Writing online content can be challenging, especially when you want to stand out from the crowd and connect with your audience. How do you inject personality into your writing without sounding unprofessional, boring, or off-putting? In this article, we'll share some tips and tricks to help you find your unique voice and tone, and make your content more engaging and memorable.
Before you start writing, you need to know who you're writing for and what they expect from you. What are their pain points, goals, interests, and preferences? How do they communicate and what tone do they respond to? How can you solve their problems or add value to their lives? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your content to their needs and preferences, and create a rapport with them.
Your tone must be appropriate to you and to your audience. Tone is a choice; do not assume you are backed into a corner and have only one option. An inappropriate tone may offend even a friendly audience, so develop yours carefully, with thought to how your audience will receive it.
When I grow up I want to be an alcoholic and a writer. I've never finished a second lite beer. Some dreams are, you know, out of reach. So, what's up with the writing gigs? PS. I write much better than I drink. Probably a bit too much personality?
It's great to know your audience. Don't write for your whole audience. Write just for one person in that audience. One trick that works for me : I write an article for myself. I use the word "I" in the whole article. Once everything is finished, I go back and replace the "I" with "You. " Because the best person you know is you.
No meu trabalho de copywriting para empresas, procuro dosar o nível de personaliza??o da minha escrita. No entanto, acredito que isso é um mito. O toque do escritor, por mais que seja implícito, está e deve estar sempre ali. Nas minhas produ??es de escrita criativa própria, no entanto, procuro trazer ao máximo referências pessoais, vivências e me colocar por inteiro na constru??o da minha narrativa e do texto. Fazer isso gera empatia, originalidade e, mais do que isso, a certeza de que foi um texto produzido de forma profissional por um humano, e n?o por um rob?.
Injecting personality into writing involves knowing your voice, using personal examples, being conversational, showing emotion, using humour, creating vivid imagery, experimenting with tone, being honest, using unique phrasing, and knowing your audience. Keep it authentic and engaging for a unique touch. Including emotion adds depth and connection to your words. Rather than settling for a plain statement like "The sunset was beautiful," one can use: "The sunset painted the sky in warm nostalgia." This creates a more vivid and resonant image for your readers.
One of the easiest ways to inject personality into your writing is to be yourself. Don't try to copy someone else's style or voice, or use jargon or buzzwords that don't suit you. Instead, use your own words, expressions, and opinions, and let your personality shine through. Write as if you're having a conversation with your reader, and use a friendly, casual, and confident tone. Don't be afraid to show some humor, emotion, or passion, as long as it's appropriate and relevant to your topic.
?? To infuse your writing with personality, remember: just be yourself! Authenticity Rules: Avoid copying others; use your own words, expressions, and opinions. Conversational Tone: Write like you're talking to a friend, being friendly, casual, and confident. Embrace Emotion: Don't shy away from humor, passion, or emotion when relevant. Stay Relevant: Ensure your style aligns with your topic for a seamless, engaging read. ?? Your uniqueness is your superpower—let it shine through your words! #WritingAuthenticity #BeYourself ?????
Write as if you are talking to someone sitting across the table. Use a conversational style. This will establish credibility and authenticity in your writing voice. We don't use tough words in a conversation because it does not fit the purpose of conversation. Then why complicate writing by using the same?
Before I started writing about personal development, I thought no one would read my stuff because Tony Robbins already existed. Turns out, people read my work for *me*. When I'd share about my stuttering problem as a kid, or how therapy changed my life, or what I learned after I got abruptly fired from a crummy startup...people related. Tony Robbins doesn't have my story. No one else does but me. I can reach people in ways no one else can. I get ten million views by writing just about me.
"Fake it until you make it" does not work with writing. For example, Iif you are a very serious person who never digest jokes, do not try to appear funny or witty.
"Be yourself, everybody else is already taken." - - Steve Jobs Write like you speak. Write like you are trying to explain it to your younger self, the 5 years old you. Being yourself in your writing will be what differentiate you from those copy pasting AI content. No matter the evolution of Generative AI, you are the only one that knows your struggles, your feelings and the way they changed you. Inject yourself like a Trojan horse in your writing and you will stand out.
