“Friendly Reminder” to Avoid These 11 Passive-Aggressive Phrases

Per my last email…

Apologies if that line triggered you.

I’m guessing it did. Because it’s one of several phrases that are practically guaranteed to provoke your audience.

Moving Forward, Don’t Be Passive Aggressive

Striking the right tone is one of the core tenets of copywriting.

While there are many different adjectives you could use to describe your brand voice — our magazine has 112 ideas — few brands would pick “passive aggressive.”

Yet passive-aggressive writing is rampant in business communication.

11 Passive-Aggressive Phrases to Avoid

You probably have a few of these phrases sitting in your inbox right now…

1. “Per my last email…”
2. “Going forward…”
3. “For future reference…”
4. “As you are no doubt aware…”
5. “Not sure if you saw my last email…”
6. “Friendly reminder…”
7. “No offense, but…”
8. “It shouldn’t be complicated.”
9. “Please advise.”
10. “That’s fine.”
11. “K.”

Feeling Sufficiently Triggered Yet?

So are your readers, if you find yourself using any of these phrases.

Next time you’re tempted to write “per my last email,” pause and ask: what tone do I want to leave behind?

This is your “friendly reminder” to actually be friendly — not passive aggressive — in your writing.