Finding Your Blog Voice with Multiple Writers

Sometimes companies assign more than one writer to the blog.  Sometimes this is because the company is large enough to have multiple writers on staff.  Sometimes it is because they use an agency that has multiple writers assigned to the account.  And sometimes it is because there are many stakeholders and people that want their voice to be heard on the company blog.  But the writer’s voice is not always the same as the blog’s voice. And with multiple writers, it can be even more difficult to reconcile the two.

The challenge, of course, is that each person has their own unique writing style and personal voice. In the context of a larger company, this can be a good thing! Different writers with different points of view give readers a wide-ranging lens on the subjects that matter most to them.

However, things are rarely that simple. A number of problems can creep up if different writers are regularly contributing to the company blog.

The Challenge of Multiple Writers for One Blog

If you are utilizing multiple writers in your own company, their opinions, and points of view will be in conflict.  Your content staff or content manager is also likely to waste countless hours bringing big picture themes and ideas into a coherent point of view. Finally, the tone of different writers will be different. Different ways to describe things, different choices of tense and verbs.  The writing itself will be incongruous.

If you are using an outside agency to lend a hand, their writers will suffer the same problems.  The most likely way they will solve this problem is by making posts and content as vanilla as possible. That doesn’t mean it will be bad, per se, but rather that some of edges will be dulled on purpose.

It is indeed challenging to have multiple writers contribute to the blog without creating as many problems as you think you are solving.

Solving for “Too Many Cooks” in Your Blog’s Voice

So what is the solution to finding your blog’s voice when multiple writers are pitching in?

First, it is important to remember that the blog’s purpose is to share interesting information with the reader.  It does not exist to scratch your own itch or the itch of your employees. It is about the reader and how to best engage them.  Subscribing to that point of view, and demanding it of all contributing authors, is a good start to making sure the content is pointing in the same direction.

Next, whether you are using an agency or employees to write to the blog, prepare each party with a style guide.  No need to get too crazy with your style guide.  Simply inform the writer of the tone and tenor you expect from the writing.  Tone, for example, can often be boiled down to playful or stern, formal or casual, humorous or straightforward. The tenor often comes down to how deep and detailed you want the post compared to simply providing well-supported broader themes and ideas. Consistency in these things will also keep every writer penning in the same direction.

Finally, a great way to minimize content edits and keep writers on the same page is to require an outline.  An approved outline before writing begins ensures that the structure and format of the post are consistent between writers. An outline gives some guardrails to the piece so that editing and posting will be simpler.

Bringing Multiple Writers Onto Your Blog

Whether using an agency or coworkers to write for your blog, it is important to remember that each contributor wants to do a good job.  They want the post to be a good reflection on them and their work. They do not want to have to revise and edit their work any more than you want to edit the piece once it has been submitted. By providing some guidelines and guardrails, you can find some consistency and quality in your collaborative posting efforts. 

If you are challenged in getting multiple writers on the same page, we would be happy to walk you through some solutions. Our team has extensive experience with multiple writers all posting to the same blog. Finding a blog voice that works well for everyone is not simple, but it can be easy. Feel free to get in touch on our contact page if you would like to talk about your blog’s voice.