What makes thought leadership sound like our experts?

An expert's recognisable voice depends on word choice, sentence rhythm and word order, not just the subject they know. In 'How a Coffee Chain Helped Me Make Peace with AI', the author describes asking ChatGPT to rewrite the article. The result used words and turns of phrase that did not feel like the author's own, losing the voice in the process.

The article argues that strong writing, including B2B writing, captures an author's character through language, rhythm and tone. When editing expert thought leadership, consider whether the phrasing sounds like the person whose thinking it represents. Replacing individual expressions with more standard wording can erase what makes a contribution recognisable. Preserving voice means paying attention to how an expert expresses an idea, alongside the idea itself.

A shared brand can give expert authors a consistent purpose without requiring identical voices. 'Copywriting and brand voice' describes language that makes complex subjects clear, credible and recognisably on-brand, while communicating a business's purpose flexibly over time. Consistency belongs in the underlying message and credibility of the writing, rather than in making every contribution sound the same.

'Cut the jargon: The best B2B writing is plain and simple' makes a complementary point: experts are human, and addressing a knowledgeable audience does not require putting on an 'expert' voice. Its advice is to be honest, stay true to the message and avoid overdoing the language. Give authors that shared foundation while allowing their individual tone to remain recognisable.