I should have titled this blog – How to stop sounding like you swallowed a thesaurus and start sounding like someone I actually want to hire. But it wouldn’t fit in the subject line.
Buuuuut if we’re being brutally honest…
Some websites sound like they were written by someone trying to impress their ex’s mom and land a speaking gig at the same time.
You click on the “about page and suddenly you’re knee-deep in phrases like “impact-driven solutions”, “leveraging innovative frameworks”, or “helping you level up your xyz” and you’re like…
…Do you help people? Or are you pitching to investors on Shark Tank?
And look, I get it.
You want to sound credible. Professional. Like the kind of person who owns a calendar and shows up to meetings.
But here’s the thing your high school English teacher never told you:
✨ Professional doesn’t mean robotic.
✨ Credibility doesn’t mean cold.
✨ And clear copy is sexy copy. (Yes, even with a bit of sass.)
So if your current website reads like a TED Talk got trapped in a WeWork boardroom with a LinkedIn influencer named Brad… here’s how we’re going to fix it (and no, typing ‘the best copywriter Cape Town has to offer’ into Google at 3:00am isn’t always the solution – especially if you needed drop-dead-gorgeous words ‘like yesterday’).
(P.S. If you are looking for a complete breakdown of what your website needs to build trust, keep people scrolling, and actually have ‘em opening up the tab to your booking page, then I’ve whipped it all together for you into a beautiful, simple-to-follow guide. Simply click here to make it your own).
Start with the real reason people hire you (and no, it’s not “to optimise their internal operations”)
People don’t hire you for the technical deliverables.
They hire you for how those deliverables make them feel.
💬 They don’t want “brand strategy.”
They want to stop second-guessing their entire existence every time they go to write a post.
💬 They don’t want “copywriting services.”
They want to launch something that makes them proud — and makes people say “Shut up and take my money.”
So ask yourself: What does your client really get after working with you?
Start your copy there.
Ditch the jargon and write like you’re voice-noting a friend
If your website has phrases like:
❌ “empowering your highest transformation through actionable strategy”
❌ “leveraging my proprietary method to unlock scalable results”
Please. I am begging you.
Touch grass. Then rewrite it.
Try this instead:
✅ “Helping you stop sounding like a Pinterest quote board and start sounding like the real you — clear, confident, and hella hireable.”
We’re not here to win a writing contest.
We’re here to make strangers fall in love with your work in under 6 seconds.
Your About page isn’t actually about you
It’s about what it’s like to work with you.
That means your trauma origin story from that time you got ghosted by a potential client in 2017? Optional.
Your reader is scanning your page thinking:
“Do I trust you?”
“Do you get it?”
“Can you help me?”
Answer those questions first.
And then — by all means — tell us your spicy hot take on business, your love for oat milk, or your obsession with true crime podcasts. But only after you’ve made the connection.
Use the holy trinity: Voice, Values, Vibe
If you want people to remember you (and feel like they already know you before they hit the enquiry form), weave this throughout your site:
- Voice – Let your actual personality speak. Write how you talk, only better.
- Values – What do you stand for? What do you refuse to compromise on?
- Vibe – What’s the energetic feel of working with you? Cosy? Empowering? Bougie mystic forest goddess?
Infuse that into your headlines, microcopy, CTAs – and yes, even your footer (it deserves a lil’ sparkle).
Show the receipts (but make them juicy)
Proof matters (and no, I’m not talking about your personal paycheck). I’m talking about your client receipts. But hey, “Client X saw Y% ROI” doesn’t always cut it.
✨ Show us the before-and-after moments.
✨ Tell the transformation story.
✨ Add voice notes. Screenshots. Happy tears.
✨ Name the weirdly specific wins.
Like: “She launched her offer in 6 days flat and made back her investment before her oat milk even frothed.”
That’s what we call scroll-stopping proof.
P.S. And this one’s a Bonus Tip: If it sounds like it belongs in a LinkedIn thought-leader post… delete it
That includes:
- “Disrupting the industry”
- “Empowering female entrepreneurs to scale”
- “Thought leadership through authentic storytelling”
Like… what does that even mean, Sandra?!
Instead, say: “I help you write like a real human with a real brain so real clients can say, “Where have you been all my life, Karen?”
Because the truth is, you can sound like a wise badass AND a warm, funny, wildly intuitive human being.
And when you write from that place?
You build trust. You book clients. You don’t just convert — you connect.
🌀 P.S. Something delicious is launching soon. It’s for the business owner who wants their website to sound like them — but on their best day, with good hair, and a killer brand story. Keep your eyes peeled.
