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Hey Reader,

I wrote a LinkedIn post yesterday, and the comments surprised me.

The post was about how I ignored "guru" advice for how to grow on social and did it my way.

The comments about that didn't surprise me at all. People were happy to see there's a non-generic way to grow on social, as I figured they would be. (That's why I wrote the post, after all, to show common advice ≠ must follow advice.)

What did surprise me were the unexpected comments about my writing style.

People seemed to resonate with it on a deep level. I don't normally get this many comments about my writing.

This gave me pause.

Normally, I'd smile awkwardly, say thanks, and move on.

But in my welcome email for this newsletter, I ask people (you!) what their biggest struggle with editing is, and an overwhelming theme revolves around writing with personality.

Case in point, this response I got 5 days ago:

"My biggest challenge with self-editing is trying to make my copy sound more like me and my personality without being so formal."

I've written about writing with style before. If you haven't read that, go read it, then come back here because I want to expand on it today.

There's something in the AI air

AI has taken the whole "people buy from people" mantra to a new level.

Now, people don't just want to buy from people — they want to buy from people who sound like actual f*cking people.

(Please quote me on that.)

It's not AI's fault, to be fair.

AI learned from people, and people have been writing like formal zombies since high school English class taught us the 5-paragraph essay.

Regardless, the proliferation of AI has given rise to formal, cliché, soulless writing at just the wrong time.

People were already at the end of their formality rope.

• Copycat SEO keyword stuffed "What is X" content? Over it.
• Threadboi "How to beat 99% of people at the game of life" sermons? Over it.
• B2B newsletters that summarize an article and then make you click it to learn, well, anything? Over it.

AI made it 100000x easier to produce and distribute the things we were already over.

This is why anyone who taps into their humanness in their writing doesn't just stand out right now, they shine like a lighthouse.

How to sound like a freaking human

I've been thinking a lot about how and why I wrote my post yesterday.

Because I think things like purpose and mood affect writing style more than we realize.

It's hard to explain, but when you're feeling something, your audience tends to feel it, too.

The how

I wrote the post on my phone while sitting on the floor.

I truly wish I had a statistic on how many posts I've written on my phone vs. my computer. Or, sitting in a chair vs. sitting on the floor. I don't, but anecdotally, I feel like my best posts are always written on my phone while I'm either on the floor or in a parking lot in my car. Basically, any "nonwork" setting.

There's something about the informalness of a phone that brings me closer to my personality, which is weird to say as I write this on my computer, but hey, life has nuance.

"But Erica, does this mean I should stop writing on my computer?!"

No. I literally just told you I'm writing on my computer right now.

But I am sitting on the couch, not in my office.

I hypothesize that setting influences language.

If you're struggling to sound more like yourself, I encourage you to switch up your setting.

It could be:

• A change in lighting
• Dictating while on a walk
• Writing with a glass of wine
• Writing on a computer in a coffee shop
• Writing literally anywhere that's different from where you do client work

Force yourself into a new zone and see what happens.

The why

I wrote this post because growing a personal brand is a big deal right now.

It's trendy for good reason:

• People want to buy from people, not brands
• The creator economy is booming, and people want a slice of the pie
• It's a fantastic way to grow a high-value network and generate inbound
• B2B brands are finally catching onto how effective influencer partnerships can be
• Because of the immediate feedback loop, social is one of the best places to test and validate topics & ideas

Recently, I've noticed a new wave of LinkedInfluencers and gurus popping up, which is to be expected. But I haven't said anything about it in months.

So, this post has been bubbling in my subconscious and was ready to pop.

I was in the mood to talk about it. I feel passionate and energized, and that comes through.

I hypothesize that if you're energized about a topic, the "real you" will bubble to the surface.

It's just like when you're telling a story or giving advice to a friend. The more connected you feel to what you're saying, the more powerful it will feel for the storytelling and the listener.

I don't know about you, but if I'm trying to learn something, I'll choose the interesting, passionate, charismatic (yet humble) person over the boring, I'd rather be anywhere else, I'm-only-teaching-this-because-I-have-to person any day.

Think about which one you're feeling when you write. If you're bored, your audience likely will be, too.

The tactics that matter

Sitting on the floor while writing on your phone about something you're passionate about isn't going to magic "style."

I wish it was that easy.

How you present that information still matters — a lot.

So, I want to point out a few things I did in my post that were tactically intentional.

1. I started with a strong hook

I wish people could simply "get" that they should invest their time reading your social post, or newsletter, or blog.

But if you don't hook them from the beginning, they're gone.

On social, this is the first sentence of your post. In a newsletter or blog, it's your title/subject line and then your opener.

