Its Arguably The Most Important Word In The Copywriter's Arsenal. It Ranks Right At The Top With Words Like "free," "new" And "savings."Im Talking About "you.""You" Is The Word That Gets Your Prospects Attention And Keeps Them Involved. As Herschell Gordon Lewis Says In IThe Art Of Writing Copy,I "Unless The Reader Regards Himself As The Target Of Your Message, Benefit Cant Exist. Benefit Demands A WeYou Relationship."While The "We" In The "WeYou" Relationship Is Important, Its Better Implied Than Communicated Literally. If Your Goal Is To Put Prospects First, Then Its Best To Have The "yous" Far Exceed The "wes."Its The "yous" That Matter To Prospects. Theyre Your Workhorse For Communicating Your Message And Include All Derivatives Such As "your," "yours," "yourself," "youre," And "youll."BPowerful YouBWhat Makes "you" So Powerful? For One Thing, It Addresses Your Readers Directly. In Effect, It Says "Hey You," Which Is Much Harder To Ignore Than "Hey Somebody."Say "Hey You" In A Crowded Room And A Lot Of Heads Will Turn. Say "Hey Somebody" And A Few Heads Might Turn.While Your Copy Wont Actually Say "Hey You," It Can Clearly Identify To Whom Youre Talking. Once You Have Your Audience's Attention, Use "you" To Help Keep It.BPersonal YouBWhy Does "you" Get And Hold Attention? For One Thing, Its Personal. Its Used In Personal Conversation Every Day. What Do You Think? How Was Your Weekend? Youll Be Glad To Know When People Say These Things To You, Theyre Bound To Get Your Attention And Involvement. After All, Theyre Interested In Your Opinion. Theyre Interested In The Things You Do. They Have Something To Tell You That Will Make You Happy.Thats The Goal Of You-oriented Copy. Address Your Audience Directly, Personally And In Terms Of Their Interests. Be Conversational And "you" Will Pop Up In The Copy Naturally.BCounting YouBIt Was Mentioned Earlier That "you" Is A Workhorse. A Classic Example Is Contained In "The Do-It-Yourself Direct Mail Handbook" By Murray Raphel And Ken Erdman. They Highlight A "Newsweek" Magazine Subscription Letter Used For Nearly Two Decades.The Subscription Letter Was Written By Direct Mail Expert Ed McLean, Who Used "you" Nearly 30 Times On The First Page Alone. More Than 100 Million Copies Of The Letter Were Mailed, A Testament To Its Effectiveness.Try Counting The "yous" (and "you" Derivatives) In Your Copy. Compare Them With The Number Of "wes" And First-person Derivatives. If The "yous" Dont Outnumber The "wes," Consider Reworking Your Copy.BExcessive You?BCan You Overdo "you"? Yes.If You Load Your Copy With "yous" But Forget The Benefits, Your Message Will Have A Phony Ring."You" Cant Save You If Theres Nothing Meaningful To Offer Your Audience. Likewise, It Will Help Put You Over The Top If There Is.(c) 2005 Neil Sagebiel
