge part of my brand’s messaging) by asking a client directly what stood out about working with me vs. other copywriters.
She said, and I quote, “It’s like you’re a pal who’s REALLY good at words instead of an intimidating boss girl professional who I was scared to work with.”
Boom. Approachability. Friendliness. Casual professionalism. All of these things are part of my brand voice, my messaging, my tone – and I never would have gotten there on my own.
It’s not egotistical or self-centered to do research like this, especially when it can benefit your copy and how you show up and sell.
Build a Brand Voice Guide That You Can Actually Use
A great brand voice guide doesn’t just describe you, it gives you actionable tips on how to use your voice in different scenarios.
I will flip my lid if I see another brand voice guide that doesn’t actually help you sit down, write in your voice, and show up like yourself. A brand voice guide should be a discovery of your own voice, but also give you tips on how to use that voice in practice.
Specific? Yes. Actionable? Also yes.
Your guide should cover things like:
Your brand story
Your voice values
Your perception promises
Voice visuals
Tone keywords
Voice persona
Dream people personas
Examples of your voice in social media copy, sales copy, website copy, etc.
A good guide doesn’t just describe your voice; it shows you how to show up in that voice whenever and wherever you add your words to the mix.
If you’re looking for 1:1 guidance on how to create (and use) your own brand voice guide, take a peek at my mini course Brand Voice Roundup.
This done-with-you mini course is quick and easy and actually helps you build your own brand voice guide, which you can open over and over again. Then, it teaches you how to use it with a step-by-step checklist.
The result? Your people can hear you loud and clear wherever you show up (and then come running).
Want “Be Yourself” Help? Here’s Where to Start
Those three quick tips are the best place to start leaning more into yourself and showing up as you with your words. And the best part? You can do all of it on your own – no copywriters needed.
But if you are looking for help – and a map that’s more detailed than just “show up as you!” – I highly recommend a few different avenues here:
Brand Voice Strategy Sesh: This 1:1 strategy is a meetup between the two of us where we map out your specific brand personality and voice. Then, I build you a (actionable and usable!) brand voice guide.
Brand Voice Roundup: a walkthrough mini course where I help you build your own brand voice guide – then teach you how to use it!
Here’s to showing up as you in your sales copy – and knowing exactly how to do it!
