Professionalism is Killing Your Brand: Here's the Cure

What It Covers

Copywriter Dave Harland explains how professionalism kills brand personality, sharing techniques for writing with humor including ultra-specificity, self-deprecation, picking fights, and hyperbole to attract ideal clients through authentic voice.

Key Questions Answered

• •Ultra-Specificity Technique: Zoom into uncomfortable detail levels when describing experiences—like describing airport lounge sandwiches without crusts and fluffy croissants instead of generic luxury language—to make content viscerally relatable and memorable for audiences.
• •Self-Deprecation Strategy: Use self-deprecating humor in first contact only, like Lewis Capaldi telling viewers not to buy his album, then stop. Overusing it beyond initial interactions signals lack of confidence and appears insincere or like humble bragging.
• •Fighting Positioning: Pick fights with behaviors, systems, or competitors that your ideal clients also dislike—Aldi mocked Marks and Spencer as snitches during lawsuit, aligning with budget-conscious customers who resent being overcharged by premium brands.
• •Voice Development Timeline: Authentic voice emerges through consistent practice over years, not quick wins. Harland posted daily on LinkedIn for five years before finding his natural funny voice, moving from formal emails to casual cheers sign-offs.