Why We Shouldn’t Substitute “Their” for “Its”

Consider the following sentence:

“Here are 10 ways Apple persuades readers with their words.”

Does “their” refer to “Apple,” or to “readers”?

Probably “Apple,” since if “their” meant “readers,” we’d expect to see “their own words.” But we don’t know for sure, and that’s a problem.

By contrast, if you change “their” to “its,” the answer is immediately clear:

“Here are 10 ways Apple persuades readers with its words.”

Never leave your antecedents vague.