Never Write to Persuade. Write to Tell the Truth

What truth are you telling yourselves?

Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized brands.

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I’m not a New Year's resolution kinda person.

I love setting goals. But I don’t like the idea of creating this hype that January 1st will be any different from any other day. Your goals aren’t dependent on dates. They are dependent on the actions you take to achieve them.

Your actions create truth. The words you write create truth.

That’s why I love copywriting. I’m always pursuing the truth behind a product or brand. That truth is relevant and convicting to readers, especially when you reframe that truth from someone’s perspective.

But that truth often gets lost in trying to please everyone, which ends up pleasing no one. It’s a yucky, gimmicky, and fugly message.

It only took me years to realize that I don’t have to live in la la land of malarky hoshwash to be a writer or copywriter. You don’t have to write to everyone. And you shouldn’t try to persuade everyone of your truth.

Your words are always more powerful when you write your truth.

You’re Not a Computer. You’re an Emotional Wreck of Wonder

AI is the talk of the town. In the months and years to come, they will continue to be the talk of town. Unless you change the conversation.

You’re a flawed character. You have faults. You’re an emotional wreck of wonder, just like me. And when you channel that superpower into your writing (and copywriting) your words become more powerful.

That’s what I love about copywriting.

The best lines are honest. They are fighting against a common enemy. And that’s what makes them relatable.

Here are a few gems:

• “A minute more spent making this ad is a minute less spent making this beer” - Mill Street Brewery

• “This tastes like sh*t blah!” - Oatly

• “We like our clients because of their money. They like us because of our honesty” - Hyposwiss

Your Words Are an Expression of Honesty

I’m always amazed at how often people overlook the truth.

They want to be something they aren’t, especially on social media. They want to glamorize who they are, build a brand with power words, and skyrocket to the moon.

It’s 2025. Humanity craves for humanity.

This is especially true for B2B brands where it’s a race to build a product-led company without any real messaging. However, I’d argue that messaging is the most important.

It’s the realest thing that exists between your audience and your brand.

People can see through the fake glitter. Stop trying to impress people with a facade truth that doesn’t even matter. Real, honest copywriting is always more compelling than most people realize.

Your Readers Feel Empowered When You Actually Believe In What You Write

My favorite thing about copywriting is that it holds so much powerful truth.

You have to be willing to find it.

Sure, it sounds easy. But it never actually is. You have to study your audience, how they feel, and what they want. Your message on social media, landing pages, emails, websites, and all over your brand is how you empower your readers.

You empower them with the idea that you can solve their problems.

That requires reframing your thinking. It’s often more complicated than “Buy my stuff.” There’s real effort involved because you’re selling to real people.

Copywriting is not about persuading.

It’s about telling the truth. When you write the perfect message, you won’t need to persuade anyone to buy anything.

They will come running to you.

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When you're ready, here are a few ways I can help you 👇

• ​​Work together (schedule a 15-minute fit consultation)

• 1:1 Consulting - 1 hour

• B2B Email & Landing Page Toolkit Mastery (email and landing page workshop material - 88 PDF pages + examples + Subject Line Cheatsheet).

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Thanks for reading!

Ben Watkins