FIND YOUR CREATIVE COPYWRITING VOICE
If you're a solo entrepreneur or small business owner and you do most of the copywriting yourself...
It's (generally) better to channel your natural voice in your writing than it is to create a distinct identity or persona for your brand.
Why?
It’s more enjoyable and sustainable. It’s more authentic. You’ll have a better opportunity of attracting like-minded clients. And it’s easier to create a consistent brand experience.
But what if you’ve tried writing your own copy, and it’s still sounding stuffy, corporate or boring?
You’ve come to the right blog. Here are my three steps to getting your brand voice down-pat.
Step 1. Give yourself permission to suck at copywriting
Writing in your voice—writing in a way that feels true to who you are—requires you to show up and be willing to get it terribly and embarrassingly wrong.
When I started to learn how to throw pottery on a wheel I went into the exercise with just one goal in mind—and it wasn't making a pot.
My goal was to learn something about myself.
That might seem like a simple thing, but as a reformed perfectionist, it felt radical to walk into the studio on my first day ready to make a mess and willing to suck at it.
Being totally unattached to the outcome (making a good pot) and having the freedom to be a beginner, to experiment and play (because, hey, we're just here to learn what we learn) allowed me to enjoy the process.
And because I enjoyed it, I kept going back—even though I sucked and all I was making were lumpy toothpick holders (who even uses toothpicks, gross).
After a while, and with practice, I got kinda good at it. I made beautiful mistakes, learned what I liked and started making bowls and plates I now use every single day.
But I had to allow myself to suck at it, first.
You can't get good at writing for your business if you're not ready to embrace sucking at it.
When you're scared to suck or get it wrong (a pretty common and understandable feeling when you sit down to write an email or social media post or any kinda copy on behalf of your business)…
OR you're focused on just getting it done…
It's easy to let your critical voice take the wheel.
And when that happens? You lose YOU. You lose your authentic voice, you lose the fun, you lose the confidence to share what it is that you're burning to share.
If you struggle to write in your authentic voice, anything you can do that allows you to set that critical voice aside is a winning strategy.
And that’s where the next step comes in.
Step 2. Copywriting comes through creativity and play
You have permission to play, make a mess, and discover your own techniques.
Try something new. The scarier it sounds, the more potential it has to stretch you and teach you something about yourself. You don't have to share the results, your only job is to get out of your head and have fun.
Here’s some ‘games’ to get you started:
a) If your brand was a food, animal, song, colour, holiday destination, fictional character, celebrity, Golden Girl what would it be and why?
Pick one or do a whole bunch of them and see what pops up! Then ask yourself WHY?
What are the words, ideas, feelings and themes that are coming through? How does the <insert thing here> make other people feel?
b) Try NOT writing for an audience
I KNOW! I'm a copywriter and that's basically blasphemy. But just sit down and write without putting pressure on yourself to say a certain thing or speak to a certain person or even publish what you write if you don't like it!
Write for you. Write what you're burning to say.
Decide later whether it's something you want to put out into the world. Maybe you feel like it's not going to be relevant or interesting but you decide to put it out anyway and test what happens... the posts I've put out "just because" and thought they'll tank have been some of my most liked and interacted with
c) Try writing specifically for ONE person
Let's try the opposite now. Write 'Dear Amanda' (or whatever the name is of an actual person you like and who really really likes you/your work/your brand) at the top of the page. Then write the rest of the piece specifically for them. Take out the ‘Dear Amanda’ when you're done! Or if you like it, don't. Up to you :)
d) Strip it all back and free write
Set a timer (I reckon 10 minutes is a good place to start) and just write. Even if you have to write "I've been told to free write but I don't know what to say so here I am free writing" to get you started is just fine. See what comes out. I often find that clearing up my mind junk with a bit of free writing makes it easier for me to get into a focused creative zone.
Getting out of your head and having fun is a sure-fire way to generate ideas, gather inspiration, and discover what your authentic voice sounds like.
But good copywriting operates in two modes. The uninhibited ‘play’ mode, and the more strategic, is this clear and does this convey my brand voice? mode.
That’s where the third step comes in.
Step 3. Pay attention and refine your creative copywriting voice
Now you need to take notice.
You need to pay attention to what feels good, what doesn't, WHY? What did you learn in the first two steps? What would you do again or do differently?
If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, here’s some things to try.
a) Say it out loud
You've probably heard the tip where you read your writing out loud when you're done to check that it sounds ok (solid tip, something I do ALLLL the time, but that’s about editing, not finding your brand voice).
This tip isn't that. THIS tip is about using the momentum of your creative work to try speaking about your business out loud BEFORE you write the copy you’ll actually use.
Huh? Ok here are a few ways to make this one work for you...
Call a friend (or business buddy) on Zoom and record yourself talking about your business, what you do, how you do it and why.
If you want to do it solo, use a voice recorder or Loom video.
Want the lazy option? If you speak on podcasts, run workshops or do anything else out loud get a copy of the recordings.
NOW... listen back to yourself (yeah, I know, but stick with me here because this WORKS).
Pay attention to the energy in your voice (are you enthusiastic and use short sharp sentences or are you slower and more thoughtful?)
Notice the words you use when you’re not bogged down in making it sound good on the page.
And if you have a long recording you can even use a free online transcription service to extract exact words and phrases to use in your writing.
b) Think about how your business relates to your audience
Now describe that relationship:
Are you the cool Auntie who takes them to a bar when they’re 18 and teaches them how to paint their nails without getting it all over their cuticles?
Are you the straight-talking BFF who makes them laugh and wants the best for them but also won’t put up with their BS excuses for not going after insert thing they really want here?
Are you the experienced hiking trail guide leading the way, pointing out hidden birds nests and interesting rock formations while keeping everyone safe from stinging nettle?
Are you the mentor who provides gentle advice and a safe, caring space and who always has a cup of tea and nourishing snacks ready for when they visit?
All of these relationships give us clues to how to talk to the audience. For some, shorthand, slang and humour would be appropriate. For others, the voice will feel more formal and respectful.
OKAY! It’s time for you to take that brand voice you’ve cultivated, and pop those words on the page.
And yeah, you're probably going to need to edit to remove any unnecessary bits and make sure the flow and structure feels right.
But it gets you past that awkward blank page stage.
AND gets you closer to your naturally awesome, conversational voice.
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