Marcus Aurelius on writing like a human
When I first started producing content — blogs, videos, social posts — I was wildly shy and didn’t want to show up as myself. I had this nagging fear that if I revealed too much of my personality, potential clients might find me unprofessional or not take me seriously. So I produced content that was polished and professional and revealed nothing about me. The information was solid. It didn’t resonate.
Then I started working with a coach. Almost the first thing she told me was that she’d reviewed my website and social posts, and there was no me there.
Of course there wasn’t. I had deliberately stripped away anything personal. My first newsletter after working with her included a story about failing spectacularly at a client presentation because I’d been trying too hard to sound like an “expert.” The response? Three times my usual open rate and replies from people who’d never engaged before.
Marcus Aurelius wrote:
“Don’t gussy up your thoughts. No surplus words or unnecessary actions.”
That isn’t just good philosophy. It’s good business strategy. If you want people to listen, trust you, and buy from you, you have to stop hiding behind jargon, marketing fluff, and polished-but-empty messaging.
Not a marketing problem. A communication problem.
It’s easy to assume a lack of leads or engagement means you need better marketing. A lot of the time, the business doesn’t need more marketing. The communication isn’t clear, direct, or compelling.
We’re bombarded with thousands of marketing messages a day. People aren’t looking for more polished content. They’re desperate for something that feels human and trustworthy.
It shows up in three places:
Your website sounds just like everyone else in your industry.
Your social media posts feel polished but don’t get engagement.
Your emails are well-written and get ignored.
It isn’t that people aren’t interested. They don’t feel connected to what you’re saying.
Three traps that cost you clients
Marketing speak kills trust.
Nobody talks like this in real life:
“We specialize in providing holistic, scalable business solutions that drive strategic growth and operational efficiency.”
And yet countless owners write like this on their websites.
The more “official” the message sounds, the less trustworthy it becomes. People connect with language that feels natural.
A physical therapy practice owner I worked with rewrote her about page. From:
“We deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions utilizing proprietary assessment methodologies to optimize functional movement patterns.”
To:
“We figure out why you’re in pain and give you a clear plan to fix it, usually in fewer sessions than you’d expect.”
Appointment requests increased sharply in the first month. One sounds like a medical textbook. The other sounds like someone you’d trust with your back pain.
If you wouldn’t say it in conversation, don’t write it.
Most owners write their websites, emails, and social media posts like a corporate pitch deck. The result is stiff, forgettable messaging.
A wedding photographer I worked with changed her initial client email. From:
“Thank you for your inquiry regarding our photographic services for your upcoming nuptials. We would be delighted to schedule a consultation to discuss how we might capture your special day.”
To:
“Thanks so much for reaching out! I’d love to hear more about what you’re envisioning for your wedding day and see if we’re a good fit to capture those moments for you.”
Before you publish anything, ask: would I actually say this out loud to a potential client? If not, rewrite it until it sounds like something you’d say to a friend over coffee.
Jargon doesn’t make you sound smart. It makes you sound confusing.
Many owners assume technical terms make them sound credible. They just make the message harder to understand.
A financial advisor I know changed her main service description. From:
“We optimize tax-advantaged wealth-building strategies utilizing diversified asset allocation models for long-term financial independence.”
To:
“I help you save more money, pay less in taxes, and build a retirement you can actually enjoy.”
The 12-year-old test: if a 12-year-old wouldn’t understand what you do, simplify your message. Better yet, explain what you do to an actual middle-schooler and refine based on what they understand and what confuses them.
Real isn’t the same as casual
Some owners hear “be human” and assume it means throwing in slang, cussing in their marketing, or being overly casual just for the sake of it. That isn’t what this is about.
The goal isn’t casual. The goal is real. If your personality is naturally formal, own that. If you like humor, use it naturally. Don’t force informality because you think it will make you “relatable.”
How to get people to listen
Say what you mean. Overpromising, vague claims, and marketing hype don’t work anymore. A life coach I worked with changed her core offering. From:
“Transform your entire life in just 30 days with my revolutionary system!”
To:
“A 90-day program to help you identify what’s holding you back and build sustainable habits that create real change. Most clients see meaningful progress by day 30, but lasting transformation takes commitment.”
She enrolled more clients with the second version. People believed it was achievable.
If your messaging feels even slightly misleading, rewrite it. The clearer and more truthful it is, the more people will trust it.
The 3-second rule. If someone has to think too hard to understand what you do, they’ll move on.
Ask someone who doesn’t know your business well to look at your homepage for exactly three seconds, then close the tab. Can they tell you what you do and who you help? If not, the message is too complicated.
A business coach I know refined her headline. From:
“Empowering service-based entrepreneurs to scale systematically through proven frameworks and optimized client acquisition systems.”
To:
“I help consultants and coaches double their income without doubling their hours.”
Can someone understand what you do in three seconds or less? If not, simplify.
Clarity is professional
The biggest objection owners have to simplifying their language: “But I need to sound professional. My industry expects a certain level of sophistication.”
Clarity is professional.
The most respected leaders — law, healthcare, finance — speak simply. Authority isn’t about sounding complicated. It’s about making your expertise accessible.
Your words are either helping or hurting the business
Pull up your homepage right now and highlight every phrase you wouldn’t naturally say to a client face-to-face.
Pick the most jargon-heavy paragraph and rewrite it using the “friend over coffee” test.
Read it out loud. Does it sound like you? If not, keep refining.
Share the before-and-after with a colleague or friend and ask which version makes them more interested in working with you.
The more human you sound, the more people will actually listen.
About the Author
Ron Tester is a physical therapist with thirty years in the field. He built, grew, and operated a multidisciplinary home health company employing PTs, OTs, and SLPs through a successful exit. He now coaches outpatient PT, OT, and SLP clinic owners on operating at the owner level. Certified Executive Coach and Book Yourself® Solid Coach. Learn more at https://rontestercoaching.com/about.