Female and male having conversation on a bench.
Photo by Alex Holyoake on Unsplash

Stuffy formalities and dense jargon read like code, while conversational content is more like Sunday morning.

The reality is overly formal writing can act as a barrier when you want your content to be a beacon. Your audience clicks your content, not only because they believe it might answer their problem question, but because it reads like breathing.

In other words, your writing is easy to read because it’s natural.

However, keeping your content creative and concise can be more of a chore than you’d expect. But it doesn’t have to be.

I’m going to show you three ways to keep your content real, simple, and human. While of course, still reading like you know what you’re talking about.

1. Stop being extra

Ask yourself what frustrates you most in conversation. You can probably think of several common annoyances.

Is it talking to someone who isn’t easy to talk to or understand? Do they constantly insult your intelligence? Or assume you know something and give little explanation?  Maybe they altogether forget conversations are meant to be an exchange and you can’t get a word in without cutting them off.  

On the other hand, what makes you want to keep talking to someone? Are they interesting? They offer a unique perspective, right? They ask you what you think and offer a space for exchange and growth. You can absolutely be yourself while they are also free to do the same. And it’s easy because it’s authentic and no one’s trying harder than they need to.

This is what I mean by not being extra.

Be yourself and write the way you talk (within reason of course). All in all, basic is better and being you allows a natural flow making writing a blog post like this one a breeze.

Now, stop overthinking and read the next step.

2. Be B A S I C: Bare Agile Straightforward Introspective Candid

Conversational content doesn’t waste space being flowery.

Complicating your topic to impress can take away from the goal of your writing. What makes conversational content easy to write and easy to read is that it’s unassuming.  Your goal is actually about relaying the message and solving the problem, not reading like Old English.

Don’t be afraid to keep your language modest and your sentences short. It does everyone a favor in the end.

I made up an acronym as a reminder to anyone struggling with maintaining a conversational style in their content.

To be basic is to be bare in your writing, less is more.

Be agile, by expressing your ideas in short punchy sentences to make your point quickly.

Keep your writing straightforward, this just means you’re respecting your readers time. While also being introspective and candid or otherwise sharing your experiences as they relate to the topic of your blog. This will keep your writing relatable and honest.

Honesty is what makes point three powerful.

3. Personality is your best punctuation

Your personality isn’t formal right?

Your personality is most free when you can be unbuttoned and open. You’re not being reckless with your speech but your authentic.

So, don’t be afraid to infuse your personality. There’s tons of content across the internet and the content that sticks out is unique because the writer lets their voice come out and play.

Take a chance and be a little informal with your writing. Your personality is the most powerful commodity you don’t have to pay for.

And the bottom line

Finally, don’t be afraid to read your writing aloud or to someone who’ll tell you if your writing sounds natural.

Writing conversationally doesn’t mean value and quality are compromised. But that you’re also writing from an intuitive space, where you know what needs to be said and you say it.

This way, every word is purposed and acts as a magnet for your readers.

You want people to say of your brand, “I read this blog because they get right to the point, scrap the fluff, and explain things so plainly I don’t need to read another blog afterward.”

Because what brings a potential customer relies more on how quickly you bring value than the decorative language used. Too much decor can block the customer’s view of what you can do for them.

And value is often assessed by how effectively you relay information to fix the problem.

But in the case that writing your own brand-centric conversational content is too time-consuming…we’re here ready to converse and convert.

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