As a content writer, your goal is to ultimately motivate the audience to act and do business with your brand. Whether this means buying products, hiring services, or interacting with your content through social media, turning these numbers is crucial. You want the hits on your articles and webpages to show results and convert them with business numbers. One way you want to push these conversions is through the perspective you write through.
Writers should have their grammatically written perspectives memorized and down pat. These include first-person, second-person, and third-person point-of-views. Which of these perspectives will turn out the most results? How should you address and talk to the audience, with a professional or more conversational tone? The type of POVs and tones you use will determine your results, and you should choose based on what your brand seeks.
When it comes to writing professionally, the third-person seems like the most optimal choice. It does not directly involve the writer, nor does it directly involve the reader. For content writing, you will also generally stick to referring to the company by name instead of a specific perspective. This would seem to especially work when selling to executives or important business clients. However, many writers fail to understand that by writing in third-person, you hold your audience away at an arm’s length.
When choosing to write in the third-person, the reader sees and feels less of themselves and someone else instead. When you try selling someone a product, service, or idea, you need to help them see themselves with it. Talking to your audience in the second or first-person speaks directly to them and projects how you can solve their problems.
Some written formats will ultimately work better with third-person, including case studies, white papers, or research papers. These pieces are meant to convey an objective, formal tone, while webpages and articles should directly connect to other people.
Based on your own knowledge of content writing, directly addressing the reader may seem like a bold and risky move. However, addressing the reader is among the best ways to connect and one of the best practices in content writing. Utilizing second-person not only connects to the reader, but it also helps them visualize themselves in your story. When you try selling products or services and address the reader directly, they see themselves helped by your brand.
In addition, directly addressing the audience goes beyond visualizing, but motivates them to act. Changing a statement like “exercise can help people lose weight” into “exercise can help you lose weight” serves as a greater motivator. People who feel encouraged to act will indeed act and buy a product or hire a service for success.
Writing in the second-person has a greater impact than most writers will realize. Worry less about the formalities, and more about content that sells the audience on your brand.
As has already been established, second-person is ideal when selling a person on a brand’s products and services. In contrast, third-person creates a barrier that makes connecting with the audience more difficult. So where does first-person perspective lie in this regard? Utilizing first-person in content writing can be effective, but typically in special cases, unlike second-person.
So where can first-person perspective be most effective in your blogs? It depends on the topic or discussion at hand. For one example, having first-person can be effective when the author tells a story from their personal perspective. These stories can be personal experiences, challenges, lessons learned, and tests you have faced that relate to the topic. Furthermore, first-person also works effectively when you write about a strong opinion. Even utilizing first-person in CTAs (call-to-action) can boost conversion rates by connecting to the reader and motivating them directly.
Nevertheless, limit your usage of first-person in your writing, because overusing it can reduce the overall effect of it. By understanding the three perspectives of writing, you can write articles that promote the best conversion rates for your brand. If your content marketing team struggles to reach successful conversion rates, we can help. Through services such as law firm marketing, social media management, and blog distribution networks, Actionable Agency can help. By offering many marketing solutions and web development for law firms across the country, we extend their reach and develop their business. At Actionable Agency, we can provide an analysis of your current strategy and website of your firm to help formulate new solutions. For more information, call us toll-free at (855) 206-9689.
