The Truth about Great Writing: Why Showing Up as Yourself Matters

One of the hardest parts of building your personal brand is mastering the skill of writing—to be clear and effective, this is the prize to be won! Personal branding, is after all, mostly writing. And yet it’s the part of the process that people often dislike the most. Usually, this is because we harbor old memories of our earlier, academic days. The days when we were graded meticulously for the words we wrote on paper. It’s no wonder we feel resentful when it comes to writing. However, rest assured that we can put these days behind us and cultivate a new understanding of what it means to be a writer. The copy you write for your personal brand can be unconventional, creative, and uniquely you. Your writing can be messy and informal and still be deemed as great writing.

“Write as you speak.”

The best way to catch people's attention and increase the likelihood of them reading your writing is to sound like yourself. What does it mean to write as you speak? It means to literally write how you speak in everyday conversations. Seriously! Can you hear me? Can you feel my excitement as you read the words on the page? I hope so. This is what it means to write as you speak.

In order to achieve this, one must throw out the rule book and forget the way we’ve been taught to write in the past. Instead, focus on sounding like yourself.

Why do most people refrain from writing this way?

Simply put, we want to sound intelligent. We want others to read our work and think, “Wow! They are so smart. What a brilliant thinker!” As a result, our writing becomes bloated with unnecessary words and sentences that don’t actually contribute to the powerful message we seek to communicate. When we write in a voice that isn’t our own, it undermines our work and leaves the reader feeling disconnected from our true essence.

Good writing does not create a barrier between us and the people we are trying to reach, it does not make the reader feel inferior. Rather, good writing dissolves barriers. As a result, your relationship with your audience will begin to feel more horizontal.

What does a writer mean when they say, “I’ve found my voice”?

It means they’ve stripped away the pretentiousness, the clutter, the nonsense. They’ve found their authentic selves! Why is it so hard to reach this place? Why do writers spend their entire careers searching for this feeling?

Somehow, we believe if others were to know what we really think, it will tarnish our credibility or undermine our expertise. We think if we disclose too much personal information, or let our natural voice be heard by others, it will turn them away. Fear of rejection is what causes us to hide behind trendy phrases, corporate jargon, and group think that distorts the reality of who we are.

Can writing authentically turn people away?

It can. Revealing your true self is like positioning yourself as a magnet. You will hyper-attract the right people who share your values and resonate with your lived experiences. In that same right, it will hyper-repel others who do not align with your thoughts or the way you share them. But this isn’t such a bad thing. In fact, it’s a great thing. It moves you closer to working and engaging with people you’re aligned with. When we come together with people who share similar aspirations, values, and purpose for our lives, great things come. We have the potential to create real change and that is when healing and transformation can take place.

What is the benefit of writing as you speak?

No one else has lived your experiences, they haven’t seen what you’ve seen, they don’t sound how you sound. When you are brave enough to let the walls come down, you make yourself indispensable. Your unique lens through which you see the world is yours, and yours alone. The danger of writing like everyone else is that you become like everyone else. When you write like you, you write like no one has written before. This is the writing worth reading. These are the words that stand out on the page. Your voice is yours alone, and it’s the best asset you own. So don’t shy away from it, claim it. Own it. And let your thoughts be heard. The world is waiting to hear your story. Are you ready to tell it?

A good question to ask the audience is: What steps will you take to start writing authentically and in your own voice?