It's 2026.

SOME people can take a joke. 😂

I promise.

And I think a lot of brands, entrepreneurs and marketers are still writing like we're living in an era where every advertisement has to sound like it was approved by six executives, three attorneys and somebody's grandmother.

Everything is so damn safe.

So polished.

So careful.

So:

“Discover a better way to elevate your everyday experience.”

What the fuck does that even mean? 😂

Sometimes your ads aren't struggling because your targeting sucks.

Sometimes the product isn't the problem.

Sometimes you don't need another funnel.

Sometimes your copy just doesn't have any fucking conviction.

First: What Is Conviction?

Conviction is basically a firmly held belief or confidence in something.

In copywriting, I think about it even simpler:

Write like you actually believe the shit you're saying.

That's conviction.

There's a difference between:

“Our product may help simplify your workflow.”

and:

“You're wasting way too much fucking time doing this manually.”

Same general conversation.

Completely different energy.

One sounds like you're asking permission to sell me something.

The other sounds like you genuinely believe you've found a better way.

That's important.

Because people can feel uncertainty in copy.

Everything Is Out in the Open Now

Look around.

People are more public about damn near everything.

People talk openly about their businesses.

Their revenue.

Their failures.

Their relationships.

Their mental breakdowns.

Their salaries.

Their layoffs.

Their bad dates.

Their fucking DoorDash order being wrong. 😂

We're living in an extremely open generation.

Yet some businesses still write advertisements like they're afraid the internet is going to explode if they show an ounce of personality.

Obviously there are boundaries.

Obviously there are advertising policies.

Obviously some industries require more restraint than others.

But within policy, you probably have more room to be bold than you think.

Sometimes You Already Know What Would Work

This is the part I've experienced over and over.

You'll write something and immediately think:

“Ohhhh, that's good.”

Then five seconds later:

“Ehhh… is that too much?”

So you water it down.

Change the headline.

Remove the joke.

Take out the slang.

Replace the interesting sentence with some generic professional bullshit.

Now it's safe.

Congratulations.

You also made it fucking boring. 😂

And then you wonder why nobody clicks it.

Sometimes that first instinct was exactly what would've gotten somebody's attention.

You Need to Understand Psychology AND Create Conviction

I talked about psychology in my last blog.

The art of making somebody click “Buy” starts with understanding people.

Not trying to be right.

Understanding why people behave the way they behave.

Understanding desire.

Fear.

Convenience.

Status.

Curiosity.

Skepticism.

Identity.

All of that matters.

But understanding psychology is only half of it.

Because once you understand what somebody wants, you still have to communicate your solution like you believe in it.

That's conviction.

Psychology tells you what matters to them.

Conviction tells them:

“This is why you need to pay attention.”

Combine those two?

Now you've got some shit.

“But What If Somebody Doesn't Like It?”

They won't.

😂

Somebody won't like it.

Welcome to marketing.

Actually, welcome to being alive.

You can write the safest advertisement imaginable and somebody will still find something wrong with it.

That's especially true now.

We just talked about this.

People are becoming fucking insufferable online.

Somebody is always waiting to tell you:

“This isn't professional.”

“I don't like the wording.”

“Why would a company say this?”

“This joke isn't funny.”

Okay.

Was the ad written for you?

That's the question.

Because your job isn't necessarily to make every person who encounters your advertisement approve of it.

Your job is to communicate effectively with the specific person you're trying to reach.

Huge difference.

The Way I Write Is Literally an Example

Look at these blogs.

😂

I talk casually.

I use slang.

I joke.

Sometimes I cuss.

Sometimes I'll explain a legitimate business concept and then two paragraphs later say:

“What the fuck are we doing here?”

Some people would probably say that's a weird mixture.

Professional knowledge + completely unprofessional delivery.

Cool.

It works for me.

I've had people specifically tell me they love the way I talk.

People tell me they enjoy reading these because they don't feel like they're reading some corporate article.

People wonder what weird-ass title I'm going to come up with next.

They come back because there's a personality attached to the information.

That's the point.

I could remove all the profanity.

Remove the jokes.

Remove the slang.

Make every title SEO-friendly.

Turn everything into:

“7 Proven Strategies for Improving Your Digital Marketing Performance”

🤓

Absolutely the fuck not. 😂

Maybe that works for somebody else.

It doesn't represent me.

That's Boldness

Boldness doesn't mean intentionally offending everybody.

It doesn't mean violating platform policies.

It doesn't mean making outrageous claims you can't prove.

And it definitely doesn't mean saying wild shit purely because you're desperate for attention.

Boldness is being willing to communicate with conviction when everybody else is scared to sound different.

Sometimes it's a headline.

Sometimes it's humor.

Sometimes it's an unpopular opinion.

Sometimes it's saying exactly what your customer is already thinking but nobody else in your industry is willing to say.

Sometimes it's simply dropping the robotic corporate voice and talking to customers like they're actual fucking people.

😂

That's boldness too.

Stop Trying to Sound Like an Advertisement

This might be one of the easiest improvements you can make.

Read your ad out loud.

Would you actually say that shit to another human being?

If somebody asked why they should buy your product, would you really respond:

“Our innovative solution empowers customers to unlock unparalleled value through a seamless experience.”

Bro.

GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE. 😂

Tell me what it does.

Tell me why I should care.

Tell me why yours is better.

Tell me what problem I'm dealing with that you understand.

Make me curious.

Make me laugh.

Make me think:

“Damn. That's literally me.”

Make me feel something.

Professional Doesn't Have to Mean Boring

This is probably where people get confused.

Professionalism and personality aren't opposites.

You can run your business professionally while marketing it creatively.

You can deliver a great product and have funny ads.

You can know your shit and still say shit.

😂

You can understand marketing at a high level without sounding like a marketing textbook.

That's actually part of what I enjoy.

The contrast.

I can talk psychology, development, business strategy, branding and e-commerce while still sounding like the same person you'd actually have a conversation with.

Some people might consider that bold.

I just consider it authentic.

Your Customer Probably Isn't As Fragile As You Think

Obviously, know your audience.

Don't go advertising retirement planning like you're running a fucking meme page just because Trey told you to be bold. 😂

Context matters.

But stop assuming every customer needs to be spoken to like they're sitting inside a corporate boardroom.

Some people appreciate humor.

Some people appreciate directness.

Some people appreciate brands that don't sound exactly like every other brand.

Some people can take a fucking joke.

It's 2026.

Your audience is consuming TikToks, memes, podcasts, tweets, group chats and content from creators who talk like actual humans all day long.

Then your advertisement appears:

“Experience the difference today.”

😂

No wonder they scrolled past your shit.

If Your Ads Are Struggling, Look at Your Conviction

Before you rebuild everything, go read your copy.

Does it actually say anything?

Does it sound confident?

Does it sound like you understand the person reading it?

Is there personality?

Is there a reason to keep reading?

Does your headline make somebody curious?

Would you stop scrolling?

Or did you have a great idea and slowly edit every interesting part out of it because you were scared somebody might think it was “too much”?

Because sometimes your problem isn't that you went too far.

You didn't go far enough.

Understand your audience.

Understand psychology.

Stay within policy.

Don't make claims you can't back up.

But once you've done all of that?

Say that shit with your chest.

That's conviction.

And sometimes that little bit of boldness is exactly what makes somebody finally click “Buy.” 😂