📣 Go from pun-tastic to purposeful in your brand voice

All it takes is a drive from the city to SFO to see some cringe-worthy pieces of copy on those big billboards along the 101. Most recently my team saw a database company tell the world, “Cover your SAAS.”

We always think of the line from the famous godfather of advertising, Claude Hopkins, “People don’t buy from clowns.” (We highly recommend his iconic book “My Life in Advertising,” a favorite of Andrew Chen).

You want to prioritize clarity, not comedy, when you’re taking your brand to the world. Simplicity, succinctness, and straightforwardness are your friends when getting your brand to market for three important reasons:

① 👋🏽 You have someone’s attention for about 40-50 seconds. Your homepage is your ultimate marketing flier for your brand, and people won’t hang out too long, on average. Everyone should be able to discern value quickly and understand who you are, what you offer, and why youshould buy from you or participate with you.

② 👏🏽 People connect with mission-led, purpose-driven brands, especially when it comes to your early adopters. Your diehard audience will naturally discover you in your early days, and they should quickly see themselves in your brand. Be authentic in your expression. It will connect.

③ 🫱🏽‍🫲🏻Trust and credibility are important parts of traction early on. Nothing quite communicates credibility like specificity and conciseness.

You want to cut through the noise. In a world of ironic marketing and cheeky copy, simple and confident writing can really stick out. 🙌🏽