Author: Michelle Troutman

Michelle Troutman has spent more than a decade crafting attention-getting newsletters and other content for service providers. She specializes in creating standout e-newsletters for law firms and economic development organizations. Her marketing and business administration background and education enhance clear and persuasive copy that speaks to the right clients. Through features in publications like "Attorney at Work" and "Law Fuel," and her e-newsletter and YouTube channel, she inspires service professionals to create engaging content. She enjoys helping businesses that sell their expertise reach their ideal customers.
branding, writing advice

5 Steps to Write a Unique Selling Proposition, Value Proposition, or Tagline (Examples)

When you write a unique selling proposition (USP), is it the same as a tagline, a value proposition, or a mission statement? Not necessarily.

A kiosk selling magazines and newspapers with the sign "Kiosk Press" above it in green and gold.

A tagline and a proposition distinguish your products or services. A tagline, sometimes known as a slogan, is a concise and memorable form of your selling proposition. A mission statement defines why you’re in business.

By contrast and its original definition, by adman Rosser Reeves, a unique selling proposition is more benefit-oriented:

  1. “Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer…Each advertisement must say to each reader: ‘Buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit.’
  2. The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot or does not, offer. It must be unique–either a uniqueness of the brand or a claim not otherwise made in that particular field of advertising…
  3. The proposition must be so strong that it can move the mass millions, i.e., pull over new customers to your product.”

Some see a USP and a value proposition as the same. Compared to a USP, others view a value proposition as a more specific claim about the effectiveness of products or services.

Here’s how Nike, maker of athletic gear, has expressed their uniqueness through each type of messaging:

  • Unique selling proposition: “Nike delivers innovative products, experiences and services to inspire athletes.”
  • Value proposition: “Customizable performance or lifestyle sneakers with unique colorways and materials.” (Specific to their Colorways footwear)
  • Mission statement: “Bring innovation and inspiration to every athlete in the world.”
  • Tagline or slogan: “Just do it.”

The basic building blocks of a mission statement or a tagline may form your unique selling or value proposition.

See how to write a unique selling proposition (USP), value proposition, or tagline step-by-step–with examples.

How to Write a Unique Selling Proposition, a Value Proposition, or a Tagline

1. Consider your “how” – What do you do? What sets you apart from competitors? Which problems do you solve? Your personality and how you do business, combined with your expertise, make you “you.” They’re part of your brand.

Example: The Law Office of Brady Skinner: “The No B.S. Attorney.”

2. Hear your “who” – Who do you serve? Do you have special knowledge or experience that helps you help certain people?

Example: Arizona-based real estate divorce specialist Bob Adelfson helps people going through a divorce sell their marital homes.

3. Find your “why” – Why do you do what you do? Why does your work matter to you — and why should it matter to others? Which problems do you solve? Answering these questions helps customers understand why you can help them. This ties to your core brand values.

Example: Some doctors at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center were also cancer patients. Their experiences led them to feel more empathy for their patients. They also better understood the side effects of the treatments they prescribed.

Their knowledge and personal experience add to their “why” and differentiate them from providers who haven’t had cancer.

4. Add them up – How + Who + Why = Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). This equation helped me create my new business USP and tagline.

Example: Quality custom content that boosts service firms’ brands to win the right clients.

A USP defines an aspect of your business that distinguishes it. Using two of the three parts of the USP equation (“how” + “why,” “how” + “who,” etc.), you may trim your USP to a tagline.

Example: Based on my USP, my tagline becomes, “Win the right clients with quality custom content.”

5. Take a step farther – Add a specific claim to your USP or your tagline to form your value proposition. The benefit can include the results customers may expect or will get from working with you.

Example: “15 minutes or less can save you 15% or more on car insurance.” (Geico)

Learn more about how to write a unique selling proposition (and other brand messaging) to reach ideal clients.

get your free checklist

What’s your unique selling proposition? Feel free to comment below.

QUOTES

“You’ve got to start with the customer experience then work backwards.”

Steve Jobs

“A unique selling proposition is no longer enough. Without a unique selling talent, it may die.”

Bill Bernbach
brand values, branding, writing advice

5 Ways to Define Your Core Brand Values to Get the Right Clients

A piece of paper on a clipboard with a Venn diagram -- two circles with statements in them that define core brand values. They intersect at the phrase "your brand."

Do your core brand values define your business? The image it projects says a lot about it (and you). And the type of customers you gain. We can attract what we project. If you’re unhappy with your client base, maybe it’s time for a change.

One way to set your business apart is to define your core brand values in your marketing materials. Customers with similar views may be more likely to do business with you. 5WPR and Forrester reports show that 83 percent of millennials and 51 percent of Gen Zers want to buy from brands that share their values.

If you prefer to watch, rather than read, see this video playlist for a walkthrough of each step.

1. State your disbeliefs – Many businesses can’t serve everyone effectively. List ten values you or your business don’t believe in. A thesaurus or generative AI tools can help.

