Real Estate Copywriting FAQ's - Why Bios are written in the 3rd person

Valerie and Jordon - It's always good to give them a tune up - sometimes things change.

Charita - I think we have to blame our Mom's for that. Writing about me is the hardest thing I do.

Debbie - There are always exceptions. You need to do what works best for the situatiion.

Lenn - Perhaps because you are royalty. I know I've seen mention of you as the "Queen of Active Rain."

Michael - Which is why it sounds "softer."

Bryant - That's your style and it works well for you.

Richie - You've hit on another important factor - making it interesting.Most readers lose interest when every sentence begins with I.

Susan - That's pretty bad when it's so blatant that you start counting. All I can say is someone was trying, but they missed the concept. So sad that all you remember is the bad commercial - and not her name. Or - maybe that's not so bad since the ad didn't make her look very intelligent.

Mark - You don't need to avoid or hide the "I" when giving your opinion.

Karen - I think it's really OK either way, as long as you don't make I, we, or even Karen the first word in every paragraph.

Instead of saying "I return all calls promptly" you can turn it around and say "You can count on me to return all calls promptly." It just changes the focus and the tone.

Sandy - "Stilted" can happen in either one. It sounds like your words probably just flowed more naturally when you wrote in first person. Sometimes getting it right just takes a lot of rearranging.

Nancy - Yes, it would be fun to ask consumers to choose, then tell us why. We could write a bio with the same information,  but one in first person and one in third. The trick would be getting it in front of them and getting them to respond.

Maureen - That's the secret - whether you write in first person or third. It's about you - but really about them. A challenging (but fun) balancing act.

Lloyd - Yes, I think it is. It's hard for almost everyone to write about themselves.

Melissa - I catch myself doing that too, and I think it's OK. We're writing to real people - and that's how real people talk. Just like we use fragmented sentences and dangling participles. No one but a grammar purist will object or even notice.

"You" is one of the most important words any of us can use in marketing copy - it's the word that attracts your reader's attention because it refers to his or her favorite subject.

Eric - Marte appreciates your comment.

Beth - The last time I checked mine... I re-wrote it. As I've said before, writing for myself is a hundred times harder than writing for someone else.

Corinne - Thank you for your support. I remember that lady who connected with you because you're both so "well traveled." I thought that was fantastic.

Judi - I don't know that it HAS to be 3rd person. Some people do have first person bios that work. I started to say that I don't believe in "shoulds" in general, but that isn't true. There are a few "rules" of copywriting that shouldn't be broken - like writing letters focused on the prospect rather than yourself, limiting the number of "I's," and sticking to a conversational tone.

Mike - Of course that's another way to look at it. Maybe the practice started because people couldn't figure out how to write about themselves in the first person without the "gross adoration and admiration" - or because people whose mamas taught them not to brag simply couldn't bring themselves to write "I."

Kim - If you're serious, get in touch. Tha's one of the things I do for agents. Otherwise, take a deep breath and use my questions to get you started. You can find them at: http://www.copybymarte.com/questions.html