Write drunk, edit sober - developing your blog writing voice

06/18/2012

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There are thousands... no...millions of bloggers out there. 

And yet, they all sound the same. 

Kinda boring, don't you think? As a reader, take a look at what blogs you spend the most time on and the places where you leave the quickest. 

If you were interested in healthy foods, would you spend more time reading someone who wrote like this:
 
" I made these a couple of weeks ago because I had a wicked craving for fish tacos and all I had on hand was shrimp. So I made a command decision: I made shrimp tacos.

It’s called troubleshooting! I’m good at it, but only if it involves food.

Put me in the desert and tell me I have to find my way out using my awesome sense of direction? Goodbye forever. Ain’t happening.

Did you know I can spin Marlboro Man around a thousand times with his eyes closed and with his eyes still closed he can point in any direction and determine whether it’s north, south, east, or west simply because it’s so embedded in his being?

Did you know I can spin around a thousand times with my eyes closed and throw up?I digress. Let’s move ahead with the tacos, okay? " 

From The Pioneer Woman

Or would you like to hang out at this blog:

"...First off, I would like to discuss the proposed theories that coffee has been affiliated with. Coffee has been believed to cause an increased risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension, stroke, cancer, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (1). Coffee has been thought to increase mortality in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients (2). Also, the consumption of coffee may cause adverse effects with people who have hypertension (3). Lastly, many people believe that coffee is a diuretic..."

Taken from the American Society of Nutrition
 
Huge difference, isn't it? 

Ernest Hemingway had said famously -  “Write drunk; edit sober.”  

As writers, we find that to be the best piece of advice that any writer can have in creating their masterpiece. But, how does being a borderline alcoholic help with your blog? What Hemingway meant was that after your initial burst of creativity, be ruthless in your editing. Because it's the editing process where you develop your tone and also where all the hard work is done.

So, the next time you start writing your blog, make sure that you spend the time to develop your writing style that will make your readers connect with you. Keep in mind that the writing style you use meets these two criteria: 

  1. Your tone should match the type of content you create
  2. Matches the expectations of the audience that you write for

You don't want to write with teenage angst if your audience are IT Managers... with LOL, OMFG and other acronymns which would only bring down your credibility. 

But, don't also write in a dry, academic tone that would make War and Peace a light, frothy read in comparison. 

So how do you develop your writing voice? 

Hemingway had his own style that evolved from his time as a war journalist - short, clear sentences that was boiled down to the bare essence. His philosophy was - if you can communicate a concept in three sentences instead of five, do it.  He once won a bet that he could write a story in six words. On a napkin, he wrote - For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.

However, there isn't really a strict set of rules in creating your writing style. There’s no “right” style that you have to follow. Your own writing style is really a combination of your personality, how you view the world and most importantly, how you speak.

Some people communicate in a very flowing writing style. Others write in short bursts of thought and focus entirely on the main points of what they write. What matters isn’t learning a style, but finding your own style and developing it.

The more you write, the more you will get better at it.  And your writing style will evolve over time.  At first, it may seem difficult and slow, however, as you keep writing, you'll notice that you become more efficient. 

Here are some tips to develop your writing style:

1. Be a voracious reader.

Read every book that you can lay your hands on. Read blogs and magazines. Newsletters. Novels.. By reading more, you will understand the type of writing styles that you resonate with. But reaDiscover how articles are put together, understand how good writers create interest and engagement. You'll start learning what makes for uninteresting blogs and what really grabs your attention.  

Your blogging too will naturally improve and evolve, especially if you are making the effort to study and learn technical skills such as grammar, the mechanics of the writing process itself, and certainly, the art of storytelling.

2. Write as much as possible.

Practice makes perfect. On top of reading as much as possible you have to write as much as possible. Play writing games with yourself... a good one is picking one word around a theme and writing for ten minutes - answering questions such as what memories does it bring for you, what emotional pull does it have, why is it interesting for you... Don't stop and don't correct until the ten minutes are up.

Other techniques that you can use are:
  • Write on topics that make you push your boundaries.  By allowing yourself to ignore your inner censor, you can start focusing on letting your writing flow. Putting yourself into an uncomfortable topic makes you focus on the topic and not editing your writing.
  • Write about your passions. Start writing about topics that get you excited. Let your inner child out and play with the words.

3. Learn from the top bloggers/copywriters

Although, we did mention that finding your own style is unique to you... learning the fundamentals of blogging from the masters can help you. Learn from top bloggers, such as:


By using them as a foundation for your own writing, you get a feel for how they communicate. Analyze their writing style, understand how they craft their headlines and how they create a compelling story that grabs the readers' attention immediately. 

4. Learn copywriting

Although copywriting is used in direct mail pieces, landing pages and websites, to persuade a target audience to take action, the lessons that you learn from copywriting techniques can help you immeasurably with your writing. Some of the best bloggers are also copywriters. As mentioned earlier, they know how to craft a great headline and how to create a compelling post that grabs the attention of the reader immediately and keep them reading until the end.

5. Read your writing out loud

It's not the writing that is important - but the editing. As Hemingway mentioned - it's not the creative act of writing that is important, but the hard work of editing. One of the best tips that we've received in regards to editing, is reading your work out loud. You will pick up some nuances that may not come up when you're reading to yourself. Mistakes such as repetitive words, or tone of voice that sounds too casual, too formal, stiff or even dry can become evident to your ear.  

Most importantly never stop learning.

Although Hemingway was known as a hard-drinking, big-game hunting, prize winning writer, he always took the time to help out others with their writing. Much of his wisdom was taken from a lifetime of writing and in spite of the years, it still can be applied to the art of blog writing today.

