Why Writing to One Person Makes You More Persuasive
Mar 05, 2026The Persuasion Mistake Nobody Talks About
Let me share an idea with you that, once you see it, you will start spotting everywhere. It is one of the most common persuasion mistakes made by coaches, consultants, speakers and trainers, and it shows up most clearly in writing and on video.
It is not about the wrong words. It is not about poor grammar. It is not even about a weak offer.
It is about writing to many people when only one person is reading.
I have been helping coaches, consultants, speakers and trainers build better businesses for well over 27 years. And in that time, I have noticed the same pattern again and again. Brilliant, knowledgeable professionals who are warm and engaging in person, produce content that feels oddly distant. Strangely formal. Slightly off.
And when you look closely at why, the answer is almost always the same. They are writing to an audience instead of to a person.
2. Why It Happens
Here is why this is such a common mistake. Most of us learned to communicate in group settings. We stood on a stage. We delivered a webinar. We ran a training room. We spoke at a conference.
In those situations, audience-centric language makes complete sense. You can see the people. You know there are many of them. Saying "some of you may be familiar with this" is perfectly appropriate when you are looking out at a room full of faces.
The problem is that people carry that habit into their writing. They send an email campaign and write it as though they are presenting to a conference. They record a training video and speak as though there are fifty people in the room. They write a sales page and address it as though it will be projected on a screen.
The result is content that subtly, almost invisibly, fails to connect.
3. The Real Way People Consume Your Content
Think about your own habits for a moment.
When you receive an email, do you read it alone or with a group of people gathered round? When you watch a training video, are you in a cinema with others, or are you on your own with a cup of tea? When a piece of direct mail or a postcard lands on your doormat, do you call a meeting to read it together?
Of course not.
The reality is this:
- 9% of emails are read by one person, alone.
- Training videos are watched alone.
- Webinar recordings are watched alone.
- Sales copy, blog articles, direct mail — all consumed alone.
There are rare exceptions. Perhaps you forward a funny email to a friend. Perhaps you share an article with a colleague. But these are the exceptions, not the rule.
So if almost every piece of content you create is consumed by one person, on their own, then the most logical thing you can do is write to one person.
4. What "Some of You" Actually Does to Your Reader
When you write "some of you" in an email, something happens in the reader's mind. They pause. They have a tiny moment of confusion. "Which bit of me are we talking about?" Even if it is not a conscious thought, the effect is real. The message loses momentum. Rapport is fractured, however briefly.
"Some of you" breaks the spell. It reminds the reader they are part of a list. Not a person. A recipient.
In copywriting, we call this friction. And as I have always said, resistance is created through a lack of clarity. The moment your reader encounters friction, they have to work harder to follow your message. And people do not like working hard when they are reading. They simply stop reading.
Phrases that add friction include:
- "Some of you may already know this..."
- "Many of you will have experienced..."
- "In your minds, picture a time when..."
- "Those of you who are coaches will understand..."
Each of those phrases reminds the reader that they are one of many. That you are not really talking to them. That your message is generic. And a generic message gets a generic response, which is usually no response at all.
5. The Fix: Write to One Person, Every Time
The solution is beautifully simple, and once you apply it you will wonder how you ever wrote any other way.
Before you write a single word, decide exactly who you are writing to. Not your target market. Not your niche. Not your ideal client avatar in the abstract. One specific person.
Give them a name in your mind if it helps. Picture their face. Think about where they are sitting when they read your email. What are they worried about? What do they want more than anything? What is the one thing they need to hear from you today?
Then write to that one person, in the same way you would speak to them if they were sitting across the table from you.
Notice what changes:
- "Some of you" becomes "you".
- "Many of you will know" becomes "you probably already know".
- "Those of you who are consultants" becomes "as a consultant, you...".
Small shifts. Enormous difference.
6. How to Find Your One Person
If you are not sure who your one person is, here are a few ways to get clarity.
Build an avatar
Create a simple mind map or written profile of your ideal client. Not demographics alone, but psychographics. What do they fear? What do they want? What language do they use when they describe their problems? This becomes your avatar, and every piece of content you create should be written to one version of that person.
Use a physical reminder
This sounds unusual, but it works. Get a small wooden figure or a printed photograph of a typical client and put it on your desk when you write. Write to that figure. Speak to that photograph. It forces you to communicate as an individual rather than as a broadcaster.
Read your content out loud
Before you send any email or publish any piece of content, read it aloud. If you hear yourself saying "some of you" or "many of you," change it. If it does not sound like a natural conversation between two people, rewrite it until it does.
7. The Payoff: What Changes When You Get This Right
When you commit to writing to one person, several things happen that directly affect your results.
Your message lands more clearly
Because you are writing to a specific person with specific concerns, your content naturally becomes more relevant, more targeted and more useful. There is no vagueness. There is no hedging. There is just a clear, direct message to one person who needs to hear it.
Rapport builds faster
People can feel when they are being spoken to directly. It is the difference between receiving a handwritten note and a printed circular. Even if the words are similar, the feeling is completely different. Writing to one person creates that handwritten note feeling in every email, every video and every piece of copy you produce.
Your conversion improves
This is the commercial reality behind everything I have just described. When your message is clear, when rapport is strong and when the reader feels genuinely understood, they are far more likely to take the action you are inviting them to take. Whether that is booking a call, buying a product, or joining a community.
Resistance is created through a lack of clarity. Write clearly. Write to one person. And watch your results follow.
8. Your Next Step
Go back to the last email or piece of content you wrote. Read it through and count how many times you used phrases like "some of you," "many of you," or similar audience language.
Then rewrite those sections as if you are writing to one specific person you know and respect.
See how different it feels. See how much more direct and warm your message becomes.
This is one of the many ideas I share inside the Paid Up Club, my free community on Skool for consultants, coaches, speakers and trainers who want to build genuine authority, attract the right clients and charge fees that reflect the real value they deliver.
If that sounds like you, I would love to have you join us. Click here to join and come and introduce yourself.
I will see you in there.
Peter Thomson | The UK's Most Prolific Business Development Author
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