How Formal or Casual Should My Blog Be?

When business owners try to commit to writing regular blog posts, they are sometimes delayed before they ever begin because they’re worried whether it their writing style will make the blog sound off-putting. A common question I receive is, “how formal or casual should my blog be?” It’s a great question, because it does affect your readership and following. It is worthwhile to consider your approach in advance.

First, you’ll want to define the level of formality of your topic. Will you be addressing the psychological effects of different methods of child-rearing, or what paint color looks nice in your kitchen? This is an obvious example, but the point holds true – a serious subject should be addressed and written with the respect it deserves; while a fun topic should not be written as if it were a dissertation. This is just the first level to determine the tone of voice of your blog.

Will your blog be read by revered professionals in the science community? Are you targeting college kids? Is it for executives or retired hobby lovers? Match your tone of voice to the blog audience, with the goal of making them comfortable reading the material. In fact, the goal is to write as if you’re speaking directly to each person. So whether it’s formal or casual, don’t write a speech – while the hope is that many people will read your blog, the style that works is more personal and conversive.

If your company is a business addressing other businesses, you can feel free to use acronyms and terminology that business professionals expect to hear and easily understand. Don’t “talk down” to your audience if they are your equals in this topic.

Your goal is not to impress but to inform. If you were standing toe to toe with a single business professional, how would you speak to that person? That’s how you write.

Let’s take the topic of paint color. If your target audience includes house-buyers, families and house painters, they will likely want information that they can use right away to run to the paint store and choose the right type and color for their project. The blog would focus on what color is on trend, what colors work well in different types of rooms or what colors attract potential home buyers.

If, however, your audience is primarily professional interior designers, and especially those who are designing large commercial spaces, then you’ll want to uplevel your language, include industry-speak, and give them the level of detail they’ll need for their specialized project. Painting a small kitchen is different than selecting paint for a museum.

You don’t want to come off as minimizing the importance of the subject matter or to appear that you don’t care as much. You want your audience to not only read, but to use your material appropriately. If they are expecting professional advice and your blog is too light in tone and in the level of information you’re offering, it’s a disconnect that will only result in your losing your audience.

To add another layer to the issue, realize that it’s ok to be formal and friendly. You want to sound like an expert but one who is approachable. After all, you want them to come back for your future posts so they can learn more and decide to work with you.

If you’re at all worried about tone of voice, run it past a few associates and get their feedback. Or you can choose to schedule a strategy session with me and we’ll work on that together.