This individual had no writing training or experience herself, but decided to become a freelance writer while unemployed. She turned what she learned from that experience into an online course.

Because I have a journalism degree and work as a freelance writer, I was more than curious about what she had to say. So I added myself to her email list . . . and got an education. But it wasn’t the one I was expecting.

Oh, the things you can learn!

I realized pretty quickly – as in the second email – that we weren’t a good match.

She used “the f-bomb” in the subject line and throughout the message itself. Subsequent messages used the same, um, “salty” language. In addition, they were often snarky and lacked substance.

I unsubscribed.

Words have power

While I didn’t learn much about her perspective on how to become a freelance writer, I’m glad I subscribed. The messages presented me with an “aha” moment: Our book promotion language — the words we use in our messages — can either attract or repel readers.

It’s possible – even likely – that this entrepreneur knew this and chose her words carefully so she could weed out people like me who won’t appreciate her on-camera approach. By tossing a few four-letter words into her email messages, she’s saying, “If you don’t like this, you’ll really dislike my training style! Go away!”

Message received. Buh-bye.

via GIFER

Have you noticed these trends?

I’m more sensitive to marketers’ word choices now because of this single experience. Has it happened to you? Have you seen advertising, email, social media, or other messages that make you think, “This isn’t for me”?

Here are a few language trends I’ve noticed that help me see where I fit in:

• Acronyms. Sometimes they refer to industry associations (for example, ASJA for American Society of Journalists and Authors). But they’re often simply a shorthand for people who don’t want to write entire words – YMMV for “your mileage may vary,” for example. Or, the speaker has military experience. You’ll see them in email messages, blog posts, and social media messaging.
• Buzzwords and phrases. These are often either industry terms that the target audience recognizes (blurb, metadata), corporate-speak (incentivize, unpack, or pain point, anyone?), and current popular phrases (“I was today years old when I learned this”).
• Hashtagging. You’ll see this in all types of marketing content. It’s hard to miss in this Klondike bar commercial (or should I say #Klondike?).

What does this mean for your book promotion language?

A friend uses a lot of hashtagged acronyms in her Facebook posts. After I had to Google #IYKYK (“if you know, you know”) when she used it recently, I realized that I didn’t know. And that told me that I wasn’t supposed to be interested in her commentary that day. You know – because I didn’t know, right?

So the question is: Do the words, phrases, or expressions you use in your social media messages, blog posts, newsletters, or presentations exclude people? Or, do they help you attract more of the right people? 

Is your book promotion language working for you, or against you?

Both are okay if you’re being strategic.

But if you’re inadvertently closing the door on people you believe will love your books, it could be a problem.

Know your audience

Work to match your book promotion language with your audience. If you’re a baby boomer targeting a reader half your age, you’re not going to use Lawrence Welk references, right? But you might use phrases like, “Keep it 100,” “JOMO” (not to be confused with “FOMO”), or “FR.”

Similarly, if you’re a millennial writing for a baby boomer audience, you’ll want to avoid slang you use with peers. And you won’t want to be hashtagging left and right. (Pro tip: “left and right” is a boomer phrase.)

It comes down to knowing your audience (here’s help with that).

If your audience is people like you, you’ll intuitively use language that attracts them.

If it isn’t, work to make sure your book promotion language speaks to them in ways that say you understand them. In order for us to connect with a marketer (and that’s what you are), we need to feel like you understand us.

Words can do that.

What are you doing already to make sure your messages attract the right readers? Please tell us in a comment.