Finding your own writing voice is tough. Should you write how you speak, or use the language your audience uses? How do you identify the voice they want to hear?
So many questions. So much frustration. And so much work to be done with a subject you know rather well — yourself.
But finding the voice of your client? Put me in a straight-jacket and leave me to struggle, because that right there? Sounds like it’s near-on impossible.
But what if your dream clients made it remarkably easy for you to figure out exactly who they are? What if the knowledge of THEIR clients was right under your nose? And what if you could use this to write expertly for both?
This Brave New World exists, folks. And it’s yours for the taking.
In today’s post, we dive into 4 different ways you can get closer to nailing the voice of your client. You’ll know exactly what to research to define the words they use. You’ll also be able to get under the skin of the language their audience will respond to best.
And by the time you’ve written your masterpiece? Your client will read it and feel like they wrote it themselves.
Here we go:
1: The infiltration technique
Infiltration involves getting drawn into their world; observing it, and contributing to it.
Your objective here is to get a solid idea of what your client communicates to their audience.
Do they make their messages very personal and share anecdotes from their life? Do they make pop-culture references, from their obsession with P!nk’s new album to the latest viral YouTube video? Do they share practical advice related to their business?
To find out, follow them on the social media platforms where they’re most active: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – anywhere that demands a conversation. Then contribute to the conversation by asking questions of your own to get to know them better.
What makes this important?
By understanding what your clients do and don’t share, you can use this knowledge in the posts you write for them, or the ones you pitch to them. It helps your work sound like it’s written by them – in their voice – and they immediately recognise themselves in it.
2: Empathy is king
When you write for your client, you not only perfect their writing voice, but you also appeal to their audience. Writing a killer post that evokes emotion in the audience? That’s the gold right there, right? Right.
To do this, your research will involve reading existing posts on your client’s site and digging into the comments.
- What questions are asked?
- What do contributors agree or disagree with?
- If there’s a link to the commenter’s website, what topic do they write about?
- What other sites do they comment on? What do they write there?
Your mission is to define exactly what your client’s audience hopes for, fears, and dreams about.
Take it a step further and get in touch with the most frequent visitors. Follow them on their favourite social networks and start interacting with them. Their social media updates will reveal more about what they hope, fear and dream than any comment they leave on a website.
After you’ve done this research, write as if you were the audience and finish the following sentences:
- I wake up at night panicked about…
- I’m most afraid of…
- I wish someone would help me with…
- What I really want from my life is…
What makes this important?
The emotions behind the words your clients use to describe their issues are exactly the kind of emotions you will highlight in the material you write. Everything you write will address a problem or worry this audience has.
Every article or post is a sales letter, you guys. The information your client gives to their audience will help elevate them as an authority by appealing to the emotions of the reader. This empathy – it results in sales.
And your client? They may just lick the ground you walk on for creating a piece that appeals to their audience so perfectly.
3: Use the blindingly obvious
What better material to use to find your client’s voice than the material they’ve already written?
Just like when you researched their audience to find the emotions they convey with their comments, do the same thing with your client. This time, list the words they use and the emotions they convey most often.
Look at their most popular posts. Notice the words they use that reflect their personality. See how they approach their content:
- Is their perspective mostly positive or pessimistic?
- Are they informative, teaching practical advice?
- Where is sarcasm or humour added (if at all)?
- Do they use examples to support every point?
What makes this important?
Just like with the audience research, incorporating words that reflect your client’s personality will make your post sound like them. And this is what you’re being paid for.
Take it a step further with the next point …
4: Spook ‘em out
When it comes to writing the post, there’s more research to be done. This time, it focuses on the layout and style of the posts your client already has on their site.
Get familiar with their style by doing this:
- Note how long each paragraph is. Are the sentences long or short?
- Do they hyperlink to related information? On their own site, or on other sites as well?
- Do they use bullet points, or numbering? Are the sub-heads numbered?
- Do they write a lot of list posts? What’s the average word count?
- Are the introductions detailed or brief?
And if you’re feeling really dedicated, pick 5 of their most popular posts and re-type them. This will force you to read every word, and get into the rhythm of their writing style.
What makes this important?
Most writers will submit a well researched piece about the subject matter alone. When you’ve sweated and bled to figure out exactly what writing style works for your client, you’ll shine above the competition.
