I got a story too juicy not to share:
Over the holiday weekend, I caught up with some of my frans who don’t live around me anymore. And so, I invited them over for drinks and food and what have you.
Well, there was another kid with my frans. The kid, he was white. My frans, though, well, my frans were black.
Mayhap you can see where this story is going…
Yes, the white kid not only used the N-word (and we’re talking about the real one here, not a “gotcha” word like neediness), but used it colloquially.
Oooooof.
You could only imagine the tension in the room as he casually inserted these into conversation.
Everyone was itching to get out of their skin, regardless of said skin’s color, because it was so uncomfortable.
And he’s lucky that nothing more serious happened…
Anyway, I tell you this story for a couple of reasons:
First and foremost, I see brands making a similar mistake with their copy. They insert terrible word choices that repel their audience instead of persuading them. It might not make their customers squirm the way we did, but certain word choices, over exaggerations, and trying too hard to write emotional copy makes customers squirm nonetheless. Anti-persuasion in action.
Second, to remind you of an important lesson: Nothing bad ever happens to email copywriters because everything’s a story you can bend to your will. Especially when the truth is stranger than fiction.
Yes, even something as unaware and frankly absurd as dropping the N-word several times around multiple black people.
And third, to convince you to reply to this email if you need help growing your business through email.
John
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