How to write in someone else’s voice — Kelford Labs Daily

I have a fairly distinctive writing voice, but one of my favourite things to do is write in someone else’s.

Over the weekend, I spent a few hours helping a friend write some LinkedIn posts to promote his podcast.

That meant, though, that the posts had to be in his voice, not mine.

So if you happen to write content on behalf of someone else, like your CEO or a subject matter expert, I thought you might find a peek into my process helpful.

Here’s what I did to get into his voice:

First, I used transcription software to transcribe the podcast episode to be promoted.

Then, I listened to the episode at 3x speed (yes, that is a little ridiculous, but I’ve gotten used to it) while reading along with the transcript. As I went through it, I highlighted key expressions, themes, or interesting bits of knowledge dropped throughout the episode.

Once I had my highlights, I wrote an outline of the post based on them. What the episode was about, what it was trying to teach, and the value it delivered to the audience.

With the content of the content mapped out, it was time to create the container, the post itself.

So I went through the highlights again and recorded words and phrases that seemed unique to my friend (the ones with the greatest variance from my own vocabulary).

I noted that he often agrees by saying, “I love that.” He uses words like “powerful,” “weave,” “threads,” and “journey.”

Then I started drafting the post, noting opportunities to sprinkle in the types of words he uses, actively forcing myself to avoid my own stock expressions.

As I was working, I had the podcast episode playing in the background, infusing my writing with his sentiments and style.

Then, I read and re-read the post, imagining my friend saying the words out loud. I noted words and sentences that I couldn’t readily imagine him uttering and adjusted them until I could hear it in my own head.

Including listening to the episode, it took about two hours to create two pieces of high-quality content to promote the podcast.

My friend was thrilled with the result, and noted how the style and tone felt right, felt real, and felt natural.

So if you need to write in someone else’s voice, here’s what you do:

• Consciously note the variance between your default style and theirs
• Record expressions, words, or phrases they tend to return to
• Immerse yourself in their voice until you can hear them speak in your own mind
• Sketch out an outline of the content
• Write a first draft while listening to them speak
• Edit it until it reads the way they sound

The first pieces of content will take a bit of time, but as you get more comfortable inhabiting their voice, you’ll get faster (and better).

But it starts by listening, by noting what’s unique about the way they sound, and by editing until you can hear it in their voice, not yours.

Reply to this email to tell me what you think, or ask any questions!

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