Illuminating Voices, Part 2: Analyzing Tara Gentile’s, Alexandra Franzen’s, & Tanya Geisler’s “certain something” — plus 5 more online entrepreneurs.

Photo by anthonystoro courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.

You know those bloggers who just have that certain something. It’s called — voice. Everybody wants one, everybody has one, and it’s exactly what I talk about around here.

This is the sequel to the previous post on what some of the most popular voices in online entrepreneurship really sound like.

It’s also the intro, Part Deux, to  PHRASEOLOGIE LUXE {my new digital copywriting and brand voice development experience for indie online entrepreneurs}. Rather than explain what I do with my clients — I thought I’d show you instead.

In my previous post, I shared my take on what voice really is with respect to writing for an online platform. For the scoop on that, check out that last post. In the next post, I’ll dive deeper into the technical and abstract elements of crafting your own most compelling voice ever.

All of the same disclaimers as in the last post apply: none of these people are or ever have been clients of mine. And there are no affiliate links in this post. These voices are not to be taken as models for ‘how to have a great voice.’ They only speak for themselves. And I’m only playing translator and interpreter for what I’m hearing — using my special 7th sense. ;)

Another cool thing about these voices: they all flagged me down on Twitter after reading the last post and wanted me to “do them!” I dug. And am gratefully accommodating. Read on . . .

Please note that men were not intentionally excluded from this list. I work with guys, too, but none volunteered on Twitter for this post. ;)

Rachel Cole

Out of her peacefully designed site beams a strong, awakened voice, calling women to inhabit more of themselves, their bodies, and the world.

• Substance: Coaching, using the lens of our relationship to food and our bodies as a source of information and introspection about how we approach the rest of life.
• Tone/Relationship to Audience: Coach-Trusted Sister-Compassionate Friend
• Style: Woman-centric. Thoughtful, at times lyrically so. Questioning. Probing. Personal-narrative driven. Repetition of elements in a lulling, meditative way that pulls readers deeper in {to themselves}. {See the paragraph that starts with By taking care of for an example in this post.} Grace and depth offset with a sliver of a ballsy edge.
• You’ll never catch her {in other words, what is ‘off-brand’ for her}: Being brash. Veering off-topic. Fretting.

Alexandra Franzen

She’s a whirling dervish of creative productivity, a patron saint of self-reflexive celebration, and an effortlessly pizzazz-full promotional scribe — hello, peer number one on this list!

• Substance: Idiosyncratic self-promotion, work/life alchemy, freedom, love and sexuality, kitsch.
• Tone/Relationship to Audience: Comrade in bespoke entrepreneurship and life-on-your-own-terms, hardcore wooer, cult of personality frontwoman.
• Style: Playful. Colorful. Iconoclastic. Occasionally ever so slightly esoteric. Off-kilter rhythmical, like a hook in a song in a genre you’ve never heard before, but gets stuck in your head.
• You’ll never catch her {in other words, what is ‘off-brand’ for her}: Falling flat. Doing ‘business as usual.’ Slacking.

Tara Gentile

Her right people marvel over the past few years of her business trajectory — from headmistress of a popular handmade blog to a brief stint as a web designer to her current day body of work around what she calls the You Economy.

• Substance: Artful earning. 21st Century economic philosophy for indie entrepreneurial types. Being human in business while making a profit.
• Tone/Relationship to Audience: Philosopher-Strategist.
• Style: Everywoman-as-Scholar. Brisk. Personable. Reflective. Analytical. Blog posts-as-treatises-you-want-to-read-over-a-slice-of-pie. Obsessively readable — like Cosmo for serious-about-my-business types.
• You’ll never catch her {in other words, what is ‘off-brand’ for her}: Being inconsistent. Ignoring her community. Letting grass grow under her feet. Not thinking.
  

Erin Giles

Possibility coach for creative women who dare to believe there’s something more for themselves than what they’ve got going on right now. With a point of view of — don’t we all want and deserve that?

• Substance: Strategies for a life of integrity and creativity, being a woman, getting started on a business dream.
• Tone/Relationship to Audience: She’s a gentle mash-up of your best true friend, your secret confidante, and your favorite next door neighbor — the one you’re always glad to see coming up your walkway.
• Style: Calming, gracious, compassionate. Politely confessional. Clear language — no tricks.
• You’ll never catch her {in other words, what is ‘off-brand’ for her}: Being brazenly polarizing. Alienating her people. Losing perspective on what really matters.
  

Yvonne Bynoe

Talks to women about soulful affluence, laced through with a strong point of view on brand-building and message-shaping. Savvy to spare.

• Substance: Business, branding, and marketing strategy for entrepreneurial women. Getting real about the bottom line.
• Tone/Relationship to Audience: Seasoned professional counselor who’s a connoisseur of wisdom and All That Is.
• Style: Elegant — and carries a hammer. Pulls no punches. Walks her talk.
• You’ll never catch her {in other words, what is ‘off-brand’ for her}: Being cutesy. Worrying about being popular. Wasting her readers’ time — or her own.

Bridget Pilloud

Intuitive counselor with plenty to say about the nature of business and entrepreneurship. Side dishes: lifestyle focus, the human condition, light comedy.

• Substance: Healing ourselves and our life patterns through awareness and mindfulness, chakra work, lifestyle work, and by relating to what she calls your ‘Inner Me.’ Also, who we are when we show up in our businesses.
• Tone/Relationship to Audience: Counselor-Peer-Advocate-Sounding Board
• Style: Navigates spiritual ideas in a down to earth way. Deeply rooted in story. Multilayered blog posts with dialogue, characters, concrete imagery, and animals. Writes long. Toggles between her inner experience and her readers’ experience.
• You’ll never catch her {in other words, what is ‘off-brand’ for her}: Without an opinion {at least when she’s not officially working}. Without an idea. Unresourceful.

Emma Alvarez Gibson

Brand seer and business copywriting marvel — hello, peer number two on this list! Lit/arts/culture mag founder. Music obsessive. {Note: at the time of publication, Emma’s site was down for beautification. This profile to be updated with links ASAP.}

• Substance: Life, copy, branding, and culture.
• Tone/Relationship to Audience: Smart chick next to you at the bar meets coveted creative team member. Possibly cooler than you, but she won’t make you feel self-conscious about it.
• Style: Off-the-cuff. Not so serious. Contemporary, indie, intellectually piquant. Highly conversational. Editorial.
• You’ll never catch her {in other words, what is ‘off-brand’ for her}: Pretending or being pretentious. Blustering. Being obnoxiously self-promotional.

Tanya Geisler

Coach and clarity-inviter. Lover of people. Extroverted warmth machine. Prolific communicator.

• Substance: Life, change, clarity, love.
• Tone/Relationship to Audience: Mama love energy meets the brilliant, playful, hilarious sister-in-law you lucked into. She makes you feel like family.
• Style: Warm. Glow-y. Gooey {in a good way — not treacle-y} and grounded for growth at the same time. Sprawling, indulgent prose that invites you closer with the crook of a finger — then hands you a map to discover your own best stuff. No bullshit. Blog posts are lyrical, easily digestible, actionable, and personal narrative-driven — hard to pull off, unless when it comes naturally, like here.
• You’ll never catch her {in other words, what is ‘off-brand’ for her}: Bitching in public. Being anything less than gracious. Faking it.

In the comments, can we talk about . . .

What in particular landed with you about the voice profiles in this post? And if anything I highlighted didn’t feel spot-on to you, in terms of how you experience them, I’d love to know what and why. See you below!