Like Hemingway, the best strategy is to keep an open mind with regards to your writing style. Learn from the pros, learn from your friends and peers, and learn from yourself.

If you persistently work and focus on writing.. your style will begin to meld and take shape. With millions of other writers out there all competing for eye balls… a unique style and perspective is the best tool to get them glued to your page.

Before writing a post, get your creative juices flowing. Have a glass of wine, drink a beer, take a nap or go for a run.. whatever it takes.

Go write.

Write fast. Until you are out of ideas.. and then revisit in the morning for some cold sober editing.

 
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Make your online press release rock!

08/22/2011

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How not to make your press release boring..

A well written press release attracts the attention of not only the press, but your customers as well. An ineffective press releases benefits neither your company nor your prospects, but fortunately, it is easy to create a press release than the complemuch more common sense than it is rocket science.

Although you may have heard of the upside down pyramid method of creating an effective press release, there are other concepts that you should be aware of: 
  • Understand what your prospect wants/needs from you
  • Create content that responds precisely to their needs
  • Explain how you can solve their problems through the information you provide in the release
  • Make sure your headline has strong benefits and is engaging
  • Create the sub-headline just as strong  
  • Be certain that in your first paragraph, it is all about the customer and not about you.
  • Talk about your company in the following paragraphs but make it so that your company's unique benefits come across.
Due to the brief nature of press release, it’s not surprising how many marketing professionals seem to get it wrong as they don't put a high importance to the process. 
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Misconceptions on creating online content

07/11/2011

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When it comes to creating content for your website, there are a lot of myths out there. If you ask online marketers, webmasters, and bloggers about their opinions on creating content, you’ll receive so many different answers it'll be hard to separate fact from fiction. We'd like to set the story straight. In no particular order, here are six misconceptions on creating online content so you can avoid making mistakes that may kill your website...

Writing for SEO doesn't mean that you must sacrifice on quality. 
Why would you want to drive users to your site, only to push them away with poor content? It is wasted effort and becomes expensive for the long term. 

Using a plagiarism detection service or rewriting an article makes it unique.
Putting an article through a plagiarism software only checks to see if it's a duplicate article. It doesn't mean that the article is unique and can't be found elsewhere. If your article is considered to be a duplicate, even when it's rewritten and passes Copyscape you could still be penalized by the Big G. 

Article marketing works, sometimes.
When Google changed it's algorithm to include the Panda update, it dramatically affected spam article directories such as EzineArticles.com, ehow.com and others. Don't worry, it doesn’t mean that article marketing no longer works, it's that you'll have to make sure that your articles meet stricter quality standards. Poorly spun and private label rights articles won’t do well. However, original, well-written, and informative articles helps, especially when other websites link back to it for their readers. Be careful when posting junk because it will affect your website's brand..

Keyword density is king.
While keywords are important, stuffing your article with a particular keyword is frowned upon by Google. The best way to get great organic search rankings is by:
  • using the keyword phrases strategically, including variations of the keyword,
  • creating anchor text,
  • considering basic SEO tactics such as headlines, bolding etc.,
  • and encouraging incoming links. 
Work ends once the content is uploaded. 
Once your content is uploaded, your work does not stop there! Not only must you continue to add fresh, original content to your site on a frequent basis, you must also start promoting it. This will keep the search engines and, most importantly, your users coming back.

Web content writing is the same as writing for print.
Writing for the web requires a different skillset than writing a print publication. Not only must you be aware of who you're writing for, you should also have knowledge of SEO, article structure and readability.  You have to remember that readers do not read online, they scan material quickly following a triangular path on a web page. 

Creating online content isn’t easy and as an online marketer,  you must be aware of how these misconceptions can cause more damage than good.
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Using interviews for your blog content

06/12/2011

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Creating content on a regular basis can be challenging, especially when, you as a marketing director have other deadlines and responsibilities. In another post, we've discussed how you should create a content plan  as a way to organize and generate content. We've provided a few tips to generate content ideas if you're struggling for blog topics.

Another great way to add to your portfolio of blog topics are interviews... Here is why:

  1. Connecting with the experts: By interviewing experts, you are networking with the best in your industry. You get to pick their minds and provide your readers with interesting content.
  2. More content for your blog: This is a great way to create content quicker than writing one.
  3. Being associated with top industry players: By interviewing the top experts in your industry, your website would be considered a trove of information for your readers.
  4. Search engines love it: Simply put - search engines love original content. 

Planning the interview

Understand that there is a purpose to your content. Know that your readers are here to learn more about solutions to their problems through your blog. Ask yourself:
  • How can your interview provide value to your readers?
  • How you can offer a unique perspective and a takeaway.
  • Is there a niche subject that your expert can speak about?
Your answers would help you find the right expert and focus your interview questions...

Doing the interview

Make sure that you are prepared before the interview. Do your research on your subject, it's always good to over-prepare. Read their articles, blogs and anything that they have published. The more you know about them, the easier it is to ask insightful questions. Write out the questions ahead of time, and leave enough leeway for side topics during the interview. Prior to the call, prepare the interviewee on who the audience is so that he is aware on how to present the message the right way.

The success of  your interview would depend on the technology you're using. If you're doing an audio interview over the phone, a great tool to use is Skype. With Skype you can not only call your interviewee but also have the option to record the audio. You can then transcribe it afterwards into text for your blog...

Let us know who you want us to interview...

We would like to provide you with the best information possible in regards to content marketing or online marketing. Let us know who you would like us to interview in the comments and we'll do our best get their expertise.
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