Questions to ask yourself include:

  • What are some things I can’t stand?
  • Based on any dealings with past clients, what did I dislike about the tough customers? Which types of clients did I fail to please?

Example: Service-based professionals can despise dishonesty, incompetence, or a lack of compassion.

2. List your passions – Consider the right clients for your business. Then think about the brands you admire. Explore your disbeliefs. List ten core brand values.

Questions to answer as prompts:

  • What are my “musts”? What drives or motivates me in my work?
  • What do I like best about my customers?
  • What are the values of brands I want my business to be like? Example: Apple is known for thinking differently, through innovation and user-centric design.

Service provider example: A hospital’s core values include safety, efficiency, and compassion.

3. Check your lists – Do you see any patterns? Are any words or phrases similar? Remove the repeats. Reduce the list to five core brand values.

4. Combine like terms – Tie together words and phrases that align with your brand values. Think of them as your “what.”

Example: Some of my clients appeal to their customers through compassion, so my marketing copy includes statements like “Content that connects with respect.”

5. Flesh them out – Consider why you follow each belief. Describe how you fulfill each core brand value in one sentence each.

Example: A mental health provider could list the phrase “a commitment to care.” They might then define how or why they follow that belief through this statement: “Our therapists guide our clients to reach their own conclusions.”

Learn more about how to highlight your core brand values in your content to reach the right clients.

get your free checklist

What are some of your core brand values? Feel free to comment below.

QUOTES

“If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.”

Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks
credibility, credible articles, writing advice

5 Steps to More Credible Articles (and Other Marketing Content)

With the popularity of AI and Google algorithm standards that emphasize trustworthy content, I’ve considered how to write more credible articles.

Because generative AI may “hallucinate” or spin facts and sources, you can question the accuracy of what you read these days. On the other hand, Google E-E-A-T standards rank pages with credible sources that answer readers’ questions higher.

As I’ve learned, beyond the obvious options to write more credible articles, you can foster customers’ trust in surprising ways. When the usual tactics have failed, they may revitalize your marketing and win you better clients. 

1. Admit your faults early – As Robert Cialdini wrote in “Influence,” if you must reveal a product or service flaw, do it early “so the credibility it provides will color the rest of the appeal.” Afterward, stress the strongest argument or feature, which can outweigh the negative.

Example: In 2009, after a focus group video surfaced, in Domino’s Pizza’s Pizza Turnaround campaign, they admitted their pies weren’t up to par. They featured customer feedback that criticized the taste and quality. They then introduced a new recipe. To regain customer trust and loyalty, they also accented fresher ingredients and their commitment to a better taste. By 2017, the company had become the #1 pizza chain in the U.S.

2. Add trust-building terms – In an ad, a car service firm stated “You can trust us to do the job for you,” which scored well with customers, at 33 percent. The words and phrases “fair treatment,” “quality,” and “competency” also ranked highly. Conveying an expectation of trust showed they trusted customers. Customers then trusted them (“Brainfluence” by Roger Dooley). This wording could work especially well in business taglines and calls-to-action.

3. Make statistics relatable – “Made to Stick” authors Chip and Dan Heath suggest you use statistics as a way to inform rather than support your beliefs. Besides writing figures (which can be skewed) to show that connection, express them in concrete terms.

Example: “For less than the cost of a burger and fries every day, you can buy a week’s worth of nutritious meals for a hungry child.”

4. Win with your title – As shown in “Influence,” a person’s title affects our actions more than their claims. With the “halo effect,” we tend to consider a credible authority a trustworthy expert. A newspaper editorial by an authority has a “large and lasting influence over readers’ opinions.” In one set of studies, that amounted to 20 percentage points higher, regardless of the author’s age, sex, or political leanings. 

5. Establish social proof – According to research, as part of a “herd mentality,” we tend to follow others’ actions for cues to proper social behavior. If you lack specific evidence for the effectiveness of a marketing campaign, rely on rising interest, such as customer buying patterns. For example, restaurants sometimes spotlight popular menu items. If you have numbers to back that up, they can yield even better results.

Writing more credible articles is one way to sharpen your image. What we reflect we tend to attract. If your copy is sloppy or doesn’t speak in your brand voice, seek to win better clients with better content.

GET A FREE CONTENT REVIEW

How do you build trust and credibility with your content? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“The most essential quality for leadership is not perfection but credibility. People must be able to trust you.” ~ Rick Warren

“Accuracy builds credibility” ~ Jim Rohn

editing, editing your writing

5 Common Business Writing Woes Free AI Editors Can Resolve

With the right free AI editors, you can sort your gibberish into everyday English. Or the tools could inspire you to find the right terms.

In this list, I left out ProWritingAid, copy.ai, and similar tools, which are better writers.

Also not included:

  • Stand-alone browser extensions or smartphone apps
  • Those that offer trials–these cost nothing, but most of them have limits

A few of them might be unavailable outside the U.S. without access through a virtual private network (VPN).

