Make Money Online w/ Court

Mastering an Authentic Voice – How to Write and Be the Real You Online

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 10:30 AM PDT

This is the first of many posts you’ll be seeing from TKA’s new staff writer, Patrick Meninga (aka skinnyninja). Pat is a full-time internet marketer with a successful addiction recovery website. He was instrumental in developing the latest iteration of TKA’s core lessons, and I’m grateful to have him contributing to the blog as well.

The other day we talked about how to turn your website into a long tail search vacuum. Today we are going to shift gears a little and talk about writing in an authentic voice on your websites.

So the first question is: “Why write in an authentic voice at all?”

The answer to that is simple:

To rise above the web spam.

Every day, millions of new pages are added to the web. Thousands of blogs are started by the hour. And the vast majority of this new content is very inauthentic. Much of it is spun content, some of it is original but is very poor quality outsourced material, and none of it carries a very strong personal voice in it.

So as a point of differentiation, you want your website to have an authentic voice.

And what is the best way to accomplish that?

Be sincere and tell your truth, plainly.

Sounds a little too simple to be effective, right? But take a closer look at the idea, and you will find that, in many cases, we fail to do this in our writing.

State your plain truth

For example, say that you are reviewing a red toaster on your website. You are hoping to get search engine traffic to your articles so that you can then make money from that traffic. So you write the following:

There aren’t many red toaster ovens available these days. Instead you’ll find almost entirely stainless steel, black and white options. Colors are quite rare and when they are found, it is usually a bit more subdued than red. However, for those willing to add a splash of color to their kitchen, these countertop ovens offer a fun way to make cooking more enjoyable.

Instead of this distant “corporate-speak,” just be yourself! Tell them how it really is, and use your own personal truth to do it:

I can never find a red toaster oven in department stores any more. The only place I see them consistently is by looking online, and the problem with that is that you don’t really know what you are getting. I hate having a boring kitchen and I find that getting one red appliance helps to lighten it up a bit. I used to have a red microwave but it eventually died on me, so that is what prompted me to seek out a red toaster in the first place. I have to have some red in there or it just doesn’t feel right!

Notice that in the second writing sample, someone is actually speaking their truth, and then writing it down on the page. It is conversational, rather than polished-up “corporate speak.”

Note that the second sample also:

* Uses “I/me/my language.”
* Is sincere and speaks directly to the reader.
* Uses a conversational tone.
* States that person’s plain truth without trying to embellish it or diminish it in any way.

The way that it does all of these things is a function of the writer simply speaking their truth.

Remove the filters about how you think you have to write, and simply speak naturally to your reader. State your truth, plain and simple.

Also, make sure it is your truth, and not someone else’s. Do not try to belittle your truth, or puff it up. State it plainly, and own it. This is the key to authenticity.

How authentic writing helps you as an internet marketer

The web is filling up with spam quickly, and is desperate for authenticity.

Think about the problem from Google’s perspective: they have to sift through billions of web pages and return the best results to their searchers. All of that robotic, “me-too” content is boring and does nothing to help the searcher. It’s not real. It’s not authentic. There is no human behind this mountain of content that actually cares about the reader.

Your perspective is valuable because you are unique.
If you want to make money online, then you need to add something valuable to the web.
If you want to add value to the web then you need to put more of YOU into your writing.

Otherwise, you risk being added into the ever-growing pile of web spam that Google has to deal with and eventually eliminate.

Be authentic by being sincere. State your truth, plainly.

If you’re an internet marketer – or want to be an internet marketer – feel free to join us for free webinars on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Check out the “Upcoming Free Webinars” widget in the sidebar for more information. Hope you’ll join us!

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