Be Honest
When you write professional content, you share your ideas and, in many cases, develop your brand. Your content becomes your public identity — it represents you. If you wish it to represent you well, you should be honest.
Don’t write what you think people expect to hear. Don’t write “all the right things.” Be true to yourself. Write about the things you care about. Share the insights you believe will have value for your audience. They might not be popular. They might not become viral. But they will represent you. And you are your best asset.
Be Real
Allow yourself to be yourself. You don’t have to share a personal story or tell your audience about your childhood. Being yourself means letting your true self be heard.
Use your own voice. Learn from others, but don’t try to imitate others. Don’t be different just for the sake of it, but don’t be afraid to be different either. If anything, this is what will make you memorable.
Make sure your persona as reflected in your content is authentic. Imagine your content as part of a conversation with your audience — a conversation that will continue later in person. You don’t want to change your tone, delivery, and the essence of what you say just like that in the middle of a dialogue, so your best bet is to be real from the first sentence.
Be There for Others
Your content should not be about you. It should be about your audience.
Nobody cares about the coffee meeting you had this morning, the workshop you gave, or the call you had with a happy client. Not unless there’s something meaningful in it for them. Content is effective when it is effective for your audience.
People will read your content if it addresses their needs. When it is all about you, there is nothing in it for your audience. But when you give your audience something to address a challenge they face or unveil a new opportunity, they will return for more.
