Yesterday, our Listen starred Sarah Rhea Werner, host of the Write Now podcast. We won’t give you the whole spiel again, but, despite it being a podcast about podcasting, it got us thinking a lot about the written word. (Well, we’re always thinking about writing, that’s what we do.)
Then, we came across today’s Read from Copyblogger. Even if writing isn’t What You Do everyday, per se, Sonia Simone’s post will prep you to be a better writer, communicator, and marketer.
We hear a lot about how writing as an authority grants us more marketing success. But, we’re missing another crucial element: vulnerability.
It’s the combination of authority and vulnerability that has become the most effective voice on the Internet. This is called empowered vulnerability and, once you tap into it, you can create a potent voice that works tremendously in the content environment today.
“It doesn’t shy away from authority. It understands that people will always look for informed, confident voices. But. It also doesn’t shy away from revealing the personal, the fractured, and the imperfect.” Ugh, we just love that.
Here’s a “table of contents,” if you will, about some highlights you’ll find in this thoughtful blog post:
- Why good copywriters and good marketers can handle multiple tones of voice
- How to write informally without devolving into unicorn vomit
- The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence
- Why, when people gain power, their social intelligence can begin to suffer
- The important difference between powerlessness and vulnerability
- Finding the right balance between authority and vulnerability
- Different kinds of vulnerability
We’d regurgitate this whole blog post if we could, but, if you’re really looking to understand the 21st-Century’s “most powerful writing voice,” we suggest reading this one for yourself. It’s worth it.