Remember: Don’t rely on free AI editors alone, especially in your first-round editing, because they’re error-prone (like us). They’re not the rake that catches every mistake. 🙂

1. Long words and sentences – They’re often harder to read. Many generative AI writing apps don’t focus on readability. By default, some, like ChatGPT, write at a high school level. If you’ve used Microsoft Word, you’re probably familiar with Flesch-Kincaid reading levels, which measure how understandable writing is at certain education or grade levels.

Solutions: 

2. Incorrect usage – Typos and poor grammar have littered many rough drafts. Sometimes, you’ve spelled the word right but have used it in the wrong context. The “eyes” of AI can spot these and more errors. Beyond spell-check, Grammarly flags grammar failures and suggests better wording. Its open-source cousin, LanguageTool, does the same and can also paraphrase passages.

Solutions: Grammarly; LanguageTool 

3. Abstract terms – Vague words and phrases like “providing solutions” don’t hook readers. Concrete terms are more likely to paint pictures in readers’ minds. If you can’t create images with words, use AI to sketch details. 


Solutions: ChatGPT or Claude via prompts; Wordtune

Example:

A financial advisor’s solution, which may also work as a unique selling proposition (USP): helping entry-level workers manage their money better to save for retirement.

4. Businessese – This formal language businesspeople sometimes speak reeks of jargon and self-importance. The right editing tools turn this gibberish into everyday English. Given some AI apps’ tendencies to write formally, you’ll likely need to ask them to simplify the wording, do it yourself, or use the following tools.

Solutions: Grammarly, The Hemingway App, Ludwig.guru, Wordtune

Grammarly also measures tone. The Hemingway App shows you where to shorten and clarify sections. For phrases that don’t seem to fit, Ludwig spotlights examples of common usage.

5. Blandness – If your content is as exciting as yacht rock, AI editors can add analogies, examples, facts, quotes, or statistics instantly. Use these ingredients sparingly. And remember to check your sources, because AI sometimes fudges details. Try these apps to add spice to entice readers.

Solutions: Wordtune; ChatGPT, Claude, or Bing Compose via prompts

Want to boost your editing skills beyond the basics? A coach with business writing experience can steer you to the right words, with or without AI.

BOOK A FREE COACHING CONSULTATION

Do you use AI to edit and proofread? If so, what’s your “go-to” software? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“#1 best practice for editors using AI: you MUST fact-check any AI-generated content for plagiarism, falsehoods, outdated information, biased information, and made-up information.” ~ Dragonfly Editorial

  • Published: October 3, 2023
  • Last updated: November 24, 2023
writing advice

5 Ways to Simplify Complex Concepts in Your Writing

1. Find the core – Chip and Dan Heath, authors of “Made to Stick,” believe that “the curse of knowledge” hampers our ability to simplify complex ideas. We struggle to share what we know because we can’t readily recreate our readers’ states of mind. One way around this problem is to make your ideas “sticky” or memorable.

They suggest you find “the single most important thing.” To get to the point, weave this central idea into everything from articles to slogans.

2. Compare – The Heath brothers also recommend you tap into existing schemas. Schemas consist of information stored in our memories, like when someone tells you they saw a sports car, and it brings to mind the image of a red sedan.

Analogies, such as similes and metaphors, draw their power from schemas. Such comparisons also ease our understanding of concepts.

Example: The internet is like an ocean (simile); the internet is a sea of information (metaphor).

3. Reframe it as a story – This method can work well to explain technical terms. For example, in the movie “The Big Short,” singer/actor Selena Gomez and chef Anthony Bourdain periodically tell stories that explain financial concepts.

4. Structure it – Breaking down your ideas prevents you from delivering them all at once, resulting in information overload. Simplify your ideas through:

  • Numbering steps in a logical order
  • Separating sentences or phrases with bullet points
  • Showing a map or a diagram, such as a concept map that shows relationships between different ideas

5. Simplify – The bigger the idea or more complex the wording, the harder it can be to understand. Cut the clutter through:

  • Giving examples
  • Turning jargon or technical terms (gibberish) into everyday English through shorter words and phrases
  • Avoiding puns and other forms of wordplay
  • Writing as if you’re explaining the concept to a 12-year-old; instead of dumbing it down, “show” rather than “tell.” Example: In explaining how to tie a Gordian knot, you could start with the statement “Imagine you have two strings, like the ones you use to tie your shoes. Let’s call them String A and String B.”

For more insights on how to simplify complex concepts in your writing, read 5 Ways to Think Clearly to Write Clearly.

Discover how business writing coaching can help you simplify complex wording and ideas.

BOOK A FREE COACHING CONSULTATION

How do you simplify complex concepts in your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Use the ‘Will my Mom understand this?’ testing method before you publish.” ~ Amy Higgins, Senior Director, Content Strategy, Twilio

“The Golden Rule is the ultimate model of simplicity: a one-sentence statement so profound that an individual could spend a lifetime learning to follow it.” ~ Chip and Dan Heath, “Made to Stick”