Stories and examples are powerful tools to inject personality into your writing, as they can illustrate your points, engage your reader, and make your content more relatable and memorable. Stories and examples can also showcase your expertise, credibility, and values, and help you build trust and loyalty with your audience. When you use stories and examples, make sure they are relevant, specific, and vivid, and use sensory details, dialogue, and emotions to bring them to life.
Storytelling is a powerful tool. While you might have a great cause, product or service to promote, standing out in today's highly competitive market for people's attention is becoming increasingly hard (some might say impossible). When you craft a meaningful narrative with your writing, the message changes from "Look at me!" to "Come with me on a journey!"
As humans, we're hardwired to respond to storytelling, and this goes for brand and business writing as much as creating writing. So where is the tension? What are the challenges and hurdles? What needs to change to gain some resolution? Where is the emotion? What's makes this unique but also relatable? Don't overlook these important elements to bring the power of storytelling to create engaging work.
?? Elevate your writing with personality through the art of storytelling: Illustrate Your Points: Stories and examples make your content relatable and memorable. Engage and Connect: They draw readers in and create a deeper connection. Showcase Expertise: Use stories to highlight your credibility and values. Build Trust and Loyalty: Storytelling fosters trust and loyalty with your audience. Vivid Details: Make stories relevant, specific, and vivid with sensory details and emotions. Dialogue Magic: Use dialogue to breathe life into your narratives. ?? Stories and examples are your secret weapons for content that stands out and resonates! #StorytellingPower #EngagingContent ??????
Everyone is unique. As a writer, I do believe one must have that inner connection to the inner voice. And then you must have courage to print and share. It also helps if you have a loving heart and see the humor in everything.
Again that comes back to you versus Generative AI. AI content is flat lacks human stories with associated emotions. Illustrate your articles with your life experiences. Have a story Notebook where you document each day one story. Use that bank of stories to illustrate your writing. Tell your stories in the present tense. Your reader will live it more vividly. Tell it in the past. Your reader will disconnect because they feel like you already know the end. Yes use dialogues and your senses only if they advance the story you are trying to convey.
Another way to inject personality into your writing is to vary your sentence structure and length. Using different types of sentences, such as declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory, can add variety, interest, and emphasis to your content. Using different lengths of sentences, such as short, medium, and long, can create rhythm, pace, and flow to your content. Varying your sentence structure and length can also help you avoid monotony, confusion, and boredom, and make your content more readable and enjoyable.
The "edit and revise" section of the main article suggests: "When you edit and revise your content, pay attention to the following aspects: grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, coherence, consistency, accuracy, relevance, and readability." I suggest making several passes revising each issue separately. It's easy to miss typos and actual mistakes. It's also easy to think that your writing is clear, coherent, and readable because you know what you meant to say. Let two or three days pass before you edit if possible. Don't give your internal editor too much power, though. I'm used to puns and cultural references popping into my head as I write, and, if they fit the tone, subject, and audience, I use them without hesitation.
Seems a bit funny for this section about varying sentence length to have such similar sentences. Sixteen words, 20 words, 19 words, 21 words: Hardly a good rhythm. This seems like a dead giveaway that this prompt was created by AI. Then again, I used AI to count the length of each sentence, so it definitely has its uses.
?? Spice up your writing with personality by varying sentence structure and length: Sentence Types: Mix declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences for diversity and emphasis. Sentence Lengths: Blend short, medium, and long sentences to create rhythm, pace, and flow. Engagement Boost: Keep readers engaged and prevent monotony and boredom. Enhance Readability: Varied structure makes content more readable and enjoyable. ?? Explore the art of sentence diversity—it's your tool for dynamic and engaging writing! #SentenceVariety #WritingRhythm ??????
Use the 1 3 1 rule in your paragraphs. 1 long sentence. 3 small ones. 1 long again. That comes down to you versus AI again. Your writing should be like a poem. It should have rhythm and rimes. Use repetitions. Use words with similar sounds. Use puns and add fun to your endeavor. Read your article out loud. If it does not sing, rewrite it again. That is your edge.
Long-winded sentences are hard to read. Short and snappy sentences presented in paragraphs is a great way to make your content easy to read.
