Everyone these days wants their microcopy to bring the funny. To infuse some lighthearted joy into an otherwise tedious chore, spark a smile in the midst of the workaday world. It's what I love most about my job, as a matter of fact, bringing the funny to the software. But how to be funny without coming off flat? What if you strike the wrong tone? Fail to carry the joke off?
You guys, it's actually really pretty simple. What it all boils down to is You've got to be kind.
When you use some delightful piece of software, is it yours, or does it belong to the company that built it? Okay. Obviously, in a strictly legal sense, software is intellectual property that "belongs" to its makers. But don't we talk about "my Google doc" and "my Excel spreadsheet" and "my Facebook wall?"
Sure we do. So it's a bit jarring when the interface reflects a totally different point of view.
We've been talking a lot at HubSpot lately about the importance of storytelling in our work. Last week, Laura Fitton published this delightful megapost of talks from last year's INBOUND conference that either focused on storytelling as a virtue or used great storytelling just to get a point across.
But how can storytelling help you write better microcopy?
I get sentences and phrases stuck in my head the way some people do with songs. Either way, I think it's fair to call it an earworm.
And just like that 80's power ballad that won't leave you alone, sticky words and phrases can only be exorcised one way.