In business writing, the more you know, the better your content.
- Right?
- Not necessarily
Too much of a good thing can kill your content.
Here are a few ways familiarity breeds content duds.
#1 – You are a subject matter expert
You have extensive experience writing about your specialty. That’s a good thing.
But, sometimes that experience backfires.
- You lose the passion
- Your writing becomes routine
When I started my business, I left over 30 years of working in the healthcare and employee benefits industry.
- I lost focus
- I lacked energy
- I suffered boredom
I took a break from my specialty and it worked. I remembered what I loved about it. I re-energized.
Step back and rediscover your passion.
#2 – You changed roles
Remember when you were single and you and your best friend rocked the nightlife? Okay, pretend you remember.
- Then your friend got married
- Or worse – had a child
- Life as you knew it was over
Your roles changed. The same happens in business.
- The employer is now the client
- The mentor has been left behind
- The friend is now your boss
Whatever the role change, the old role can creep into your business relationship.
Previous roles can affect your business writing content.
Retaining old roles can put a crimp in your style.
- You accept instead of question
- You recycle the same ideas from your past
- You constantly seek validation
Consciously acknowledge your role has changed and move on.
#3 – You master the old way of doing things
As a seasoned business writer, I would never profess throwing out the old.
After all, you need the old to inspire the new. And sometimes, admit it, the old way is better.
When you are locked in on the old, you can miss the future.
- Always keep learning
- Balance the old with the new
- Celebrate the difference
Convert familiarity into freshness and rock your business writing content.
What ways has familiarity dragged down your content?
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Great article. As a business owner I am always looking for new ways to promote my health and wellness business.
Cathy, I’ve been writing for higher education publishers for over 20 years and I’ve had to be careful to keep it fresh, both for me and for my clients.
I did go through a period where I was a bit burnt out on it, but I refocused on why what I do is important for college students and professors and the country as a whole, and it helped me get my mojo back.
Clever twist in the headline!
I get bored like this all the time. Generally, I find it quite difficult to get re-energized with a client that requires rote writing; eventually, I just accept it, like doing yardwork for the millionth time. The only thing that gets me back in the game is a NEW client that demands using some other part of my brain.
John – that’s great that you can refocus like that and remember the value of your service. It’s a unique niche and an important one. Glad your mojo is alive & well. 🙂
Jake-thank you for the kudos 🙂
Rote writing definitely puts the snooze back into writing. Sometime I’ve tried shaking up that writing to show the client something different and fresh. Sometimes it works – other times, not so much.
That is a tough situation, Jake, when the client is bent on one way, and one way only.
Patricia-thanks for the compliment and for stopping by.
Oh, this is brilliant, Cathy.
This is exactly why I don’t do resume writing every day any longer. I like the occasional resume because I can connect to the person more directly, but working for a resume company client took the personal connection away, and I hated that. The work isn’t easy, and it sucks the life out of you if you’re doing one a day for 22 days a month.
Thank you, Lori. 🙂 I’m with you there. If I did only one kind of business writing day-after-day, I think I’d take a noser on the keyboard.
I worked a lot with climate and I know a thing or two about the subject, but I never write about it on my blog. I think I got tired to the point that it doesn’t look like an attractive subject to me. Maybe I should follow your advice and consider a review.
Hi Gustavo: Sometimes taking a break is all you need to find the passion again for a certain niche. But, sometimes you also find you don’t want to do it anymore. And that’s okay, too. Better to step away and stay away if it doesn’t inspire you.
I wish you success in whatever path you take.
‘Always keep learning’ – that’s great advice, Cathy. Burnout is often around the corner, but you can keep things interesting and your writing fresh by taking on new projects and stretching yourself a little. (And Lori, I know what you mean about the resumes.)