How I found my ‘voice’ in copywriting

Greetings earthlings, I’ve come to talk about myself and share yet another experience. That is how I found, and developed my ‘voice’ in copywriting.

But first, what exactly is ‘voice’ in copywriting?

Voice refers to the personality, style, and tone of your writing. It's the way your brand or message speaks to your target audience.

Voice can be authoritative, friendly, formal, casual, witty, snarky, funny, or any other tone that fits your brand's identity and resonates with your target audience. Establishing a consistent voice helps build brand recognition and creates a connection between you and your target audience.

Back to me. When I first started copywriting, I understood what voice was. And I was able to easily adapt to my clients’ voices. But here’s the thing, I still hadn’t found MY voice.

So lemme break it down a bit further. You’re currently reading this in my voice. Oooh I’m in your head. So weird.

I guess at first I didn’t know that as a copywriter I should or could have my own voice. I was under this false impression that I was supposed to present myself in some sort of uptight professional, borderline robotic manner. God was that lame.

I’m not gonna to lie, it took some time for me. Roughly around 2 years or so to break out of that mindset and blossom into the beautiful copywriting butterfly you see today.

So what’s the big secret?

It’s actually pretty straightforward: confidence.

Here’s the thing about copywriting, anybody can write stuffy. Here’s an example, and excerpt of something I wrote almost two years ago. It comes from a post I wrote on Linkedin titled ‘Copywriters Should Be More Like Ferris Bueller’. (I know, I know, take it easy on me.)

My undeveloped voice:

While you may not find yourself sneaking onto a parade float and singing the Beatles' “Twist and Shout” for the city of Chicago, you will notice some pretty major changes in the way you approach your copywriting career.

In short, your writing becomes stronger, and more purpose-driven because you’re fully immersed in what you’re working on. In turn, you put your best foot forward by default–and your best becomes your standard way of delivering work/results for your clients/team.

How I would write this now in my current sick nasty fully developed voice:

If you make these changes in your mindset you’ll inevitably find yourself on a parade float singing “Twist and Shout” for the city of Chicago! Ugh, kidding, he made it look so fun though! If only I didn’t have social anxiety and paranoia about getting arrested.

Here’s what you’ll actually find when you get down and dirty and fully immersed in your flow state: your writing becomes beefier, more jacked, like a juice head. Jersey Shore anyone?

And who benefits from your ultra-intentional gorilla-central copy? You AND your client.

–

See the difference? The lamen will say the first one is ‘more professional’ which in my book is codeword for snooze-fest! Be honest, which one was easier for you to read and feel engaged with? Which one made you feel like I was speaking directly to YOU and not some generic audience? The second one is the answer in case that wasn’t obvious.

The second one likely read more casual, conversational, snarky, and slightly tongue-in-cheek. I used colloquial language, pop culture references ("Twist and Shout," "Jersey Shore"), and playful exaggeration ("beefier," "juice head") to engage you, my pretty. I’m speaking directly to you, creating a sense of camaraderie and relatability. Overall, it's lighthearted and personable, aiming to entertain you while conveying a message.

But how did I do that? It seems ballsy to add references like ‘Jersey Shore’, right? ‘Michelle, not everyone may get that reference!’ –BINGO. Cut the camera, that’s a wrap.

My voice is NOT for everyone, thankfully. My voice is a representation of who *I* am and my personality. It won’t be palatable for some, but for others it’ll be like a breath of fresh air.

And here’s the thing, I’ve got the copywriting chops on lock. You can (and should) look through my portfolio and see how I adapt my copy to my clients’ voices 100% removing mine from the equation. That’s the sweet spot.

So, what’s the point of having a personal ‘voice’?

It’s just like any other brand having a personal identity. And if you didn’t know that you as a copywriter are your own brand… surprise!

And wanna know something crazy? Your personal voice shows potential clients that you’re not just some cog in the wheel, great value copywriter. It shows that you’re brand name, baby. It shows confidence. There’s that word again.

So where did I get the chutzpah to let my freak flag fly in my personal writing? I’d like to take a moment to credit some bad-ass women. Laura Belgray and Ash Ambirge. You two are dynamite with a laser beam and if you ever read this I’ll get a tattoo of a shrimp holding up a middle finger. If you know you know.

I’ve learned from both of these women by taking their online copywriting courses and devouring their newsletters, etc. They made ‘it’ click for me. It’s like they gave me permission to be my weird self. And you wanna know what happened when I unleashed my weird? I started getting BETTER clients.

But why would my personal voice lead to better clients? Wouldn’t my portfolio be the ticket?

Both are true, my friend. I’m exhibiting my ability to shape-shift and go from full freakazoid to a fully trustworthy expert in optimizing clients’ landing pages for higher conversions. Plus, it gives clients’ a preview of all of ‘dis. I’m not pretending to be anyone else. If you’ve read my writing and looked through my portfolio then you know what you’re getting and there should be no surprises when little ‘ole me pops up in a video call all disarming, laughing at myself yet simultaneously knowing my shit and making you feel at ease with my expertise.

Okay, now what? We are now entering the call-to-action zone of this blog post.

Now it’s time for YOU to start practicing and getting comfy with YOUR voice. And full disclosj, it might feel suuuper cringe at first. It might feel like you’re trying too hard. But that’s totally okay. Keep at it. Know that your voice is what brings your ideal clients to you and weeds out the rest. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, you’re not spanx–you’re not a one-size-fits-all solution (and why would you want to be?)

I’d much rather have clients who smile at my Jersey Shore references and say “that’s my kinda girl” versus clients who see me as some uptight dork that writes like she’s creating a legal contract and then are shocked when I use the word ‘dope’ to describe something cool. She said what?!

I’m going to do something super mind-bending right now… are you ready?

Right here. Right now. I am giving YOU full permish to let YOUR freak flag fly. Wave it proudly, baby! And if you feel so inclined, shoot me a message on here or linkedin to let me know how this post helped you and show me your voice you lil freak.

TTFN

-Michelle

CFO (Cheif Freak Officer)