Capturing our audiences’ attention is the goal of every writer and business. However, this is rarely achievable through boilerplate material and soulless copy – a bad habit that some businesses fail to realise, or worse, care about. Not only is boilerplate boring and uninspiring, it also drives away audiences and engagement.
Rather, we should always aim to infuse our own “brand” into our writing. Join Wordsmith as we explore how to inject our personality and experience into our writing – and yes, this applies even when writing on behalf of another person or business!
Your life, your insights
We’ve all heard the expression that life has its ups and downs, but for Entrepreneur contributor R. Paulo Delgado, the past two years have been a nose dive. He recounts the sense of helplessness he felt during the peak of COVID. Compounded by the Minneapolis protests and riots following George Floyd’s death, the Australian bushfires, his struggling marriage and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his mentality and emotions were at an all-time low – especially when faced with his responsibilities as a content and freelance writer.
“To write an article of ‘How to write a better book’ in the face of global affairs, and my own inner state, just felt wrong. If there’s one thing the last three years (and especially this last year) did for me, it was to put me into a state of deep self-reflection regarding my role in the world and what my brief time here will mean,” expresses Delgado.
It can certainly feel like we aren’t making the most out of our lives when our routine is just to clock in and out. However, Delgado believes that recognising our dissatisfaction in life is the first step towards positive change – which led to the realisation that any writing was meaningless unless we injected a little of ourselves into it.
“There are only so many articles the Internet can take on how to improve your social media presence, how to spruce up your LinkedIn profile or how to write a better business plan. They have already been written. Google has indexed them, and your article is unlikely to compete,” he describes.
As pessimistic as this sounds, it is an unfortunate truth. Why should a reader bother with our article when Neil Patel and other top content marketing gurus have already covered it? There’s no shortage of informative content up for grabs on the Internet, and when we’re talking strictly about informativeness – there’ll always be another article with more expertise and detail.
However, Delgado argues that what isn’t widely available is content with our brand or flair… material that have been wrapped with our of insights and experiences. “If you’re sincere in your writing, a message will come across and people will feel moved by what you’ve written,” he explains. “An article written from the heart simply has a better chance of resonating with readers.”
Doubling down on sincerity
Recent marketing trends have shown that people are growing tired of traditional marketing. Customers (especially younger audiences) want businesses and brands to support values and causes that they can relate to. If a business doesn’t express its values, audiences might interpret it as a sign that the company lacks sensitivity, awareness or care towards social issues.
This raises the question: how can we tell whether a business is being sincere about their pro-LGBT marketing or if they are just trying to hop on the pride month trend? On a similar track, how can we distinguish between sincere content and writing for the sake of writing?
According to Jack Canfield, the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, sincerity comes from simplicity:
“Sincerity means dropping the image façade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the way it is, lumps and all. Don’t worry if your presentation isn’t perfect; ask from your heart. Keep it simple, and people will open up to you.”
Vulnerability (and the willingness to show it) was once seen as a weakness, especially in marketing and branding. If a company showed a soft side, it’d not only fail to project confidence in employees and customers, but it might also invite competitors to step over them.
However, vulnerability today is a good thing – it shows that the brand is human and has values and personality. When you are writing for yourself, we encourage you to offer personal insights on something you care about. You can do so through anecdotes, a series of self-reflections like Delgado or even just by sharing your opinion on the matter. This makes your content unique, and ultimately, you.
You can still do the same when writing on behalf of a brand, but you’ll need to take several precautions. Firstly, you’ll need to get agreement from the client whenever you want to take their content in a new direction. Next, you’ll need to ensure that your story and tone remain true to the brand. As interesting as your story may be, if it veers off brand (whether due to the topic or the way you tell it), your story and credibility will take a hit. Lastly, keep your story short and the point direct – your job is to write for the company, not to write about yourself!
For example, let’s say the company tasked you with writing an article introducing a new eco-friendly product. Instead of introducing the product right away, consider telling a story about why you think sustainability matters. Perhaps the discovery of significant piles of washed up trash from a recent visit to the beach, or how you noticed the majority of trash sitting in the bins could benefit from a compost and recycling arrangement. Once you’ve hooked your readers in with your experience, you’ll also have set the stage for the topic of the article, making your writing more relevant to readers.
“If you can then angle [your sincerity] to a service you offer, you’ve solved your business’s content creation problems for good, and will have done something meaningful for the world, not to mention for yourself,” concludes Delgado.
Being burned out or feeling a lack of accomplishment from writing is depressing, but it could very well be a symptom of misguided purpose and a flawed writing process. Give self-reflection and vulnerability a try – it might just be what you need to put yourself back on the page!