How to write copy that builds brand authority

Running a business means becoming an authority in your niche or industry because that’s how you earn credibility and increase your influence with your audience. This leads to people wanting to invest in you, which leads to business growth, ultimately accelerating your trajectory to living your dream life, right?

But let’s back up a sec. 

WHY DO YOU EVEN WANT TO BUILD BRAND AUTHORITY?

Because your audience wants to invest in somebody who knows what they are doing or, at the very least, can back up their claim, right?  So the more you know (and the more you share about what you know), the more customers you can bring in. And the rest is history.

It’s really as simple as that.

The problem is, every single business owner out there is trying to position themselves as a “brand authority.” And unfortunately, too many of them are trying to build their authority by copying others and replicating the information they’ve collected to put in their own content. 

Whether it’s a blog, a website, or published content in online media publications, many people are contributing to the online white noise –even the ones who aren’t actually “experts” in their fields. 

That’s why building your authority online is so important and should be a priority for most creative online business owners. You just need to make sure you’re going about it the right way.

The key is making sure you have copy that reflects your authority. Just following a few steps can help you stand out from the crowd so your audience knows you’re the real deal and won’t hesitate to invest in you when the time comes. 

Here are 5 tips on how to write copy that builds brand authority and turns readers into clients.  

Write niche-specific content

I’m not gonna lie. A lot of people can talk about copywriting. But not everyone can talk about conversion copywriting, SEO copywriting, direct response copy, or…you get the picture. Niching down what you talk about online (or in-person) basically makes your content more specialized and specific. 

When you dive deep into one idea or concept, you can unveil its layers and talk about specific things within the niche. This is a very straightforward way to brand yourself as the expert. 

For example, if you want to write content about web design, you are literally competing with ALL the other web designers out there who are talking about the same thing. Now, if you write about how online yoga teachers need to approach their web design from a certain angle so they can increase their weekly class sign up or sell more spots in their yoga teacher training course, guess what? You’ll attract A LOT of yoga instructors to your content because you’re speaking directly to them. And you did that by niching down your content.

Avoid Self-Interested Copy

You might be great at what you do, but you aren’t perfect. Nobody is. Instead of writing about how great you are (or how great your offers are) or writing content that has your own self-interest top of mind:

• Write about the raw, honest truth. 

• Tell your audience what they won’t get when they work with you. 

• Avoid always writing content with an agenda because your readers will start to pick up on this and might think your content is only written as a means to an end.

One easy way to avoid this problem –and build your authority simultaneously –is to give high-quality content away without asking for anything in return. 

Blog posts, articles, social media captions, or freebies for your email list are great ways to do this. When you constantly give value for free, you will find yourself with a warm audience when it comes time to promote your offer.

Be Confident & Credible

When you write for your business, you need to be confident and self-assured in your communication. People won’t feel confident giving you their money if they sense insecurities in your words. Write with conviction and confidence in every piece of copy you publish.

One of the best ways to stay confident in your communication is to write about what you know. If you aren’t an expert on the topic, don’t write about it. Writing about things you aren’t an expert in is the easiest and fastest way to lose your credibility. And that leads directly to a lack of confidence.

I’d also refrain from copying or trolling other people’s content, making false promises that you can’t deliver, or promoting products or services that you don’t use or trust. Stay credible and confident by being true to you and your skillset.

Back-Up Your Copy

Hard work pays off in more ways than one. If you want the respect that authority brings, you need to walk the talk. You have to do hard things, whether it’s creating a course, a membership site, a mastermind, or writing a book, do it.

Show your audience that you put in the hard work and achieved the desired outcome –whatever that outcome looks like for you. 

Building authority means putting in the effort and delivering, not just claiming you’re an expert when you’re really not. Start writing about how you accomplished your achievement, so your audience knows it’s possible for them too and that you’re the authority to turn to to help them get there. 

Instead of just “saying” you’re the expert, write a case study about the process of how you got five brand deals in a week. Or write a step-by-step blog post on how to make your living room worthy of a Home & Country cover without spending $10,000.

Publish Your Content When It’s Relevant (& Not After)

Timely content is Queen. No one wants to read about fidget spinners anymore. But when they were all the rage back in 2017, everybody couldn’t get enough of them. If you’re going to be known as an authority figure or expert in your field, you need to be on your game. 

If you want to one-up the competition, write about it before everyone else does. Stay on top of trends, novel ideas, new tools, etc. Show your audience that you pay attention and know what’s going on in your industry. An easy way to do this is to pay attention, read articles in your industry, attend webinars or other industry-specific events, and do your research!

The online space is saturated with messages and information overload. To help your audience make sense of all this content, you need to write copy that builds your brand authority so you can become a credible, stand-out expert in your industry. 

If you have questions about becoming a brand authority in your field, I’d love to chat! Fill out my contact form so we can hop on a call and work out how you can use your copy to show off your expertise.