Why Your Voice Matters More than Ever This Year

Why Your Voice Matters More than Ever This Year

Reader Comments (37)

  1. Hi Sonia,

    Thank you for your smart and warm voice. I always find it refreshing.

    Couldn’t agree more with the premise of this article: that a strong human voice will become even more important in an age of automated content.

    Copyblogger readers would benefit from doing a “my 3 words for the year” exercise, courtesy of Chris Brogan. You choose three words that will guide your actions and efforts throughout the year. I’ve been doing it for the past five years, and I’ve seen some great results from it. This year I consulted James Clear’s excellent list of common core values. That’s a great place to start in case you’re unsure about what to pick.

    Let the words you choose guide your writing AND your daily actions. Your voice will become stronger for it.

    (If you’re curious, my three words for 2017 are “growth, self-respect, and contribution”. Hence the blog comment!)

    • Hey Sonia,
      Thanks for sharing this post! It’s very important for people, especially marketers, to speak their opinion. Often times, we try to silence ourselves for the comfort of others; however, our unique perspectives is what creates innovative brands, products, and services.

    • Thanks Olle!

      I think if I had three words for this year they’d be Courage, Truth, and maybe Beauty. We need some refreshment from all the hard stuff. 🙂

  2. This might be my favorite article you’ve ever written.

    It’s difficult to stay true to yourself and to human connection when there are so many “softer and easier” ways to create. I was talking with my team about it yesterday and we realized that all the blogs we follow and videos we watch and people we are enamored by are all just people talking to us about their experience and truth.

    That enough was an “oh yeah duh” moment. Chris Ducker, Brian Clark, Rami Sethi, Gary Vee. Casey Neistat… none of them automate their content because they all speak from their authentic selves.

    So why would I think to do any different?

    • Thank you, Tim!

      The great sea of me-too, ordinary content keeps getting deeper and deeper. Adding to it just doesn’t do much good for anyone.

  3. I was just talking earlier today with another copywriter about the rise of automation and how it is going to affect the content creation world…your article is a beautiful response to that.

    Thank you for this clarion call, Sonia.

    I will be me in 2017.

  4. 2016 was terrible year especially in my country ( Turkey ) . We had lots of trouble. I hope 2017 will be good. We need this. Thanks for the article Sonia.

    • I’ve been following the news in Turkey with such a heavy heart. I hope this year brings better things. I fear 2017 will continue to be very tough.

  5. Thank you for this post, Sonia. I wholeheartedly agree with this: “Business matters…but don’t do it at the expense of your human voice.”

    But what if you’re writing for someone else? Can you copy your clients’ voice so that the content you’ve written blends well with theirs? Or is it okay to let your personality shine through the content no matter whose byline appears on it?

    • It’s a delicate balance, but it’s so interesting to find it. It’s your role to be their scribe — to help the companies you write for find *their* true voice, to create material for them that won’t just get lost in all the white noise.

      There’s a real art to learning to speak with your clients’ voice. I see it as something like being an actor, or writing a fictional character. You’re interpreting a role, which you can still infuse with “truth” (in an artistic sense) — and of course keep your commitment to be truthful in the literal sense also.

      That means you need to work for companies courageous enough to say something worth saying.

      • “You’re interpreting a role, which you can still infuse with ‘truth’ (in an artistic sense) — and of course keep your commitment to be truthful in the literal sense also.”

        Wow, I never thought of it that way! I will keep this in mind. Thank you so much for answering my questions, Simone! 🙂

  6. Great Post Indeed!

    I am really impressed by your line “Content works because it builds a connection to real people.”

    I really appreciate this article. It’s worth a lot for me.

  7. Sonia, you’ve been reading my mind. My theme for the year is thinking of content as art. If you are a content creator, you are making art – building something that lasts and will continue to move people. I have thought of my podcast as an art project for the last two years. Aside from its purpose in my business, it’s a record of my work. I’ve created something and every episode, even the oldest, is still relevant today.

    So yes. Let’s use our voices to make the world better. We can help solve problems big and small with our “art”.

  8. Next time someone asks why they’d spend money on copywriting when they can just plug in some keywords and get the robot to crank out copy, I’m referring them to this article. 😀

  9. Sonia! This is a FANTASTIC article! So inspiring and spot on. I could gush further… but I’ll refrain. Thank you for walking your talk and helping to set a positive tone for the new year.

    Warm hugs,
    Sydni

  10. I thank you for this post and the importance of relevant content in 2017. It takes courage to write honest, relate-able and empowering content. It takes courage to write authentically for others. It will take more encouraging posts like yours to help writers, creatives and other people, in and out of business, to step outside of their comfort zones and make life better through their platforms, voices and advocacy for positive change.

  11. Thank you Sonia! That was beautifully written. From the heart. Real. Inspiring without over exciting… well I could go on… but perhaps if I just take your lead and write.

    Thank you!!

  12. Sonia

    I enjoyed this article very much. Thank you.

    But I have to admit I feel that its smooth caramel topping is hiding something much less smooth – something the spaces between your words are really saying.

    The people I’ve met who speak using their authentic voice can silence a room. And that silence opens a chasm. Not saying it’s a bad thing but I suspect you’re ready for revolution. I’m going to be reading you closely in2017. I’d hate for you to start the revolution without me.

    Best wishes for the chasm you’re opening.

    • The way I see it, the most important revolution right now is the one that lets people take care of themselves and their families … things are changing so quickly, and it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

      • I agree completely. That kind of back-to-basics revolution rings true. It’s on my mind these days, much more so that it was 5 years ago.

        That and legacy. As my own retirement approaches, I spend my time wondering if I’ve created anything of value to leave behind. I suspect drinking beer on the beach will not qualify.

        It seems kind of selfish to just leave a cheque and says thanks for the fish.

        I look forward to more of your writing in 2017.

  13. I love this post – thank you. While my own business is trying to automate many of the functions that are back office stuff, we still love the humble old phone for connecting with our customers. About one third of them make the first connection to us by phone – even though they have found us via the web. The human voice is such a comfort because it is real and hard to hide behind.
    I want my world to remain alive and not succumb to the numb-dumb of the senses which the flat horizon of the machine leads us towards

  14. Thank you, Sonia! This helps me reframe how I think about content. It’s art.
    This is a wonderful intention for 2017–get back to basics of unique expression.
    And, this:
    “Content works because it builds a connection to real people.”
    In 2017, I will create art to build connection.

  15. I will add my voice to this, even though many smart, switched-on people have already left a comment! Look yes, absolutely it is about human voices, I always have a moan about the ‘generic’ nature of online content, and you touched on this with your remark about ‘automated, mass produced content’ – wow, there is just too much of it! And approaches to using social media, cynical sales-based NLP, obviously emotive posts to to illicit a response (because people tend to buy more readily if they are triggered) I agree, our content matters and we should be working towards refining it and building more connections.

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