Part of your personal brand is your personality. Let it show, let it shine. When I revisited some of my recent writing drafts, a few seemed rather dry bordering on medium gray number five. It was hard to see the “Alice” in it. I forgot to add living color!
Many of us who have grown-up in corporate or spent time in academia have forgotten to have some fun when we communicate with the written word. At my company, ShoutBrand we believe in "just right" - a balance. In this case, we are looking for writing that is just informal enough.
Here are three tips:
1. Use a conversational style.
If appropriate, write like you were chatting one-on-one with a friend. This technique is often used in sequential email marketing. For example:
If appropriate, write like you were chatting one-on-one with a friend. This technique is often used in sequential email marketing. For example:
“This morning when I was out for my walk, I started to think about how something seemed missing from my most recent writing drafts. They just weren't, well, as fun as they use to be. Then I saw it, a sign that said, "STOP" - yes, a regular old stop sign. That got me thinking about….”
2. Add colorful, unexpected substitution in a cliché.
It hit me like a ton of ice cubes. (Instead of bricks.)
3. List of three, where the third thing is not anticipated
The roles Jaclyn plays best are doctor, lawyer and superhero.
When in doubt, insert a bit of color. A little hot pink magenta or lime green goes a long way in making your text interesting. Show your colorful personal brand, by letting your personality glow.
How do you pump-up the color in your writing?
