Let’s play a game. I’m going to describe two brands, and you tell me which one you’ll remember in six months.
Brand A: “We help you achieve your health and wellness goals.”
Brand B: “We’re here because your Fitbit thinks you died in March.”
Yeah… Thought so.
It’s time to say no to boring content and get your brand some personality. Here’s how to do it.
Safe isn’t the same as professional
Somewhere along the way, small businesses got told that “professional” means beige, boring content. Stiff sentences, corporate jargon, a tone so neutral it could work at a funeral or a birthday party without anyone noticing the difference. So they play it safe – and safe, it turns out, is where brands go to be forgotten.
Here’s the bit nobody tells you till it’s too late: boring isn’t neutral. It’s not a safe middle ground where you can’t lose. It’s actively costing you. Every generic headline, every “we’re passionate about excellence” line, every stock photo of people laughing at salad – that’s a tiny withdrawal from your reputation account. Customers don’t remember safe… They scroll straight past it.
A boring tone of voice could be costing you more than you think
Business owners worry about sounding “too much” – too cheeky, too casual, too you. Meanwhile, the brand next door is out here calling their newsletter “tea, served weekly” and getting a 3x higher open rate.
The real risk was never sounding like a personality. It’s sounding like nobody at all.
Think about the brands you actually like. Not the ones you use because they’re convenient – the ones you’d defend at a barbecue. I’d bet good money none of them describe themselves as “a leading provider.” They talk like a person. A slightly opinionated, occasionally funny, very human person. And they sound the same, no matter where you read their stuff. That’s not an accident. That’s tone of voice doing its job.
What your customers remember
Nobody’s ever said, “I bought from them because their About page had impeccable grammar.” (Let’s be clear, grammar still matters!!) But grammar only gets you so far. Personality gets you remembered.
People don’t buy from businesses. They buy from brands that feel like someone. A voice they’d recognise in a crowded inbox. A brand that sounds like it has opinions, not just offerings.
Boring content doesn’t just fail to convert – it actively erodes trust over time. If your copy sounds like everyone else’s, customers assume your business is like everyone else’s too. Same, same, same. And “same” doesn’t win against a competitor who sounds like they’ve actually got something to say.
How to un-bore your brand
You don’t need a rebrand. You need a reality check. Here’s where to start:
Read your last three posts out loud. If you wouldn’t say it to a friend over coffee, don’t say it on your website.
Cut the corporate filler. “We are committed to providing exceptional value” means nothing. Say the actual thing. What do you do? Why should anyone care? Let your guard down a bit, people will engage with your honesty.
Let your personality show up on purpose. Funny, blunt, warm, a bit chaotic – whatever you naturally are, put it on the page. Consistently. That’s tone of voice, and it’s the difference between forgettable and quotable.
Stop trying to please everyone. The businesses people remember aren’t the ones with the widest appeal. They’re the ones with the clearest voice. Niche down on personality and watch the right people lean in.
So, where does that leave you?
Boring content isn’t the safe choice – it’s the expensive one. It costs you attention, memory and eventually, sales. Your brand doesn’t need to be louder. It needs to sound like someone.
If you’re ready to stop sounding like every other “leading provider” out there and start sounding like you, that’s exactly what I do all day. Get in touch and let’s give your brand a personality worth remembering.
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