Agencies, Freelancers, Design, Copywriting & more.: [Copyblogger] How to Write with Authority for a Loyalty-Starved Market

How to Write with Authority for a Loyalty-Starved Market

How to Write with Authority for a Loyalty-Starved Market

Authority

These days, people are hungrier than ever for real authority. They’re tired of fluff, hype and “know-it-alls”. In the beginning of your writing, you’ll likely write with some uncertainty as you keep learning and growing - much like a child taking his first steps, but there comes a time where your writing “grows up” and you start to speak with greater directness and purpose.

Journalists do this exceptionally well. Read your local paper or watch the news. You’ll never hear them say things like, “I think they meant _____” or “It has been my experience that _____”. Journalists simply state facts - but facts alone can be dry and boring. This is where it’s up to you to infuse your blog post or article with perspective and background. Tell a story, share a personal experience. Make it “real” to the reader. Then you’ll know you’ve hit the spot where your writing has “grown up”.

People naturally like others who are confident and sure of themselves. Writing with authority brings out an air of credibility and honesty that simply can’t be faked (at least not for long). As with most things, the more you practice these methods, the better you’ll become and the sooner you’ll slide into your own unique tone and conversational style. Try them on your next writing project and see how many more comments you get as a result.

1. Make Sure You Know Something Worth Sharing

If you feel even the slightest bit hesitant, oftentimes it will show in your writing through the words you choose. Adding words like “might”, “may”, “believe” and “hope” are a sort of disclaimer we add to our posts and articles to pad ourselves from a backlash of negative feedback - which often never happens. Go ahead and share your expertise. Your readers are looking for a leader - be one.

2. Write Powerful Steps that Can Be Followed

Everyone wants some “proven method” or strategy that has worked before and nobody wants to look like a fool or have their decisions questioned. When you write with authority, you don’t feel afraid to walk the reader through certain steps or explain things in a direct way. That doesn’t mean you should be forceful in your writing and bark orders, but writing with a solid understanding of how a process is done or how your readers can learn more will put you at the top of their loyalty list as opposed to someone who only writes based on what other people are doing or using.

3. Share Your Experience

Like I mentioned in my second paragraph, you want to make sure your readers know about your first-hand experience with the subject - either through a story or your own experience. Even if you’re writing about something you enjoy as a hobby, chances are there’s someone just starting out who wants reviews or opinions on a particular product that will find your insights helpful. The more you practice and keep learning about the product, service or industry you’re involved with, the better you’ll become over time. Don’t be afraid to go back to some of your early articles or blog posts and rewrite them to flow more directly to your readers. They’ll thank you for it.

4. Follow Through with Your Promises

There’s nothing people hate more than a false or wanna-be authority. And people can spot a fake a mile away. No matter how stellar your writing, if you fail to keep your promises and do so consistently, you’ll see your reputation vanish, and that can be difficult, if not impossible to build back up. Keep your promise you stated in your headline and opening paragraph by ending your piece with a call to action such as “Call me now at…” or “Click here to…”.

5. Be Open to Feedback

No one knows everything. Stop struggling with what you don’t know and focus on what you do know. Keep learning and thank people for bringing something new to your attention. You’ll begin to form a network of people you can go to for advice and suggestions to help improve on your existing knowledge and that’s something that no authority writer can be without!

So make a concentrated effort to take your “first steps” in your writing now. Push the uncertainty aside and write with purpose by following these tips. You’ll gain many more readers, buyers and loyal fans as a result.

About the Author: Sherice Jacob is a web designer, copywriter, and author of Get Niche Quick. Don’t forget to follow Sherice on Twitter.

Image by Hugh.