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Question for article writers: 1st person?

by DavidO
12 replies
I've been article marketing for three years and I've never found an answer to this question: Is first person writing acceptable?

I was always taught (a long time ago!) that first person is unacceptable in the type of articles we write. But I'm often tempted to write from personal experience and I'm sure there's a place for it.

I don't see anything about this in EZA guidelines. What's your opinion on this?
#1st #article #person #question #writers
  • Profile picture of the author mojuu
    I find that in certain niches like dating, health, beauty, family and to some degree internet marketing, articles written in 1st person actually gets more attention.

    I don't have that much experience writing articles, but I base my answer on the response/pick up rate I've seen from article databases and comments on my blogs.
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  • Profile picture of the author mayapearl
    I don't know if it makes a huge difference, I write a lot in the first person, simply because I speak of personal experiences. When I read other blogs I like the personal approach as long as it doesn't get long winded or too self serving.
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  • Profile picture of the author gskesavan
    Write it in first person. I write them in first person most of the times. Believe me, I find it really boring to read an article that is not written in first person.
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  • Profile picture of the author Smokey_Joe
    There can't be an answer to that, it's all about your sense of appropriateness. You need to check it against what you would like to communicate, how you would like to do it and, most importantly, to whom. Pragmatics is a major factor here. In certain cases, first person might be the desirable way to go, but that is mostly theory. You need to evaluate a particular situation and see if it fits - I don't think if would be wise to completely discard any of the approaches.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Taylor
    David,

    If you want your article to come across as personal and engaging, then write in the first person.

    If your article is for a more formal audience, then third person may be better. I get the feeling the stuffy academic types don't like the coziness of "you" and "I" when it comes to reading high brow fare.

    But, if your goal is to persuade, to inspire, to connect, or to draw the reader into your thoughts, go with first and second person. I, we, you, us...we're all friends here, right? So weave your writing into something that feels like a conversation...and you just can't do that without referring to yourself or to them in a warm, personal way.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aimee_91
    Im an article writer, and I think that in some circumstances, depending on your subject, it helps to bring the writer down to a personal level to the reader, by relating personal expereinces it adds depth to the story and enlivens it for them making it more exciting to read. Some feel it reads unproffessionaly however in some light hearted subjects and most other subjects I think it is needed to make a successful article!
    Mel
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  • Profile picture of the author rlrlphs
    If you like to submit on EZA it should be related on IM.
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    • Profile picture of the author MatthewBass
      Unless your writing scientific or medical journals then first person should be how you write.
      I assume that your goal is to ultimately make sales since you posted the question here in the WF. If that's the case then write in first person and start to form that personal relationship with your reader. They are much easier to persuade if they are comfortable with you (i.e. your content).
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    • Profile picture of the author liza31n
      It can be depending on how you deliver the sentences to make it an attractive article.For a catchy and acceptable article,make sure it is rich in content from the opinion up to the facts it need.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kris Turner
    First person writing is almost always best in the kinds of articles we'll be writing to get traffic.

    If you can quickly develop some rapport with your reader via some informal chat-style writing, they will be much more likely to do what you say at the end when you ask them to click a link or visit a site.

    It's also much easier to write an article in the first person, since it's really just like chatting with a friend.
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  • Profile picture of the author k8spy8
    Certain topics require first person writhing. So you need to consider those topics. Like if you want to write something about your life and which is common to all people than first person is acceptable. But these topics are hard to find.
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    • Profile picture of the author Justin Jordan
      If you're telling a personal story, and trying to get the reader to empathize, first person is the way to go. Otherwise, I find using a second person approach, where you talk about the reader, gets the best results.

      Unless I'm doing a personal type thing, I actually make an effort to never use 'I' and the like in my articles. Not a hard and fast rule, but it does help me keep the focus on the reader.
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