6 Ways to Find Your Voice + Stand Out From the Crowd
Do you want your copy to have more impact on your customers… and your bottom line, too?
I know the answer’s a no-brainer, because that’s what all of my copy clients want.
To write more compelling copy that helps you connect with your audience, you have to use your voice and share your message in the way that only you can.
But what if you’re struggling to sound like you in your emails?
What if you find yourself trying to sound like your online idols and the leaders in your industry, but end up sounding like every body else?
Writing copy is hard, and it sucks when you spend hours (sometimes days #beenthere) writing an email for your audience, only to blend in with everyone else in your ideal client’s inbox.
The solution?
Use my best copywriter tricks…
6 Ways to Find Your Voice + Stand Out From the Crowd
1. Write before you consume
Know what messes with your unique voice?
Reading what other people have written right before you start creating.
When you read then write, you start to write like them instead of like you.
You start to mimic the cadence of their sentences, the phrases they use, and even how they sign off their emails.
Instead, write first thing in the morning, or “cleanse your palate” with some physical movement if you’re writing later in the day.
2. It’s a practice
Few people sit down to a keyboard the first day they launch their online business with a clear, distinct brand voice.
Most online marketers hone their voice by writing regularly, week-after-week for years.
Amy Porterfield? Wrote her own copy for years.
James Clear? Crafted newsletters and built his list long before he wrote a book.
They developed their voices over time, and refined their main messages while they were at it.
So unless you’re a writing genius (and if you are, teach me what you know!), the unsexy truth is that becoming a better writer with a distinct brand voice will take time and practice.
Might as well start now...
3. Be conversational
I read a lot of marketing emails, and the ones I actually read are the ones that sound like… people.
Full of insider jargon or formal corporate speak?
Polite pass.
If you’re looking to boost your reader engagement, write like you’re talking to a friend.
Use contractions.
Start sentences with “and” and “but.”
Throw in some slang and sentence fragments.
Then read what you’ve written out loud.
If anything you read doesn’t sound like something you’d say, edit it.
Over time, writing conversationally will become second nature and you’ll find your writing rhythm.
4. Tell personal stories
The personal brands that I trust are ones that I feel like I know.
Copywriter Laura Belgray currently lives in the Hamptons and loves taking dance classes.
Amy Porterfield has a firefighter husband and a dog named Scout.
Tyler McCall is obsessed with Target (understandably) and lives in Asheville with his husband, Eric.
I know these random facts because they’ve shared personal anecdotes in their content.
Why does this matter to your bottom line?
Because building that Know, Like, and Trust factor is going to help build your brand, attract your die-hard fans, and boost conversions (aka sales).
Feel awkward about telling stories and relating them to your business? Grab my free Email Transitions Guide right here.
5. Expect email crickets
A lot of my clients tell me that they never get replies to their emails.
I want you to know that’s okay.
Truth is that email engagement is more commonly measured in terms of open rates and click-throughs than in replies to your emails.
If you write more engaging emails, grow a bigger list, and include calls-to-action to reply to your emails, you will likely start to see more messages from your readers.
But email is different than social media, so it’s okay if you’re not getting many email replies from your subscribers, as long as your emails are getting opened and your links are getting clicked.
6. Be more specific
Usually, the biggest difference between the emails of a newer writer and a more experienced one is specificity.
A newer writer often believes that if she’s too specific, she’s going to exclude potential clients from her business.
A more experienced, conversion-focused writer understands that specificity is what makes your copy pop, builds trust with your audience, and makes you stand out from in an inbox full of emails promoting Instagram systems and money mindset courses.
Increase your specificity by including relatable, daily details that your ideal client can relate to.
Like how you finally discovered you’re an Enneagram 1, or that you’re crushed that Starbucks discontinued the Golden Ginger Coconut drink.
Bonus points if your relatable details match up with what your ideal client is into.
The Biggest Takeaways
Write before you read anything, or after you get some head-clearing exercise
Understand that finding your voice takes time and practice
Write like people talk instead of keeping it corporate
Tell personal stories to build the critical Know, Like, and Trust factor with your audience
Focus on your open rate and click throughs instead of reader responses to measure engagement
Make your copy pop by including relatable, specific details
Want more info on writing sleaze-free emails? Download my FREE guide, 7 Secrets to Writing a Welcome Sequence That Sells Without Being Sleazy.