Summary

Ellie Kingswell offers a free framework for writers to develop their personal brand and tone of voice, emphasizing authenticity and conversational writing.

Abstract

Ellie Kingswell, in the second chapter of her book "Think like a copywriter," provides a comprehensive guide to help writers infuse their personality into their writing. She introduces the concept of the "friend filter" to make copy sound more genuine and conversational. Kingswell encourages writers to read their work aloud to refine their tone and stresses that every individual can create a unique brand, regardless of follower count or commercial intent. Her framework includes defining one's mission, brand personality, core values, quality standards, and common themes. Kingswell's approach is designed to help writers attract and engage their ideal readers on platforms like Medium.

Opinions

Writing authentically and conversationally is crucial for connecting with readers.
The "friend filter" technique helps in achieving a natural and engaging writing style.
Personal branding is important, even for those not selling a product or with a large following.
Reading copy out loud is a valuable method for fine-tuning one's writing voice.
A writer's unique gifts and the emotional impact they have on their audience are key selling points.
Kingswell values meticulous research, descriptive narrative, and a tailored approach to writing over generic content creation.
She emphasizes the importance of relatability, authenticity, and a down-to-earth approach in her work.
Kingswell's style guide includes a preference for parentheses, semi-colons, and Oxford commas, while avoiding filler words.
Recurring themes in her writing, such as Yorkshire expressions and personal anecdotes, contribute to a consistent and engaging personal brand.

Bring your personality and tone of voice to life with my free framework.

Create a personal brand and write like you talk (Think like a copywriter by Ellie Kingswell — Chapter #2).

How to bring your personality and tone of voice to life (Free image on Canva: RVB on Getty Images)

Want to create a more conversational tone in your writing?

Struggling to find the words or the correct tone for your stories?

You’re not alone! It’s daunting. Especially when you keep reading “be authentic” and “write like you tawk,” all over the internet…

… and you’ve no clue what all the so-called gurus are waffling on about.

You’re about to learn how to bring your copy alive with some much-needed CPR (Marie Forleo calls this Clarity, Personality and Resonance).

Get ready to hang out with the friend filter

Let’s talk about the friend filter to ensure your copy sounds like you.

Start your first draft like you’re writing a letter to a good friend (you can even start with “Dearest Alex” or “Ey up, mate!”).

Your voice becomes less formal and conversational when you start writing like you’re speaking to a friend (even if you’re an introvert like me).

Wanna learn summat new? “Ey up, mate!” is Yorkie for “Hello, how are you, my friend?” and “summat” means “something.”

Want to elevate your conversational voice even more?

It’s soooo simple! Close the doors if you’re feeling self-conscious, and read your copy out loud.

Listen to how your words sound; if they sound like you’ve been taken hostage or like you’re having afternoon tea with the late Queen, rework your copy and try again.

You are the brand (or niche)

You don’t need a thousand followers or a product to sell to be a brand.

Don’t roll your eyes! I’m just an ordinary nobody at this stage of my content creation season, but I understand the importance of embracing the idea…

…You are the niche (your unique and extraordinary gifts are the selling point… even if you’re writing about snails).

Raving fans and loyal followers are made by how you make them feel or the value you offer to their lives (your topics of interest are secondary).

Hear the sweet sound of your readers clapping by cultivating your own brand voice (even if you have no clue how to create a brand).

You don’t need to spend hours on YouTube or spend thousands on (boring) courses; you can steal my framework below (no charge!).

Shout out to the amazing Anthony English and his brilliant storytelling skills: https://readmedium.com/14-004-reasons-you-should-be-grateful-snails-arent-allowed-on-medium-bf7adfce35f6

Welcome to Yorkshire! (Photo by Michael Cummins on Unsplash)

Brand vision

Sprinkled with Ellie Kingswell’s brand personality.

Mission on Medium: Ellie’s mission is to inspire and empower like-hearted writers and content creators one word at a time.

Brand personality: Straight-talking, warm, and a little sassy. She empowers the audience with meticulous research and crafting a descriptive narrative.

Core values: Part of Ellie’s charm (except her British accent) is that she’s relatable, authentic, and down-to-earth.

Quality: Ellie sticks two fingers up at ChatGTP (sorry, robots). She personalises and tailor-makes everything, from strategy to copy (she suffers from squirrel syndrome when a flight of fancy strikes).

Style guide: She’s still working on her thumbnails (she’s not a fan of Upslash as she loves to dabble in design), but she’s eager to eliminate as many filler words, adjectives and adverbs as possible. She loves a good parenthesis, semi-colon, and Oxford comma.

Common themes: Yorkshire Tea, Yorkie expressions, Taylor Swift, the late Queen, life as an introvert, music and movies from my childhood, spirituality, self-deprecating humour, family memories, the Culture Club, my writing and mindset mentors, and more to follow.

Grab a pen and notebook to create your own personal brand

Take your time with this exercise. Like the seasons, growth is inevitable. Update your personal brand as often as you like.

Mission on medium: Your short bio or about page.
Brand personality: Your style and purpose (are you hoping to inspire, educate, motivate, transform, or entertain your readers?).
Core values: What are your personal values? Pick the ones that resonate the most and that you’re willing to share with the world (you don’t necessarily have to share them, but your values will shine through in your writing).
Quality: There’s no right or wrong answer here. You might be a perfectionist or someone happy to bang out a post in one hour (respect!).
Common themes: What common themes surface in your writing, or what would you like to be a recurring thread that binds your unrelated posts together? Don’t overthink it, but be deliberate (it’s what your readers will come to love about you).

This list is just a guideline and is not exhaustive (add your own flavour and quirks).

Create a personal brand with Ellie Kingswell’s framework (Made in Canva with free elements)

Final thoughts

(Copy) writing is a nuanced blend of art, science, and persuasion.

And I strongly believe that understanding how to attract your ideal reader’s attention is the key to your longevity on Medium’s ecosystem.

Shine your authentic light to inspire, delight and educate readers into “getting” why they should follow you and believe in their own goals and dreams.

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Ellie Kingswell’s copywriting banner (author’s image + elements made in Midjourney)