If you scroll back up, you'll notice I started this email with an open loop hook: "I wrote a LinkedIn post yesterday, and the comments surprised me."

It's designed to get you to keep reading. And if you still are, it worked :)

People think hooks = clickbait because gurus have popularized shitty hooks. That's unfortunate because good hooks are by far the most important investment you can make in your writing.

​If people aren't intrigued by your first line, they won't make it to your last.​

I made my hooks course for people like you who want to capture attention without sounding like an asshole. Go check it out if you haven't yet.

2. I wrote as if I was having a conversation with the reader

I do things like this quite often:

Notice the word "actually" in the second highlighted line.

That word feels like an aside, and its placement is extremely intentional.

I want the reader to feel like I'm in a 1:1 conversation with them. You can imagine me talking this out, pausing, and going, "Actually, come to think of it, I rarely do that at all."

That's the vibe I'm going for when I make choices like this with my writing.

It keeps the reader hooked because they feel like I'm speaking to them, for them, and with them.

3. I use parentheticals to break the 4th wall

You know how in Parks and Rec they look at the camera all the time in a "wink and nod" to the audience?

(If you haven't watched Parks and Rec, who are you, what are you doing with your life, and why.)

Well, the way I do this in my writing is with parentheticals, like so:

I'm intentionally breaking from my "lecture" so to speak, and having a laugh with my reader. It's like when a comedian tells a joke and then breaks out into laughter themselves. That moment where they break from character, so to speak, is infectious. It makes you feel closer to them.

The more you can do this in your writing, the closer people will feel to you and, in turn, your message.

4. I never make the reader come up with their own takeaway

The best writing is frictionless writing.

That goes beyond simply cutting redundancy or removing unnecessary adverbs.

There is no better feeling than reading something and feeling like you completely get it. You get what the author means and have no follow-up questions.

The best way to do this is to tie your point in a bow with a strong takeaway.

My post was two long bulleted lists. I could've ended it without a "summary," but I knew that would be cognitively overwhelming.

So, I made it easy for the reader to walk away with one sentence top of mind:

That's the sentence people repeated back to me the most in the comments.

It's intentionally memorable. It makes it extremely easy for the reader to talk about the post with me and with others. It increases its shareability.

I hope this all helps!

Before I go, I wanted to chat with you about a new offer I've been cooking up.

​I first wrote about it publicly last week.​

It's called Content Sparring, and the idea is simple:

Experienced writers don't have many resources to make sure they're staying at the top of their game.

Most resources are aimed at beginners. The better you get, the harder it is to get your work edited by others, find someone to brainstorm ideas with and avoid bad habits from creeping in.

Said another way, once you're "good" it's easy to feel stale, bored, lonely, and creatively bleh.

So when someone hired me to "spar" with them a few weeks ago, I was floored at how much fun we both had.

Which made a lightbulb in my brain go off:

If this person who has 30k+ followers and knows what he's doing felt lit up after spending an hour with another experienced writer, I bet other people will feel the same.

Hell, I felt lit up.

I'm realizing I don't just like teaching, I like collaborating. It's why I've collaborated on all of my courses so far. I absolutely love ping-ponging back and forth with someone as good as me when it comes to content. It's the best feeling.

I've got 4 sales calls lined up next week about this offer. I'm looking to work with max ~10 people on this to start.

And then, if all goes well, I may start a community where we can spar together in a group setting.

I think the hardest part of communities is when there's a blend of experience, so the more "expert" people end up supporting the beginners but don't necessarily get the value back (unless they pay a premium to access the community leader).

I don't want to create a space like that.

Honestly, I'm thinking out loud here, so if this is resonating with you and you're into the idea, let me know what you'd want to be a part of. I'm very keen to hear your thoughts.

Meantime, if you want to spar with me 1:1 as I test this out, reply here and let me know! We can set up a call to chat next week.

Cheers,

Erica

Check out my 3 courses that 1500+ people have taken, loved, and gotten meaningful results from:

1. Long to Short: Turn one long-form piece into a month's worth of posts. A step-by-step system to repurpose, remix, and remaster your best ideas.

2. Hooked on Writing Hooks: Turn your ideas into content that actually gets consumed. Learn to write scroll-stopping hooks on social without resorting to clickbait nonsense that feels inauthentic.

3. Content Editing 101. Kill decision fatigue and build confidence as a writer and editor. A look inside a professional editor's workflow & best practices. Packed with lessons, examples, and a roadmap so you can stop second-guessing your writing & editing decisions.

Each course is AI-powered 🪄

You can go through them manually or use AI to play, get it done faster, and test your new skills in real time. My friend & prompt genius Rob Lennon wrote all the prompts and bots for the courses.

What'd you think of today's email? Reply and let me know.

Erica Schneider

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