I was giving a workshop this past weekend for would-be authors looking to publish their books. The vast majority of the attendees were writing business books, with the goal of helping them build their brand and establish credibility in their particular field…two things that business books are really good at doing.
The conversation turned to writing in an authentic voice, and we had a lively discussion of what that really means. I shared some great resources, including Jeff Goins and his “10 Steps to Finding Your Writing Voice.”
As Goins says, “The bottom line is that there’s a lot of noise out there in the world. If you’re going to get heard, you can’t just raise your voice. You’ve got to set yourself apart, showing you have something special to say, and that you have a unique way of saying it.”
So many B2B writers are stuck in the land of starch when it comes to their blogging. Stiff, straight and a bit uncomfortable to read, even if what they share is important information from a credible source.
Why do so many B2B content creators fail so badly at engaging? Because B2B is not how we operate. The business may be putting out the content, but it’s a human who consumes it. Writer to reader, regardless of industry, position or level of starch in the collar.