Add that to the mix of quality writing and unshakable grit, and you’re bound to make it someday
I’m going to start this off right away by saying that this isn’t another article offering writing tips that basically sums up to “write well, write often.”
You’ve already heard that narrative a million times before, and so we don’t need to go down that road again.
Instead, I want to talk about a necessary element to writing that is often overlooked, yet it’s one of the most important, in my humble opinion.
That is the need for quality authenticity to exist in a writer’s work.
Now, you may think that sounds a little strange. Why would a writer be anything other than authentic?
For the same reason we ourselves may be inauthentic in everyday life — to fit in, to make a good impression, to reach our desired audience.
Now, while I’m still slowly but surely building my creative writing career, I have been successfully running a copywriting business for the last four years. The content themes may differ from one career to the other, but the foundation remains the same: Words have power, they carry meaning, and readers can interpret intention and sincerity from any style of writing.
And if there’s anything that I know to be true in my copywriting career, it’s that no matter the audience, no matter the reader, no one is interested in reading something fake.
More than ever, authenticity is a required and often desired skill in the writing industry.
I can guarantee it’s never going to go out of style.
Those who are struggling to find their voice, or find their way in their writing career, are most likely neglecting the severity of having this element fine-tuned.
Readers Are Tired of Being Sold To
If you’re trying to make a career of your writing, build your brand, or make even a teeny bit of money through your writing, then you have to do the inevitable of marketing yourself.
I know, I just said something that plenty of you cringed at. But as a writer and full-time social media marketer, I’m sorry to say that marketing yourself as a writer is a must.
But that doesn’t mean that marketing yourself has to be an unpleasant and excruciating experience.
That’s the good news that I have for you today, because in my four years of running my social media marketing company and copywriting for clients, I’ve seen a variety of marketing techniques. I myself have also experimented with plenty of different techniques and voices.
It didn’t take me long to realize that nothing was going to work more effectively for me in my success than being completely, unapologetically authentic to who I am as a writer.
That meant that I had to have some pretty honest conversations with myself about what sort of writing I was strongest at, versus the writing that I couldn’t deliver top-quality with.
It even meant that while I was in the beginning stages of growing my business, as desperate as I was to make money, I was still very picky with the clients that I worked with. Whether it was social media or writing blog posts, I had to know that the client’s brand voice aligned with the type of writing that could still authentically be me.
When providing writing services for clients, you can’t be entirely 100% yourself. It’s your job to understand and appreciate the brand voice of your client, and then replicate that into a piece of content that will help in their promotional strategies.
But like I said above, words have power. And if you’re not invested in what you’re writing, or don’t believe what you’re writing, I can guarantee you that the readers will be able to tell. And all of a sudden your piece has become unsuccessful.
The truer to myself and the more authentic I was in choosing my clients and projects carefully, the more I found myself succeeding.
It’s not just about knowing your audience — it’s also about knowing the types of writing that you can excel at. This means that when you deliver your piece, and it’s a high-quality item, that client or reader will enjoy it and come back to you for more.
You’re Never Going to Be Everyone’s Cup of Tea
Especially when we’re first starting out in our writing careers, we can feel so desperate to make money and grow that we’ll accept any job that falls in our laps.
The same can be said for anyone who writes creatively — we’ve all felt that pressure before of writing about a particular topic only because we’ve heard whispers in the wind that it’s trendy, or we’re hoping that it will get us more views.
But the fact of the matter remains: If you’re not passionate about what you’re writing, then readers are going to know. They can tell from a mile away by reading the first few words.
Although, there may be some writers who are exceptionally good at writing well despite not being passionate about a topic. But let me assure you, these sort of writing chameleons aren’t common. And you likely aren’t one of them.
We spend a lot of our time as writers trying to convince ourselves that we can write about something that we don’t necessarily have the authority in. We do this for a variety of reasons, from fear that our own experiences and insights aren’t valuable enough, to the fear that if we don’t change what we’re doing we’re going to get lost in the shuffle.
The writing industry is highly competitive. Of course, we have to do something significant to stick out. But what so many writers don’t appreciate is that the best way for each of us to uniquely stand out is to be completely and truly authentic to ourselves, and harness the power that comes with that.
You Are Unique, and Your Uniqueness Will Be What Takes You to High Places
Not one of us is the same. We all have different life experiences, different stories, and different insights to draw from to write every piece we create.
And while there’s a lot of advice out there for how we can succeed in the writing industry and getting further our careers in general, the fact of the matter is that just because something worked for one person doesn’t mean it will work for you as well.
Each and every one of us is on a unique journey of self-discovery and self-fulfillment. Our careers play a large role in this journey. But no one roadmap is the same as another.
If we want to get further in our career and achieve the highest success possible, then we have to embrace and appreciate the fact that our own expertise, experience, and story play a massive role in whether we’re going to get to where we want to be.
And it’s through being truly authentic and sincere to our strengths and unique qualities that we’ll unlock the highest likelihood of succeeding.
There’s an audience out there for every type of writing. Even if what you enjoy to write is the most obscure thing in the world, there is definitely someone out there who will enjoy reading it.
And the moment you stop holding yourself back and sabotaging yourself with inauthentic behaviours, you’ll start to see true fruits of your labour come to fruition.
Final Word
Our readers can see right through us.
They can pick up on the smallest change in our tone, the undercurrents of emotion, and the passion behind our words, whether it’s there or not.
Don’t be foolish enough to make the mistake of thinking you’re smarter than your readers or target audience.
Online users these days are sick and tired of being sold and marketed to in disingenuous ways. They’ve spent a decade at least watching large corporate brands operate themselves online in one way, and then act in a different way completely in real life. They see through the hypocrisy in a millisecond.
Online users are sick of phoniness. They have no interest in helping to further anyone who’s being dishonest, and they have become hyper-aware and vigilant of brands or people who are anything other than sincere.
It’s within your best interest to simply be true to yourself. Have those difficult and honest conversations with yourself to dissect what your strengths are and what your best content fits are. Just because you can’t write vulnerable pieces, or can’t write about cryptocurrency, doesn’t mean your writing doesn’t matter.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again — there’s an audience for every type of writing. All you have to do is create the work and find that audience.
If you’re finding that the writing you create doesn’t seem to be resonating, or you’re not seeing much growth in any way, then it’s time to start dropping the act, putting down the facade, and being true to yourself.
I can’t guarantee that being authentic in your writing will get you exactly where you want to be in just a couple of months. Like anything, building a writing career takes time, patience, and dedication, even without any repayment for that effort, particularly in the beginning.
But what I can guarantee is that through being authentic to yourself, you’re setting yourself up for a better chance at success. Because once you start tapping into your authenticity, things will start to click. Things will just start to make sense, and that itch inside of you as a creative will start to be more and more satisfied.
And when you’re in a place where you’re truly proud of the work you’re creating and sincerely fulfilled by that work, you’ll be building a strong reputation and brand immediately. And that kind of reputation and brand is exactly the type of marketing that will draw the right clients, the right readers, and the right fits in your exact direction.
Put it out into the universe, keep at it, and be true to yourself, and your readers will find you.
But there’s no way you’ll be found as long as you’re wearing a mask and keeping your work close to your chest, unwilling to share it with others.
I know exactly how scary it is to press publish and send something you’ve created out into the world. I know exactly how much bravery it takes to not only write, but to also unapologetically claim the title of ‘writer.’
So just take that one step further — take that bravery, harness it, and dare to be completely, and truly, authentic to yourself and who you are as a creative.
Let your light shine, and just see what happens.