10 Writing Tips to Help You Sound More Human

This post is based on Episode 52 of the ProBlogger podcast.

As a blogger, you will be judged by everything you say. Of course, unless you’ve just started and never received a comment on your blog, you probably already know this.

But did you know that you are also judged by how you say it? Depending on the words you use, you may come across as trustworthy or shady, stiff or relaxed, friendly or unkind, real or fake, robotic or human.

And it’s the last thing I want to tackle today by giving you some writing tips to make you sound more human. As I’ve said many times, one of your goals as a blogger is to build relationships with your readers. But that’s unlikely (at least not quickly) when everything you write makes you sound like a robot.

And it’s not just blog posts that you need to think about. You must also have it in your social media posts, emails, and even in the micro-copy that you write for your website such as: B. Your 404 page, sound human.

Here are ten things you can do to sound less like a robot and more like a human.

1. Use more contractions

When talking to someone face to face, you will likely use lots of contractions – “we are” instead of “we are,” “you will” or “you will” (as I did earlier that phrase) and such continue.

And you should use them in your blog posts too.

Many people think that you need to be more formal when writing. But as J. Michael Straczynski once said: “Good writing […] is nothing more or less than speaking on paper. It’s developing your natural voice. “

This is especially true when you’re writing an apology or delivering bad news. Because in these cases you don’t have to be formal.

You have to be sincere.

2. Use shorter, simpler, and clearer words

Like most bloggers, you probably want to be known as an authority in your niche. And so, you might be tempted to use the fanciest words you can think of to make it sound more … well, authoritative.

And so we choose words and expressions like “use”, “stimulate” and “endeavor” instead of “use”, “motivate” and “connect”.

Unfortunately, it usually has the opposite effect. Thanks to our politicians, we usually associate long words and convoluted language with hiding something. And instead of acting as an authority, you just seem dishonest.

It has also stopped people from reading your content just because you make them work too hard to understand what you are saying. Even if they do are Your words are just too complicated to decipher what you are saying.

Always write in short, simple words that have a clear meaning. Nobody will complain that you made the information too easy to understand.

3. Do not use exclamation marks

Often times, when you’re writing a sales page to sell a product or service on your blog, you want to create a little excitement with your copy. Unfortunately, many people do this by ending their sentences with exclamation marks.

Pinning an exclamation mark doesn’t sound exciting, however. Instead, an attempt is made to overcompensate. (F. Scott Fitzgerald went so far as to say, “An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.”)

So don’t use exclamation marks to create a false sense of excitement. Use these short, simple, and clear words to create real Excitement.

4. Avoid using jargon

Another trap bloggers fall into when trying to sound authoritative is the use of jargon and acronyms in their posts. Yes, it can help you get your message across faster. But it can also alienate potential readers who have no idea what they mean. You will quickly decide that you are not writing for her (or you are purposely excluding her) and move on.

And that’s the last thing to happen.

If you really want to use a specific acronym or industry term, explain what it means the first time you use it (e.g., “Make sure you have a clear call to action (CTA ) to have”). After that, you can use the acronym as the reader will know what it stands for.

The same goes for any jargon you use. When you talk TachycardiaThen you should explain that this means a fast heart rate.

And don’t assume that your readers know what a term means because you explained it in your previous post. You may not even have seen it.

5. Proofreading before you publish

As I said earlier, people will judge you by the words you use. This is especially true if your post is full of spelling mistakes.

The internet is awash with examples of misspelled or misused words that turn an important statement into a joke:

• “Please pay your parking fee before you exist.”
• “Don’t smoke loudly.”
• “Violators will be towed away and found $ 50.”

If a word is misspelled, you might get a warning depending on the software you’re using to write your post. However, if you used the wrong word (as in these examples) it may not indicate that there is a problem.

And if you find out there is A problem that is damaging to your reputation, and possibly your brand, may already have been done.

So make sure you proofread your posts before posting them. Ideally, do this a day or two after you write so that you are unfamiliar with the words. But if you don’t have the time, you can try reading it out loud, or even ask a friend or blogger to proofread it for you.

(Reading your post aloud will also help you tell if you used complicated words or languages.)

6. Create a style guide

A related problem is the spelling of words in the same post. You can talk about “email” in one paragraph, but you can talk about “email” in another paragraph. You need to be consistent not only to look professional but also to avoid confusing the reader.

And this is where a style guide comes into play.

You can start by choosing a specific dictionary as the “source of truth” to spell and split certain words and phrases. But a style guide goes further and formulates (pardon the pun) things like:

• Inflection
• how to capitalize headlines (title, sentence, etc.)
• when to spell numbers and when not to
• when Not Use abbreviations
• how to format times and dates.

Some companies and government agencies make their style guides freely available. You can either adopt one of these or use it as a starting point to create your own. And then you can add to it over time.

7. Hire an editor

A style guide is one thing. Getting it through is another matter.

Writing your own content is a great way to double-check things to make sure everything is consistent. But when other people write content for you, it’s not that easy. Even if you give everyone a copy of your style guide, how can you be sure they will follow it?

This is where hiring an editor can be such a help. They will go through all of the content (including yours) to make sure it matches what is in the style guide. And if not, they will either fix it or ask the author to do it.

You can also review your content to make sure you didn’t make any embarrassing typos and even suggest changes to improve your copy.

Yes, you may have to pay someone to do it. However, with an editor, you have more time to write content.

What would you rather do?

8. Do everything about your reader

Have you ever been excited about an email or website that says, “We’re so excited to announce this new feature” or “Can’t wait to bring you the good news”?

I suspect your answer is “no”. For sure, you are excited. But you are not

And why is that Because they can do it with words like “we” and “me”.

So if you’re trying to make someone excited about something, use words like “you” and “you”:

• “With this new function, you will end work early.”
• “Finally! Here is some good news for you.”

Switching from “I” and “we” to “you” and “you” often means rewriting the entire sentence. But if you do everything about your reader instead of you, you have a much better chance of making them feel excited.

9. Put yourself in the shoes of your readers

In the meantime you are probably campaigning for his “Publish”. However, imagine that someone else is reading your post.

Not just anyone. A specific person.

It could be someone you know or a well-crafted person you created. It just has to be someone in particular.

Now imagine how they will read your post after they have had a really tough day. They had to work late and were chewed by the boss. They spilled coffee on her shirt while having morning tea. You have been dealing with stupid emails all day. Now sit down and read your post.

How do you think you will react to this play on words in the headline? Will they start poking holes in your reasoning? Will they bother reading this long paragraph or will they just skip it?

And how will they feel comfortable when they’re finished? Will they feel like you want to feel them?

Now think about what you could change to get rid of these problems and make them feel the way you want them to.

And then start editing.

People often tell me, “I feel like you’re texting me,” and I think it was because I was writing to a specific person. I think it helps you to write in a different tone when you are introducing someone or having a bad day. You will write more patiently and caringly.

10. Don’t be snarky

Humor can be a great way to build a relationship with your readers. People like to laugh and have fun. But there is a difference between funny and snarky.

Humor should be light-hearted, and ideally, if there is to be a “victim,” it should be you. But humor is often aimed at other people, and instead of being funny, it comes across as mean and snappy.

And the last thing you need is your readers who think you are a tyrant.

So be very careful when trying to be funny. And if there is a chance it could be misunderstood, you’d better leave it out.

In other words, be kind.

Hope these tips have given you some ideas on how to sound more human in your blog posts, emails, and social media updates.

Now, take a look at some of the posts that you recently wrote. Can you see where you can make changes to sound more human? Which tips do you think will have the most impact? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by Syed Ahmad on Unsplash