5 Reasons Why You Still Haven’t Found Your Unique Brand Voice
One of the most common questions I get is this one: “How do I find my unique voice?”
For a long time, I didn’t have a good answer to this question, because as a casual blogger-turned-copywriter, it took me years of clumsy writing to develop my voice and style.
Looking back, I know now that if I’d avoided a few missteps, I could’ve developed my brand voice a lot more quickly.
And there’d be fewer meaningless posts about my eating habits captured on the internet.
Just because I had to find my voice the hard way doesn’t mean that you have to.
If you’re looking to find your voice, build your personal brand, and stand out in your subscribers’ inboxes, read on to learn how you can overcome 5 common obstacles and find your voice.
5 Reasons Why You Still Haven’t Found Your Unique Brand Voice
1. You’re trying to sound like the online marketers you most admire
Raise your hand if you love reading emails from Amy Porterfield, Rachel Rodgers, or Jasmine Star.
When you read their emails, it’s like you can hear them in your head, giving you business advice, tough love, or mindset tips + tricks.
You’d love for your readers to feel the same about you, so (usually unconsciously), you mimic Amy’s “girl next door” style, or take on Jasmine’s fiery-but-inspirational persona when you sit down to write your next IG post or email.
Problem is that not only is this voice inauthentic and difficult to maintain, it also creates a dissonance when people watch your videos or meet you in person.
If you try to make your writing voice sassy and irreverent, but in person you’re down-to-earth and regularly crack corny jokes, you’ll come across as inauthentic.
Don’t get me wrong - your speaking voice and writing voice don’t have to match up exactly…
But trying to emulate your favourite personal brands will just take you longer to hone your voice and message so that you can have the impact that you want.
2. You think that your authentic voice isn’t good enough
In relation to 1 above, the reason you’re trying to sound like someone else is that you’re fighting imposter syndrome.
Have any of these thoughts ever popped into your head?
“Who am I to share my thoughts on Instagram marketing/copywriting/your topic of choice?”
“No one wants to hear what I have to say when there are so many other people they could learn from.”
“My copy will never be as good as Amy Porterfield/Jasmine Star/Rachel Rodgers.”
The thing is that you’re not any of these people.
You’re you.
Writing using anyone else’s voice will fall flat and leave your readers unengaged.
Because your audience is really good at spotting fakes.
Here’s the truth…
Even if there are a hundred other experts in your field, your take on a topic is going to be different.
Your specific, unique perspective is valuable, and there are people who need you to be the one to deliver your message to them.
Plus, your unique perspective is really the basis for your brand and voice.
So keep going.
3. You’re hung up on being perfect
Does this sound like you?
👉You’ll email more when…
… you learn more about copywriting.
… you’re more established.
… you’ve worked with more clients
… you have time to optimize the SEO for your articles
… you have time to research multiple source articles for your posts
… you have time to refine your posts and get them edited so that they sound more “professional”
Reality check…
There will always be excuses masquerading as reasons for you NOT to write.
Very simply, you have to write regularly to define and refine your voice.
Instead, embrace a “done is better than perfect” philosophy.
Make writing a practice (i.e., write even if you feel like you’re writing sucks) instead of letting writing a post consume 20 hours of your week.
Writing and emailing consistently will get you bigger results than infrequent, “perfect” content.
4.You’re constantly consuming instead of listening inward
When I sit down to write content, it’s either first thing in the morning, before I’ve pressed my thumb to my iPhone to checked my emails…
or it’s after I’ve taken a solid break away from the internet, and preferably after a brain-cleansing walk in my neighbourhood or a yoga sesh in my living room.
Why do I do this?
Because if I read what other people have written, I unconsciously pick up their phrasing and style and sound like them instead of like me.
And while I like a good swipe file as much as the next freedom-seeking solopreneur, creating content that feels fresh and original happens more easily when I haven’t pumped my brain full of words written by others.
So next time you plan a batching day for your emails, avoid your phone and/or move your body before you belly up to your laptop.
5. You think you have to be formal to be seen as a professional
Before I was a copywriter, I was a dentist.
And before that I was an accountant.
So when I first started writing, I sounded a little… corporate.
I followed all the grammar rules.
Never started sentences with “ands” or “buts.”
Crafted careful paragraphs and complete sentences.
Avoided contractions and wrote like Mrs. Hermus, my high school English teacher, would be grading me.
I could tell that my copy was flat, but I thought that I had to be all Grammar Girl to be taken seriously as a writer.
I was wrong.
Once I started using contractions, threw in some “gonnas” and “wannas,” and wrote like people talk, my readers started sending me emails saying things like, “I love how you write!” and “I wish I could write like you!”
Thing is, you can. Write like me, I mean.
You just have to stop thinking that it’s important to be proper, and focus on being conversational instead.
The Biggest Takeaways
Stop trying to sound like the online marketers you admire and focus on sounding like YOU
Know that your authentic voice IS good enough. Don’t let imposter syndrome win…
Embrace the freedom of imperfection and understand that writing is a practice
Create before you consume content
You can be professional without being corporate or formal
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