Getting the right voice is not just a matter of style
As we’ve discussed before, being a communications pro means being your client’s external representative. To any reporter, customer or potential lead you interact with, you are inseparable from the client. This means knowing the message and being an expert on the field. That’s the substance. It also means delivering that message with the right style. Particularly when writing for your client, you must be able to convey your client’s unique voice, because that is what grants authenticity to your efforts.
An editor at a newspaper or magazine doesn’t write the pieces that appear in their publication, but they use their expertise to help shape their writer’s ideas and content to their greatest effect. That is, in effect, what you do as a strategic communications pro. Your client provides the raw material that you help present in its most digestible form. But, as with a skilled editor, you must strive to maintain the integrity of the original’s voice and intent. That means pulling out and finessing the strongest points and discarding the weakest.
Often, however, as a communications pro you’ll be tasked with creating content for your client’s approval. Effectively, you’re ghostwriting. This compounds the difficulty of getting the voice right, as you must channel your client’s personality to write creatively while applying what you know about effectively communicating ideas. Your end product must read as though your client wrote it themselves, and then gave it to you for a close editing. This can be a tough circle to square!
When you’re just starting with a new client there will be an unavoidable period of trial and error, as you calibrate your writing to find that sweet spot that is acceptable to both sides. Expect several drafts of your first press releases, media advisories, bylines or blog posts before this happens. Over time the process of writing for your client will get easier as you become more familiar with the client’s style and substance.
In the beginning you should be reading as much of your client’s own writing and publications as possible, as this will give you an excellent guide to their style, and a sense of how their message and style can be strengthened. But before you begin trying to craft any content that requires an in-depth and nuanced understanding of a subject, interview your client to get their thoughts first and identify any questions you may have. This will speed up the process considerably, as it is never good to be taking shots in the dark.
Be prepared for a back and forth, and make sure to keep your ego in check. There will be moments when your client won’t accept pieces that you really love. Make strategic choices. When you read your pitches, blogs and other written materials, you shouldn’t recognize your own voice as the loudest in the mix. You should hear your client’s voice, with just the flattering hand of a sharp-eyed editor making sure the most important points are getting pride of place. Writing for your client means writing as if you are the client.
