Why You Should Care About Your Writing Style

Your writing style says a lot about who you are. It either draws people in and compels them to read more, or it chases them away.

People on average are reading 19 minutes a day.

That includes blogs, newsletters, emails, books or any other content. Now I read more than that, and you may as well. But the point remains that while the amount of content in existence is skyrocketing, people’s attention spans are shortening.

Now, you’ve probably been told 100 times why it’s a good idea to have a business blog. You’ve been told that in order to reach a larger audience for your business, you need to be publishing content on a regular basis. That’s all well and good, but how do you get people to actually read it?

You have to solve pertinent problems and answer questions. It has to be relevant and it has to relate. To attract attention amongst thousands of competitors, your blog has to stand out, as well.

That’s where developing a unique writing style comes into play. The freshness of your language can either overtly or subliminally cause your audience to want to continue reading.

Developing Your Own Unique Writing Style

Below are some tips that you can take to vary your posts up from everything else that’s published online. It doesn’t matter if you are b2b or b2c. Your marketing needs to help you grow your audience.

More Diligence

Think of each blog post or piece of content as an argument you are presenting to the reader. The theme of your post is the position that you are taking in that argument. Generalities do nothing to win a reader’s mind.

Details, statistics and other specifics bolster your position and make your content more valuable. They give you a solid foundation to state your case.

Understand Your Own Perspective

Your past experiences penetrate your current efforts, whether you want them to or not. You have baggage, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s important to understand who you are, and how that impacts the larger point you are trying to make.

For example, before becoming a marketing copywriter, I worked as a journalist. Much of my perspective on writing and appealing to your audience comes from the stories I told as a journalist before I transitioned into the commercial end of things.

Another general example comes in current events within the U.S. It’s trendy to openly question the president’s mental health these days. Someone with no relevant background will have their writing glossed over in this case. But if a psychologist does this, their background adds more relevance to their opinion.

Add Your Own Twist

When you are out looking for blog post ideas it is easy to just pick something that a competitor, or an industry news site did. On the surface, there is nothing wrong with this. But resist the temptation to steal language, or use all of the same bullet points.

Maybe they have a strong idea. But come up with your own supporting arguments, or at least adopt them to your experience. Regurgitation of the pieces people may have already read will not win you a wider audience. But writing about that situation that you personally dealt with just might…

Avoid Cliches

The use of clichés leads to stale writing. It leads to writing that blends in with the crowd and hinders your originality.

Look for original ways to describe an experience or sentiment. Killing clichés will help you keep your writing fresh.

Always Evaluate Your Word Choice

Word choice is a fickle thing. On one hand you don’t want your blog post to read like an academic dissertation. You want it to be adequately written to your audience. On the other hand you don’t want to use flat, boring language. Action verbs pop, and keep people reading.

After you finish a piece, read it for word choice. If there are better ways to state your point, then make the change.

Keep Writing

Developing your own original writing style takes practice. The only way to find success is to keep writing. Some subjects lend themselves more easily to your style than others. But the goal is to have your original voice permeate in everything you write. Happy writing!

Questions? Want to chat about writing style? Shoot me an email or contact me today.

Matt Brennan is a Chicago-area marketing writer and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now.