Abby Langer is in the house! Tune into this episode to hear how Abby broke into the nutrition blogging industry and successfully curated her famous brand.
Season 2 Episode 16: How To Find Your Nutrition Writing Voice! Ft. Abby Langer, RD
More Information About Abby:
- She started her career as an ICU dietitian
- Her nutrition blog reaches people around the world
- She works around the clock to debunk harmful nutrition trends in the media
- She published her first book “Good Food, Bad Diet”
How Did She Get Into Nutrition Blogging?
Abby worked in patient-centric roles. She was counselling, educating, and helping people. The commute to work felt long and she wanted to be more available to her young kids.
She wanted to start writing because:
- She wanted to use her English degree (she had studied for four years, so why wouldn’t she!)
- She had a lot to say and wanted to get her message out to the world
- She knew her voice would be unique and stand out alone
Approximately five years ago Abby successfully quit her full-time job and is now her own boss. She continues to write, work with brands, and debunk harmful fad diets online.
How Do You Develop Your Writer Voice?
I would argue that most well-written pieces of content have a voice behind them. It’s like reading through five posts and you can tell which piece your favourite author created. I think Abby has that type of voice; it is very distinct and unique to her.
Here are her tips on how you can develop your voice and stand out:
- Practice writing! It sounds obvious but it is the only way to get better and develop your literary voice
- Write in a way that feels comfortable and authentic to your personality, similar to how you express yourself in front of people
- Try not to include words or expressions in your writing you would never say in real life
- It’s ok to be atypical from other RDs, we need more variety online
- Treat your reader as though you were talking to your best friend and you want to give them the most helpful advice
Abby states there are no shortcuts. You need to do hard work at the start to find your voice, but writing gets easier after that.
Can You Include Swear Words In Nutrition Blogs?
Once upon a time Abby used swear words, now she avoids including them as much as possible. She says it can make pieces sound abrasive and turn readers off.
Abby also says that people couldn’t share her posts in work environments because of the swear words, which is a great point. You want as many eyes as possible on your blog post so skipping out on the curse words sounds like a wise move.
Perfectionism And Blog Writing
It’s hard to write, but for some people, it’s harder to finally hit publish. The perfectionist streak can hold RD back. To get past this hump Abby suggests:
- Writing and only writing. Try not to edit as you go
- Recognize you can always go back and change your pieces later if you want to
- Create a detailed outline with bullet points
- Choose a writing time and stick to it, procrastination makes the writing experience longer than it needs to be!
If you want to hear more tips on how to manage perfectionism, tune into this episode with Keith Jim, an amazing RSW who came on the show in Season one.
Tips On How To Monetize Your Blog
Abby first started monetizing her blog by reaching out to different reputable brands. She tries not to overload her content with these types of posts because she says she is worried it will dilute her brand and voice too much.
She has learned how to implement SEO but she states it can be hard to apply. For those who don’t know, SEO (search engine optimization) is important to help your website rank in Google and get organic traffic to your website.
“SEO is a moving target, and I know ads on a website are controversial, but it’s an important part of how I earn my income.”
Want to hear the full episode? Of course, you do! Hit the play button below to hear more about nutrition blogging and how to develop your writer’s voice.
Did you miss an episode? No worries. You can tune into last week’s episode by clicking here: “Freelance Nutrition Writing While Running A Private Practice! Ft. Trista Chan, RD, MHSc”