Using active voice and strong verbs can also inject personality into your writing, as they can make your content more clear, concise, and dynamic. Active voice means that the subject of the sentence performs the action, rather than being acted upon by the verb. For example, "She wrote the article" is active voice, while "The article was written by her" is passive voice. Strong verbs mean that you use specific, precise, and powerful words to describe actions, rather than vague, weak, or generic ones. For example, "She sprinted to the finish line" is a strong verb, while "She ran to the finish line" is a weak verb. Using active voice and strong verbs can help you convey your message, tone, and personality more effectively and persuasively.
Hmm, what to say? Well, I am led to believe that it was Mark Twain who writing to a friend, apologised for the length of the letter he was about to send with the opening words, 'I'm sorry this letter is so long (but) I didn't have time to write a short one.' Now, the problem I have with Mark Twain's observation is that it came after a flummoxed George Bernard Shaw utterance while addressing a crowd in a Dublin theatre - or pub? Or both? The point being that whatever year it was, it was most likely later than Mark Twain's utterance. And what shall we make of Fyodor Dostoevsky who opts for the 'explanation' approach in which he cites, 'I'm sorry the letter is so long. I didn't have time to make it shorter.' A conundrum, in and of itself?
Tell your stories in the present and in active voice. You can use the support of tools like Grammarly or Hemingway to help you get string words. AI can be also your friend, not always your ennemi. Try to edit your first draft by 30% by cutting the fluff. Be concise and your audience will thank you.
?? Supercharge your writing with personality using active voice and strong verbs: Active Voice: Make subjects perform actions for clarity and dynamism. Strong Verbs: Utilize specific, powerful words to describe actions for impact. Clear and Concise: Improve content clarity and conciseness. Vivid Language: Convey your message and personality effectively. Persuasive Power: Engage and persuade your audience with dynamic writing. ?? Activate your content with verve and watch it come to life! #ActiveVoice #StrongVerbs ??????
The final step to inject personality into your writing is to edit and revise your content. Editing and revising can help you polish your content, eliminate errors, and improve your style, voice, and tone. When you edit and revise your content, pay attention to the following aspects: grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, coherence, consistency, accuracy, relevance, and readability. You can also use tools, such as Grammarly, Hemingway, or ProWritingAid, to help you with editing and revising. Editing and revising can help you refine your personality and make your content more appealing and impactful.
I often get stuck while writing because I obsess over a certain word or sentence. My advice: Get out of your own way. Just put your thoughts down and forget about grammar, structure, the dog barking next to you and everything else. Don't be afraid to just write. Once you have all your thoughts on the screen in front of you, then you can take a hammer and a paintbrush to it and create something amazing.
I always write then infuse more of my personality in the edit. This includes emails, which initially are straight to the point. Get your content out, then edit, edit, edit.
The rule of taking a break, revisiting and time management: While editing what I have found helpful is to take a break from your writing and revisit it later with a fresh perspective. You have the opportunity to consistently enhance the quality of your writing but also important to know not to obsess about it. So knowing when to stop editing is crucial. It's important to manage your time effectively, especially when dealing with time-limited editing.
Think about your audience and write for them. Who do you want to reach? Imagine you are speaking directly to them and let this guide your tone, word choice and examples. Then read the result out loud and correct awkward-sounding structure and phrasing.
Inject personality into your writing by telling personal stories that illustrate the points. Also, forget formal English grammar, and write like you talk - you have a speaking style that will cross over and create your writing style.
Writing doesn't have personality. Only writers do. You have to be in touch with yours in order to bring into your writing. So don't neglect yourself.
One of the easiest ways to infuse personality into your writing or whatever type of content that you're trying to create is being able to make it relatable and this means relating it back to your personal experience that regular everyday people will be able to understand and connect with. So, for instance say things like: Do you do this too when you go shopping? (insert relatable thing) OR I'm sure I'm not the only one this happens to. This actually resonates with a certain group of people because they're seeing a part of your personality and they're also seeing a piece of themselves in your personality and that's what storytelling marketing does. Its why its so effective in making content that resonates with people.
When you wish to write from the pov of a specific character, do what I did while writing my novel. I did loads and loads of background work, of creating the history, background, origins, family etc for every character that I created in my novel. Creating all this detailed background, helps to give you clear perspective of what does your character stand for and what does he / she think. How much of a game changer this is, you can check in the reviews on my novel on Amazon and Good reads.