A Beginner’s Guide to Matching Someone Else’s Writing Voice

By Sean Brenner

Professionals can make a living through many different kinds of writing, and one niche that’s grown considerably in recent years is scriptwriting for video essays, typically tailored for YouTube. This is the niche I work in, and when I’m reviewing openings posted by potential clients, many of them list the ability to imitate someone else’s writing voice as an essential skill for the position. This kind of nontraditional ghostwriting is increasingly common online, and if you’re interested in pursuing that type of work, knowing how to imitate a writing voice is crucial. Of course, it’s easier said than done.

The process of writing in someone else’s voice will be different each time, and a lot of that process is intuitive—something you learn best by doing and experiencing firsthand. How successful you are is subjective, as the only measurement of success that matters is whether or not your finished product sounds right. But there’s a few key steps that this process always involves, so let’s dive in.

Know Thyself

Everyone’s writing voice is unique, much like our actual voices. When you write, everyone has their own inclinations about tone, structure, and approach to topics, as well as words you use commonly, figures of speech that you like, how long your sentences are, and other identifying idiosyncrasies. Some elements of a writer’s voice are easy to spot (such as em dash overuse, which many people fixate on in this age of AI slop), while other elements are much more abstract and only become apparent upon close examination. 

In order to replicate someone else’s voice, you have to understand what makes their voice distinct. More importantly, though, you first have to understand your own writing voice. Examine your own writing closely and make a mental note of what elements jump out at you. Important questions to ask include:

• Are there any specific words and phrases you use a lot? Look especially for words and phrases that are long or uncommon.
• What kinds of punctuation do you use, and how frequently? Pay special attention to em dashes and semicolons, and count how many commas you use in an average sentence.
• What types of sentence structures do you use the most?
• Are there any figures of speech that you use frequently?
• How long are your sentences and paragraphs? 
• How do you prefer to structure manuscripts? 
• How do you approach telling stories?

Analyze, Compare, Replicate

Once you understand what makes your voice distinct, it’s time to analyze your client’s writing. Ask the same questions you did when looking at your own writing, and think about how those elements come together to create your client’s voice. As you do, compare your voice to theirs. Pay close attention to the differences between the two, and decide which differences are the most notable. This will tell you what you need to focus on when you start writing.

Once you understand what makes your client’s voice different from yours, imitating it is easy. Be sure to pay close attention to how you’re writing, and use the idiosyncrasies of your client’s style when applicable. Don’t go out of your way to include as many identifying features as possible; if you overdo it, it’ll be noticeable and won’t sound right. You want the final product to sound natural, not forced. Audiences are smarter than writers often give them credit for, and they’ll pick up on more than you think.

The first few times you imitate a voice, you’ll want to review your work in the same way you examined the samples of your voice and the client’s voice earlier. If there are still distinctive elements of your voice coming through, eliminate them, and make a mental note to be mindful of them next time. Don’t be too strict about it, though. You need to get rid of what will stand out, not every single element of your voice. As long as you’re the writer, elements of your own voice and style will occasionally peek through, and that’s OK. If you match your client’s voice enough, they usually go unnoticed.

If you aren’t sure whether or not you’re getting it right, don’t be afraid to ask your client for input. Ask them to read over your work to make sure it sounds right, or offer a quick sample for them to review in advance. For gigs where mimicking a certain voice is a requirement, the client may do this anyway, requiring samples to ensure you can match their voice to their satisfaction. If they don’t, it helps to be sure you’re doing their voice justice.

At the beginning, imitating a client’s voice will take a lot of effort and practice. But the more you do it, the easier it will become. Once you get the hang of a client’s voice, it becomes almost effortless to switch between writing in their voice and writing in yours.