Using slang, pop culture references and humour in your writing can be a super simple and effective way to grab attention, showcase your brand and create a deeper connection with your audience.

 

But stray too far into the experimental slang-lands and you can end up excluding your audience, sounding cringe and grabbing attention in all the wrong ways.

 

 

 

Like anything when it comes to writing, if you want to hit the mark you have to be strategic.

 

Here’s how…

 

 

 

Have a youthful brand voice and a teen/young adult audience? Rock the trending slang! 

 

But if you’re new to using it, or you have an older audience, it’s safer to go with phrases and words that are more timeless.

 

Why? Because trending slang often has a short digital shelf life (remember “on fleek” or “YOLO”?). 

 

And it can come off inauthentic, try hard and yep, cringe.

 

Want to be a little tongue-in-cheek? Try sprinkling some old-fashioned slang you love in your writing and see how it feels.

 

Trending: lit, GOAT, cheddar, yeet, snatched, sheesh

 

Timeless: cool, fave, bingo, shucks, rad, salty

 

Old fashioned: right on, groovy, dreamboat, dullsville, tickety-boo, major

 

 

Whatever slang (or gif, meme, humour or pop culture reference) you use should be a good fit for your target audience. Will they understand it? Will it press on their nostalgic buttons? Will it make them feel seen? Is it something their friends or community members would say?

 

But beware of going too targeted. The best slang and references are the kind that are well understood even if your audience wouldn’t use them themselves.

 

Even people who haven’t seen Star Wars know that ‘may the force be with you’ means ‘good luck’. It works for everyone, but especially for Star Wars fans.

 

Even older audiences will most likely be able to work out that ‘sheesh’ is the modern equivalent to ‘by golly’ (if it’s used in the right context). It works for everyone but especially for younger audiences.

 

 

Our writing can give us a platform to play and use words we might not use in our everyday conversations. 

 

But your writing risks coming off as inauthentic if you’re using slang and references that aren’t true to you.

 

A quick way to find out? If it feels cringe to you, it’s probably going to feel cringe for your audience, too.

 

 

Much of modern-day slang has origins in specific cultural groups (e.g. African American vernacular or drag slang). Or has historical roots in denigrating certain populations.

 

Language is a changing and naturally evolving beast but what can feel like harmless, common language to you could cause serious harm to your audience.

 

I’m no expert in this, I’m constantly getting it wrong, learning more and trying to do better. My Google history is littered with “etymology of…” searches.

 

And I don’t want to use examples of inappropriate language here! So instead I’m going to send you to some resources where you can start to find out more

 

 

Do you use slang in your business writing? Or do you steer clear? I’d love to hear.

 

And don’t be shy about hitting me up if you have any follow up questions or thoughts of your own!

 

All good things

A