📷 Image Credit: Skyword 👆
By: Bernie Smigel

TL;DR Phrases are used way too much to describe pandemic current events; let’s make a change.

“In these uncertain times”…we can’t hear one more time. Right now, there is a balance as the world is shifting, and it can be hard to come across as sensitive to using cliches that people are sick of. No matter what market you are in, cliches don’t usually attract an audience, and the same can be said for the Covid-19 cliches. Below are a few ideas of what to say instead. We never want to see “in these uncertain times” at the start of an email ever again.

“Now more than ever” This one is a classic. Just skip it and get straight to the point. Everyone knows what’s happening right now and understands that things are different during the pandemic.

“Unprecedented Times” This phrase spiked in March and is still trending. The words are vague and don’t say much. We suggest being specific and descriptive by saying something like, “nobody has a compass to navigate what’s going on right now, but at least we have…” Or, make fun of it and say something like “a throwback to precedented times when…”. The point is that your audience doesn’t want to hear the same thing they have likely heard again and again and again and again.

The article provides a few more fun examples of what to say, but we just had to include a few more cliches we want to avoid: “We can all stay connected” or “difficult times.” If you love these phrases, go for it, but if you are tired of reading them and cringe a little at their mention, maybe your audience feels the same way.

Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern

Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor