The Importance of Voice in Writing

Stop trying to "find" your authentic voice in marketing. You already have it. 🤳 It's the way you talk during FaceTime with your friends. 📲 It's how you rant in your group chat. 📧 It's the email you dash off to a colleague without overthinking it. I spent years thinking I needed to sound "professional" in my content. I wore the corporate costume. I used words like "leverage," "synergy," and "optimize" that I would NEVER say in a real conversation. And my content fell flat. Every. Single. Time. The breakthrough happened when I stopped writing "content" and started writing like... me. 👉 The exact same person who cusses in conversation. 👉 The exact same person who uses too many ellipses in texts... 👉 The exact same person who would rather be blunt than polished. Want to find your authentic voice? Don’t worry I won’t leave you hanging: ✅ Have AI analyze your everyday writing (your emails, your texts, your notes app) to identify your natural patterns and tone ✅ Voice memo yourself talking about your topic and listen back (yes, it's awkward as hell, but it works) ✅ Ask a close friend what phrases or expressions are "so you" and consciously incorporate them Your authentic voice isn't some mystical thing waiting to be discovered through meditation or a branding exercise. It's already there in every casual conversation you have. The real work isn't finding it, it's having the courage to use it professionally when everyone else is hiding behind business jargon. The moment I started writing content exactly how I talk in real life was the moment content creation was fun again… and when people started noticing! People don't connect with perfect. They connect with real.

Saw an interesting post on Facebook yesterday. It was about brand voice and how clients don’t care. Now, the post was in a private group so I won’t share it here — but the crux of it was: A marketing consultant said, “Clients don’t care about brand voice, tone, stories, or copy. They care about leads and money.” I have thoughts… OK, yes — obviously clients care about leads and money. Without leads and money, you have no business. And a business with no business is not a very good business. (Trust me, I ran one.) But not caring about brand voice or copy? Oooooh, if only that were true. That would make our jobs SO MUCH EASIER! Yet, judging by the feedback they give, I assure you, they care. At least… the type of clients you want care. Look, if you’re selling generic junk and knock-offs on Amazon, voice is gonna matter less. Fidget spinners and sponges sell off pictures and price. (Though voice improves those conversions too.) But if you’re an actual person or brand? Baby bird, I can honestly say that I’ve never worked for anyone who didn’t care about the tone. Anyone. And you know how I feel about absolutes. In fact, most wanted small tweaks and changes to seemingly insignificant words because they felt significant. To them, it mattered. People like having their fingerprints on the creative because, 1) it’s cool and 2) they care. They care about the vocabulary, the tones, the cadence… the choices you make vs. the choices they’d take. They care a lot. Both as a human and a business. Don’t believe me? Write in the wrong voice and see what happens. Forget the brand. On your next project, cram random synonyms into your pargraphs and disjoint the words. Change the tone. Write too long or too short and hand it in — just to see their reaction.   Because if they don’t care, it’ll get approved, right? And surely they’ll hire you again. The interesting thing will be to see the sales. But I guess voice won't effect those, huh? Without voice, there's no differentiation between you and the other guy. Yes, you need leads and money. Yes, you want growth. But once clients are in, ya gotta keep 'em in. And ya gotta do it while the barbarians are banging down their inbox trying to get 'em to switch. Bad copy in the right voice is still bad copy. Good copy in the wrong voice is not good copy. Good copy in the right voice is gold. Tattoo that to your face. Turn it into a mantra. And tell your damn marketing consultant. Voice, story, ethics, tone... that's how you build and keep an audience. Build it well enough and the leads and money follow. Define it strong enough and you can scale. But what do I know? I’m just a writer.

When a CEO's reputation hangs on every word, there's no room for almost right. After 19 years channeling some of the biggest voices across multiple industries, here's the ghostwriting process few ever see. 1️⃣ Listen for the unspoken: Before writing a single word, I invest hours understanding not just WHAT my clients want to say, but WHY they need to say it. I'm hunting for those distinctive phrases and thought patterns that make their voice uniquely theirs—while discerning the deeper purpose behind each communication. 2️⃣ Become a context detective: I steep myself (corporate-speak for "I moonlight as an obsessive internet sleuth") in industry reports, competitor messaging, and every previous communication. The best ghostwriting doesn't just sound like the leader—it positions them precisely within their organizational and industry landscape. 3️⃣ Embrace the iterative dance: I typically craft 2-3 completely different "voice variations" before finding that sweet spot. This exploration isn't wasted effort—it's the essential journey to balancing a leader's natural speech patterns with elevated, strategic messaging. 4️⃣ The ultimate authenticity test: I read the final draft aloud, often standing as they would during delivery. Would these words actually come from their mouth? Does it maintain their gravitas while feeling approachable and authentic? If I've done my job right, the audience will never question whose thoughts they're hearing. The mark of truly exceptional executive communications is when the writer becomes simultaneously indispensable and invisible—a voice amplifier rather than a voice replacer. Fellow communication professionals: What behind-the-scenes magic do you perform that clients never see? And to my ghostwriting colleagues lurking in the shadows—what other rituals have you developed in your process? #ExecutiveCommunications #Ghostwriting #LeadershipVoice #WritingCraft

Is your voice getting lost in translation? Or is your message getting lost in the crowd? It doesn't have to be that way. Your unique style and perspective is what helps you differentiate and attract your ideal clients.  A lot of times a message gets worked on too many times before it is released to the public. For some it could be a consulting firm, a marketing company,  an editor or chat GPT, or it could be a person changing the message over and over again. To preserve your authentic voice is to preserve your style, your tone and your unique perspective.  I am a firm believer that words have power,  personality and that they hold the essence of connection.  When you think about it. If you have attended a funeral of a loved one you may experience stories of what they used to say and how they used to say it.  That is why I believe that as a strategist,  marketer, branding consultant and coach one of my key things to do is to be a visionary translator that preserves your voice and authentic style. Next time you are writing copy ask yourself questions like. *Is this the way that I normally speak? *Is my tone coming across in my messaging? (Examples of tone include compassionate, empathetic, direct, assertive, curious) I believe that the core of business is human connection, building trust and credibility. And the best way to do this is to sound the same in your copy as you do in person. To have that "human touch" What are words that you love using? (For me two of my favorites are essence and gifts which refer to each person having their natural essential qualities and unique gifts and talents) #marketing #branding #womenentrepreneurs #professionalwomen #techfounders