How to be Interesting: A Copywriting Gunslinger’s Take
[note]This is the third post and 2nd one-question interview on how to be interesting so that our audience will stick around. Our second guest is James Chartrand from Men with Pens.[/note]
When I decided to send one-question interviews to people I found interesting, I knew there would be one person I’d be interviewing for sure – and hounding them if they refused.
If you want a poster child for a blog/business that engages its readers and customers, provides excellent content, thrives on conversation and has a blog community to die for – then you don’t have to look further than the Men with Pens. James Chartrand is the face of MwP and the guy who heard my half crazed question that I didn’t voice.
Q: What is the one thing we should change about our approach to become more interesting?
James: Being interesting means being real. Gone are the days where companies boast and try to appear more than they are. Today’s consumers want to hear stories from the people behind the company. They want to have an experience, to get to know those they buy from personally.
Share your stories. Talk about your interests. Be genuine and show that you’re human too. Discuss past mistakes and what you learned from them. Mention accomplishments and what you went through to achieve them. Have fun and talk about something from your life that you’re passionate about – a hobby, for example.
You can be real and be approachable easily without losing professionalism. So enjoy what you do, have fun with it, and demonstrate that to your target audience. They’ll learn to love you for not only what you offer, but who you are as well.
And that, my friends, builds trust and loyalty, two huge factors to your success.
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Thank you for the interview James. You guys totally rock!
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About Samar
Samar is a freelance writer, blogger and social media enthusiast.
She's the voice behind this blog, the writer behind each post and the one responsible for all the awesomeness (and goof-ups) around here.
If you want to outsource your blogging, get web copy written or have the social media end of things handled then she's your girl!
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June 24, 2009
at 9:24 pm
Holy mother of all things awesome!
Off late, my posts are all about me, experiences, stories etc etc – and I keep thinking to myself I am being self centred, I need to change this style of writing…. turns out – if I stay within the bounds, I may be heading in the right direction in terms of "marketing my brand"!
SUPER response!
June 24, 2009
at 9:55 pm
Great question and great answer. Very true. I think a lot of writers don't feel all that interesting, given the solitude of the craft. However, as a a writer and a reader, I definitely enjoy reading other people's thoughts and of their experiences.
June 25, 2009
at 12:56 am
Definately. I read a lot of blogs, including Men with Pens of course – they're my favourite! – and I LOVE finding out about the person behind the business. What makes them tick, why they do what they do, how they got started, struggles they've had and overcome. It makes it very real and adds to the persons credibility to realise that they really are human and were't always as successful as they are now.
Thanks James and a great series Samar.
Melinda | WAHM Biz Builder´s last blog ..Your To-Do List, Coffee and Rocks
June 25, 2009
at 11:32 am
@ cookie – Hehe, you're blogging fine. If there's anything to change, it's a little less 'I' and a little more 'You'.
@ Blogger Dad – There's a little technique to turn even the most mundane of happening interesting. As writers, all we have to think is, 'How can I make this interesting for my blog?'.
With that thought we tend to find the humour and lessons in most things.
People will be attracted to a blog If a writer/blogger does that.
@ Mel – Thank you! MwP is my favourite too
Half the time I'm thinking "How do they do it?!"
June 25, 2009
at 2:04 pm
Great tip .. now have to work on adapting it.. Although it is hard to do that for my own writing but much easier to sort out un-interesting blogs of others.
June 27, 2009
at 9:05 am
@ Huriya – Haha! You said it!
June 28, 2009
at 7:51 pm
@samar
Got it! and working on it already!
Pingback: 25 Awesome Lessons you Can Learn From James Chartrand | Blogging Tips From Jade Craven
September 19, 2011
at 6:29 pm
james, thanks for your tips ! yes i agree that sharing a story is important in writing and engaging the audience