Have you ever read someone’s copy and instantly know they didn’t write it?
The giveaways are there… the copy doesn’t sound like them. It uses words they wouldn’t say. It doesn’t express their personality. In truth the copy could be anyone’s – it’s that indistinguishable.
Make no mistake… the lack of personality in your content is a BIG problem.
And if you keep reading, I’ll explain why (and what you can do about it)…
Reveal more you – it’s your secret weapon
When it comes to attracting perfect customers and building your audience, I believe that WHO you are is just as important as WHAT you know – sometimes more so.
With so many voices sharing so much brilliant information, your customers can and will be selective.
They can’t listen to everyone – it’s too overwhelming. As such, your audience will decide whose message they’ll turn up – and whose they’ll switch off.
The good news is that you can influence this choice.
Interestingly, your personality is the difference that makes the difference. And you already know this to be true! Think about it… Two people share the same quality stuff, but one person stands out because they resonate with you.
Your personality will also influence how people feel around you and in turn will help build your ‘know, like, trust’ factor. And that’s key for your positioning…
Personality – your secret positioning weapon
Personality influences your positioning because it’s something that makes you unique and can’t be ripped off.
Take my copywriting service, for example:
- None of my competitors can write copy and serve their clients in the same way as me – because they’re not me! In addition, no other writer will have the exact same blend of background, life experience, and insight as I do. These things make me unique.
In turn, my personality and style will attract a certain type of person. Equally, there will be other people who won’t get me at all! But that’s a good thing – because everyone is NOT my perfect customer. In this way personality is one of the factors that will help potential clients self-select.
And the same will be true for you…
What do we mean by personality in copy?
OK, so it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty. We’ve explored the value of personality in your content, but how does this work in practice?
Let me explain…
Personality in your message is about infusing the real you into your sales copy, blog posts, e-books, Facebook posts (and any other form of content you create).
In short, it’s about ensuring that when someone reads your words, they can also hear YOUR VOICE. Yes, this can feel challenging at times. After all, you’re putting yourself on the line – but if you want your expert message to be taken seriously, you’ve GOT to do it. You have to reveal more you…
There are a number of ways in which you can inject more personality into your copy. For example, write in the same way that you talk. By this I mean capture the phrases and words that you use in everyday conversation. Don’t silence them or replace them with something that sounds more ‘impressive’. If you’re conversational in your writing, when someone reads your content, it will be as if you’re speaking to them.
Talk in stories
Secondly, ensure the core of your personality is evident. For example, if you’re an upbeat, bubbly type – let it out. Don’t crush your voice by talking in a stuffy, uptight way. Similarly, if you’re a bit of an introvert (like me), don’t try to make it sound as though you’re the life and soul of the party – it just isn’t you.
A really important way to inject personality into your content is to be on the look out for stories and anecdotes from your everyday life. The idea is to weave this incidents into your content. But don’t do it in an idle chit-chat sort of way. The trick is to weave a business message in there too. Here’s a quick example to show you how this can work.
OK, so it was my daughter’s first day at school this week (and yes, she did look soooooo cute in her new school uniform). Now there are lots of ways to tie this event into an expert message. For example, you could:
- Talk about doing something new
- How to make a great first impression
- Link the story to something around key milestones
As you can see, depending on what you do, there’s huge scope to use this event to inject personality into your content.
Now, there are two key reasons for using this technique:
Stories allow you to personalise your message and help you to claim ownership over an insight by making it different from a competitors. But perhaps more importantly, culturally, we’ve evolved to respond to and remember stories. Just think about all the word of mouth examples that have seeped deep into your subconscious and bubble up when you least expect it. Stories make your message more memorable and more interesting. And that’s gold when your aim is to get the attention of your perfect who.
Wear your shoes – not someone else’s
Please don’t fake your copy.
Trying to be someone you’re not will sap your energy. In addition, it’s not authentic – and that can be dangerous.
Think about it… if you’re not real in your content, then the people who read your copy are going to connect and build a relationship with someone who even doesn’t exist! And just imagine the negative impact this could have if you ever meet face-to-face or start working together. For starters it would be very confusing. Worse, the individual could feel let down because you turned out to be someone else. Hey, the experience could even damage your brand (and you know how quickly bad news can spread).
In comparison, when your copy is infused with the real you, there’s always congruency in your message.
So don’t feel you have to don some alien head when creating your next blog post or e-book or email campaign. Just be your unique, authentic self – and your customers will love you all the more. Unleash your personality and let it be the difference that makes the difference and a powerful force to help you build your audience and secure new customers.
What do you think?
How do you get your voice across in your content? What are your top tips for being authentic and allowing your audience to see more you? I’d love to know your thoughts so please pop a comment below.
Susan says
Georgina, I love your blogs! This one in particular spoke to me as I love writing as me but something think I should be speaking more business like. I am writing a newsletter tonight and it has made a difference to my writing- thank you. x
Georgina El Morshdy says
Hi Susan, thanks very much. I’m glad you found this blog useful. You should definitely infuse your written content with your personality – especially if customers are working directly with you. It’s a highly effective way to build relationships with people – and as you know, we’re far more likely to buy from people we know, like, and trust. It’s great to hear this has made a difference to your writing. I wish you all the best with it.