Don’t Be Boring: How to Write Content That Actually Sticks

There’s a special kind of beige copy that shows up in brand voice decks. It’s polite. It’s professional. It’s... forgettable. Writing content that performs and feels human is hard—but it’s also what makes people stick around.

We don’t need more content. We need content people remember. Whether you’re working on UX flows, product pages, or onboarding emails, one rule keeps coming back: don’t be boring.

Here’s how to bring your copy back to life—without losing clarity or credibility.

1. “Friendly” Isn’t a Personality

You’ve seen it: “We’re a fun, down-to-earth brand with a human tone of voice.” Great. So why does your copy still sound like it was written by a chatbot with a LinkedIn addiction?

A “friendly” tone isn’t enough. You need a voice with point of view—and personality that shows up consistently.

At HEMA, I worked on French-language UX and campaign copy. Early on, we defaulted to safe, functional translations—“Add to cart,” “View product,” “Back to results.” But those phrases said nothing about the brand’s quirky charm.

We shifted to voice-driven microcopy: playful when it made sense, clear when it mattered. “Trouvez votre bonheur” beat “Voir produit.” Small tweaks, but they made the interface feel like HEMA, not just another e-commerce shell.

Tone is a tactic. Voice is a strategy. Know the difference.

2. People Don’t Read. They Glance.

Here’s the truth: no one is reading your lovingly crafted paragraph. They’re skimming for value.

That’s why structure matters as much as style. Headlines, subheadings, bullets, whitespace—these are not “nice to have.” They’re how your content gets read.

At OpenUp, I redesigned email flows to support mental health education. When we ditched long blocks of text for modular, scrollable formats with clear headlines and CTA buttons, engagement rates jumped.

The same goes for UX writing at Exact: a tooltip with “Find out how this works” outperforms one that says “Learn more about our available feature options.” Why? Because people need signals, not lectures.

Good structure doesn’t simplify your message. It amplifies it.

3. Write Like You Speak (But Better)

Here’s a test: read your copy out loud. If you wouldn’t say it in a meeting or to a customer, why write it?

Words like “leverage,” “solutions,” or “end-to-end synergies” have a magical power: they make your message instantly forgettable. Replace them with real words—clear, conversational, and just polished enough to sound smart and human.

One trick I love? Add voice to your CTAs. “Get started” is fine. But “Let’s do this” feels like there’s a person behind it. “Save your spot” beats “Submit form.”

During onboarding content reviews at Exact, we’d sometimes swap just three words—and suddenly, the user flow felt like it had a heartbeat.

Write like a person. Edit like a pro.

In Short

> You can be credible without sounding robotic. Professional without being stiff. All it takes is one decision: don’t be boring.

Real content connects. If it sounds like everything else out there, no one will remember it. But if it sounds like you—with intention, clarity, and a little guts—people will notice.

And that’s what good writing is for.