Why? Because your client will feel like they’re reading something they’ve written themselves.
Awesome article!
Do you have any tips for nailing a client’s voice when they’re just getting started online, which means you have no website or social media accounts to look at? Thanks!
Alicia – great question! Get to know them – have a call and ask them about their clients/audience, their interests, etc. If info isn’t available online, use the old-fashioned conversation technique! What kind of client are you writing for?
This is exactly the question I was going to ask.
I just finished a post for a client that is just starting her own business, and her website isn’t even up yet. I do know her personally – which is helpful! But what if I don’t know the person? And they are just starting Twitter and Facebook and all the other social media.
I have a very dry (and sometimes twisted) sense of humor, but I seem reserved and a little shy when you first meet me. I’d throw you off with the conversation technique if I was the client. 🙂
Thank you for the great post. Even though I know my current client, these tips will still help with future posts for her and others.
That’s an awesome insight, MJ – how did you do on the post? What did you do to get the voice of your client right?
Thank you, Raswana. 🙂 She loved it! In fact, since she still doesn’t have her website up, she asked if she could submit it to her friend’s website, SupermomCEO.
I’ve known her for years. Funny story. She’s my ex’s ex-wife. Yes, we hated each other at first, then suffice it to say he screwed up again (literally), and she and I became fast friends.
So I do know her sense of humor and the way she speaks. She writes very long emails, so I’ve seen her writing over the years, too.
If I get a similar client starting their own business and unfamiliar with social media, do I just wing-it with the voice/ style and hope they like it? Any advice? 🙂
RaZwana. I apologize for the misspell.
🙂 At least you didn’t write ‘Botswana’ as someone once did
That is a funny and pretty awesome story. Women truly DO unite!
With clients who don’t have much of an online presence, the best thing to do is to get to know them. Have a phone conversation and talk to them openly about the piece you’re writing. Make as many note as you can about the words they use and incorporate this into your post/article.
And then report back here with the results please – we’re keen to know !
Thanks for the great advice! I will definitely let you know how it goes! 🙂
Excellent article. It gave me insights into things I had not previously considered. Thank you very much, Razwana.
Glad you enjoyed it Ronn. What one new thing did you learn?
In point number 2 (“Empathy is king”), you pointed out the necessity to “get in touch with the {clients’} most frequent visitors, ” and to follow them on their social networks in order to start interacting with them. It never occurred to me how important that is to shedding insight on their hopes, dreams and fears. Now I can see the connection of appealing to their personalities as I try to connect with them in meaningful ways. Again, thank you.
Whoot!
hi Razwana, it’s pretty near impossible or so I thought, to get the voice of people you’re writing for but essentially it sounds like…channel the writer you’re writing for! Infiltrating is possible on the web because of ready availability of the person’s content, social media channels and the dozens or hundreds of articles they have out there. I take guest posts on my site and when someone does many of the things you’re talking about (which I feel like only a handful of people do) I immediately publish the post without much hesitation, so I know these strategies work. Thanks for sharing these tips!
As creepy as it may sound, channelling the writer is EXACTLY is, Vishnu. The more you infiltrate their life, the more you know. Practice being like them……and you’ll perfect their voice.
I’ve said no to many guest posts for the very reason, like you, when they’ve not captured the voice on my site. I don’t expect people to write exactly like me, but the audience I have are there because they like MY voice, not someone else’s. Capturing that is key.
I love that, Razwana:”Practice being like them……and you’ll perfect their voice.” Thanks to both of you.
Great post, Razwana. Poor writers don’t get into the minds of their target readers OR their client. Decent writers might get into the minds of their reader, but they don’t do it an a way that captures the client’s voice. Great writers nail both of these! I think a lot of writers forget the second part of the equation. They don’t take any chances or let the client’s personality shine through in their writing, so the post comes off as dry.
Taking the extra steps to get into your client’s head is a sure way to impress them. It’s definitely worth the effort!
Corey
If I agreed any more with you, we’d morph into the same personality !
There’s me thinking copywriters did it by magic. Great post, lots to think about thank you.
It’s 70% research, 30% writing, my in view.
Love all the hands on stuff Raz!
Glad you enjoyed it, Shannon! Thanks for stopping by.