My Voice or Your Corporate Voice? You Pick, I Can Do Either

My jaw nearly hit the desk. It was a simple enough question – what is your natural voice?

As a professional writer for hire, focusing on the manufacturing, healthcare, IT, and education markets, I’d worked hard to strip my own voice and perspective from the content I created. I was neutral. I was informative. I was factually accurate. I went for the “cerebral hook” to attract and inform target personas. Me? My personality? My style? My tone? Irrelevant. None of that, for past clients, moved the messaging forward.

Now why was this prospective client asking about my voice? I needed a second to compose myself. To think through my answer. My candid response was that my native tone was somewhat snarky/sarcastic and infused, whenever possible, with humor. That I tended towards staccato writing. That was good she said. That was great. Because they were looking to engage personas who openly shared thoughts, feelings, and perspectives online for the food related product they were developing. So I got the gig.

The freedom to write in my own voice was refreshing. And it reminded me that storytellers tell stories. In their own voice. This creates a bit of a dynamic tension in that professional writers frequently assume the voice of a corporate client. I can do both. Together we will discuss the purpose of your content as well as your target customers. I will, with you by my side, select the tone and approach that will be most engaging for your audiences.

I am just a click away. Hope to hear from you soon.