The 'Best Practices' Scam: Why Playing It Safe Will Kill Your Copy

Best practices. Sounds good. Like the kind of thing you’d hear in a corporate meeting, where people nod solemnly and someone furiously scribbles “ACTION ITEM” on a whiteboard.

But here’s the harsh truth: most so-called 'best practices' are just overused, stale ideas recycled so many times they’ve lost all impact. And if you’re building your copy strategy around them, you’re playing it safe. Too safe.

Let me break it down: playing it safe doesn’t win attention, and it certainly doesn’t win customers. It wins polite head nods and silent scrolls.

Why Playing It Safe Is a Guaranteed Fail

When was the last time you remembered an email, ad, or website that followed the same 'tried and true' formula? Exactly. Great copy doesn’t whisper, it yells. It doesn’t blend in; it sticks out like a bright red button in a sea of beige.

Safe copy assumes your audience is too fragile to handle anything surprising or different. But people don’t connect with bland; they connect with bold. They’re drawn to copy that challenges, provokes, or dares them to think differently. If you’re not doing that, you’re just adding to the noise.

When 'Best Practices' Become 'Worst Mistakes'

Let’s talk about real-life consequences. Here’s what happens when you religiously stick to best practices:

1. You sound like everyone else: If everyone is following the same “best practices,” guess what? Everyone’s copy starts sounding the same. And in a crowded market, sameness is death.

2. You miss real innovation: Best practices don’t leave room for experimentation. And without experimentation, you’ll never discover what actually works for your audience.

3. You kill your brand voice: If your copy is built on generic templates, your brand voice gets diluted. And a weak brand voice is worse than no voice at all.

The Fix: How to Break the Rules (and Win)

Guess what? You don’t need 'best practices' to write great copy. You need guts. You need to stop looking over your shoulder and start focusing on what makes your brand stand out. Here’s how:

• Flip the script: If the industry standard is to start an email with a polite intro, hit them with a question or bold statement instead. Make them sit up and pay attention.

• Break some rules: Punctuation police be damned. Sentence fragments? Hell yeah. One-word sentences? Why not? Write the way your audience talks - and don’t apologise for it.

• Focus on emotion, not conformity: Great copy makes people feel something. Best practices don’t. They’re sterile. Dull. Emotionless. Tap into your audience’s fears, dreams, and desires, and you’ll have their attention in seconds.

Ready to Ditch 'Best Practices'?

If you relate, it’s time to rip up the rulebook. Take a hard look at your copy and ask yourself: does this play it safe? Or does it challenge, excite, and grab your audience by the eyeballs?

Because here’s the thing: the best copy isn’t safe. It’s brave. It’s bold. And it sure as hell doesn’t come from a whiteboard session full of 'best practices'.

Your audience deserves better. So do you.