Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: Article Marketing

How to Write With Your Own Voice

One of the interesting points in article marketing is the notion that writing can instill fear and trepidation for many affiliate marketers. Some of it may have to do with the grammar and the mechanics of writing; "what is correct and acceptable" to put in the words of William Strunk, a professor at Cornell who taught E.B. White, the noted author, who revised his professors original work to create The Elements of Style, a classic . But those barriers can be overcome with some education and practice. It is comparable to the sport analogy of learning the technique of the sport and then going out and practicing until you get it right. Those with the will and determination, not necessarily with the natural talent, will get to play because they can deliver on the field.

In much the same way, writing gets easier once the basics of grammar and syntax are learned and practiced. Then comes the hard part; learning to write in your own voice. It is hard because this is unchartered territory. How do you find your own writing style?

Write Naturally

You have your own way of communicating with friends and relatives. They recognize you for the personality they have come to know and that pretty much defines you as a person. So when it comes to writing, write the way you communicate with personality and your own style.

That said, keep in mind that you will want to tailor your style to your audience. You will say things in the locker room that you may not say to your mother. But regardless of location there will be a certain tone and style that is yours and that is what you will tap when you write.

Stay Out of Your Own Way

Mr. Strunk and Mr. White put it this way. "Place yourself in the background". Here you have to have given careful thought to your reader. That person is your customer and he or she is looking to get something out of your words. They are the primary consumer of your copy, and if you have done your writing properly, they should not notice you are there. The only focus for them is to get the information and solution and move on (maybe to join your tribe). It does not mean that they have not noticed your voice and delivery. On the contrary, it means they have, they like it, and it does not get in their way. As easy as this sounds, it is not easy to achieve. But it does bear on why certain writers build a following while others never quite make it.

Write Simply

This is by far one of the most demanding points of writing. It takes time and lots of editing to work to achieve this level of execution. A visual rendition of this is Pablo Picasso’s rendition of a bull. In his early work he starts with a full representational depiction of a bull. By the end of his life he had reduced it to three lines. Those three lines were as evocative as the full representation with which he had started. The point is he never stopped working on simplifying it.

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