4 ways to develop your voice on your blog
by Daniel Page
One of the greatest challenges for any new writer is to find their voice. Yet when it comes to blogging, it’s also one of the most important things you’ll ever do. There are literally thousands of blogs out there. Thousands of blog posts are written every day. If your own blog doesn’t have a unique angle, it can and will end up lost in the noise.
That’s why it’s important that your writing be uniquely you. That you approach things from a unique perspective and write in a way that engages and captivates. A good voice is the first step in achieving that.
But how do you find yours? If you don’t want to get lost in the noise, you need to instill your own unique personality into your words. How exactly can you do so in a way that resonates with your audience?
Consider what you love
There’s an old adage that applies here: Write what you know.
What interests you? What do you love doing? What are you good at?
People don’t want to read a boring, cookie-cutter blog post about a topic in which you have no real stake. Good writing has a personal feel to it. It’s the difference between listening to a lecturer who reads off bullet points versus a presenter who’s genuinely excited to be there.
When you’re passionate about a topic, that passion comes across in your writing. That passion is contagious. It makes your blog more interesting and engaging to read.
Look at your own personality
Another piece of advice is that you should try to write how you speak, at least to an extent. The most engaging copy tends to be a lot more conversational in nature. A user reading your content should feel like they’re having a conversation with you.
To that end, how do you talk when you’re with friends, family, and colleagues? How would the people closest to you describe you as a person? Do you have any unique or endearing quirks in terms of how you speak?
Know your audience
Who are you writing for?
Your voice should be uniquely you, but it should also resonate with your audience to some extent. For instance, if you have a tendency to be verbose in your speech, you might want to curb it for your blogging audience. Complicated terminology tends to be off-putting to most readers.
Finally, think about the kind of references your audience will understand. Think about how they talk and relate to one another. Adjust your writing accordingly, while still making an effort to retain the things that make your personality shine through.
Just write
I’ve saved the most important piece of advice for last. Just sit down and write. Find a topic you enjoy, sit down, and let loose. Don’t stress the details too much, and don’t worry too much about coming out with a polished piece.
Got writer’s block? Try to set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes just to get words out on paper. Small goals help make writing longer blog posts manageable and successful.
The important thing is to get a feel for your style of writing, to find out what makes you unique, and to instill that into your professional work.
Image credit: Photo courtesy of Naveen Annam.
