You Don't Have to Sound Like An Expert to Be Heard Online

Writers were being taught to sound like experts to express their thoughts, emotions, and expertise, and be heard online. If you are being told that you have to pretend to be an expert to be heard online, you’re wrong! Many readers feel overwhelmed by overtly technical writing. 

Readers are looking for content that is easy to understand, what was written, and how it was structured. Put simply, readers engage with an article that aligns with the problem based on what information they’re searching for. 

Struggles of a Writer 

As a writer myself, let me offer you a bit of advice: it took me years, a mountain of self-doubt, and more than a few deleted drafts to learn.

There was a time I used to stare at the blank page, wondering. My cursor blinked like a flashing light, counting the seconds of my failure. I was joining a sentence that makes me think: Do I sound like I have a PhD in this topic? I was so busy trying to build a persona of an expert that I completely forgot to just… be a person.

If you are facing this same trouble as I am, the one that overthinks while sitting down to write your article, newsletter, or social media post, you need to hear this: you don’t have to sound like an expert to be recognized. 

But of course, accuracy and responsibility still matter, especially in health, finance, or safety. Being human doesn’t mean being careless.

All you have to do is simply sound just like you! 

Why It’s Exhausting & Overrated to Be an Expert?

Being an expert is hectic and needs effort and attention to sound perfect. To know why, here are the reasons:

How the ‘Expert Voice’ Creates Distance

Most of us were taught that credibility online comes from sounding polished, confident, and certain. This awful mindset keeps readers away and loses the effort of your writing skills.

They want to read an article that builds a connection based on what was written. This connection builds a well-written message.

Requires Cliches, Jargon, and an Overhauled Structure

No doubt the internet is full of noise. The never-ending process of presenting your article with a polished structure, a technical voice, and full of cliches. We’ve believed that to gain recognition and effort, we must add noise by being the loudest in the room. 

This pressure of being a perfect writer with an expertise requires cliches and jargon, which makes it overwhelming to make the content perfect. 

You Need Polished Sentences and Fancy Words 

We add jargon, complex structures, and bland tone. This is where I’ve been hiding behind the industry standards and using the best practices. 

When you try too hard to sound like an expert, you end up hiding the very thing that makes your voice valuable, your lived experience. Readers don’t connect with jargon or perfectly structured opinions. They connect with thoughts that sound human.

This humanity is what makes the readers build trust, increases engagement, and creates retention over time. 

Readers want Advisory Content 

Another myth? People only want advice from those who have “made it.” But most readers are actually looking for someone just a few steps ahead of them. Someone who remembers the confusion, the mistakes, and the learning curve.

Think about the content you save or reread. It’s usually not the most perfect piece; it’s the one that made you feel understood.

The truth is, expertise grows over time. But confidence comes from showing up honestly before you feel ready. And the internet has a place for learners, not just readers.

Examples & Relatable Scenarios 

Protective Gear Project 

I have been through this trap during the early phase of my content writing career. When I was working remotely back in 2020, I was working on a protective gear project.

Unfortunately, I had to sound like a motorgear expert. 

Despite the efforts of polite feedback and constant mistakes, I was building the resilience of writing for motorgear readers, where I have incorporated sounding like a human rather than technical. 

Over time, I have managed to draft and write articles not only for a group of readers but for one reader, sounding conversational. 

This expertise in my writing career grew by doing an online course while on-the-job training. By reading competitors' articles on how they have covered the same niche. 

That’s when I learned that clarity, not expertise, was what readers actually rewarded.

Social Media Posts for the Construction Industry 

Another phase I’ve been through is writing social media posts for the construction industry back in 2023. With harsh comments and constant criticism from the client, I have followed their guidelines, tone of voice, and shown commitment. 

Here’s what I learned from this: with strict guidelines, I have written 45 posts that gained great attention from readers in the construction industry. Around that time, I suffered severe burnout by sounding like an expert with my words involved, and readers liked it. 

I have learned that you don’t need to be an expert; all you need is to simply listen and learn the industry behind the posts. 

The Power of “I Don’t Know”

The single most liberating phrase you can add to your writing toolkit is also the one we’re most afraid of: “I don’t know.”

When you position yourself as the all-knowing expert, you create distance. You set yourself on a pillar and your reader on the ground. But when you admit a gap in your knowledge, you do something magical; you become approachable. You invite the reader in as a collaborator, not a pupil.

Try it. Instead of:

“The five immutable laws of productivity are…”

Try:

“I’ve been wrestling with productivity for years. Here are three methods that sometimes work for me, though I still have days when I accomplish nothing but reorganizing my bookmarks. What works for you?”

See the difference? The first is a lecture. The second is the start of a conversation in a coffee shop. It’s human. It leaves room for your reader’s experience, which makes them feel seen and valued. That is how you build a community, not just an audience.

Actionable Steps: How to Be Heard Without Pretending 

If you want to show up online without forcing an “expert voice,” start here:

1. Write as you talk to a friend

Before publishing anything, ask yourself: How will my friend react after reading? If you think your friend is going to hate it, just simplify. Short sentences. Natural phrasing. Less explaining, more connecting.

2. Share from the middle, not the finish line

You don’t need a success story to be valuable. Share what you’re learning right now. Talk about what’s confusing, what’s working a little, and what surprised you. People trust progress more than perfection.

3. Use “I” more than “you should”

Statements like “You must do this” create distance. Saying “What helped me was…” invites trust. It keeps the tone grounded and removes pressure from the reader.

4. Let questions be part of your content

You don’t need to have all the answers. Ending a post or article with a genuine question turns content into conversation. It also reminds you that learning publicly is allowed.

5. Stop editing out your personality

Not everything has to be optimized, formal, or polished. Your pauses, doubts, and side notes are often what make your writing memorable. Clarity matters, but personality sticks.

6. Redefine credibility

Credibility doesn’t come from sounding smart. It comes from being consistent, honest, and useful. Over time, people recognize your voice because it feels familiar, not because it sounds authoritative.

Your Journey is Your Credential

Being human doesn’t mean being vague, inaccurate, or sloppy.

Expertise without humanity alienates.

Humanity without clarity confuses.

The goal is clarity rooted in lived experience.

You are not a blank slate. You have a unique way of learning from experiences, failures, and curiosities. That is your authority. No one else has walked your path. When you write from that place, you are inherently original.

Are you writing about gardening? You don’t need a botany degree. You need the story of your basil plant that you’ve killed and resurrected three times. 

Writing about project management? Tell us about the time you color-coded a family vacation itinerary so intensely that your partner staged an intervention.

This isn’t about dumbing things down. It’s about grounding them. It’s about connecting the what to the why and the how it felt. Expertise tells people what to think. 

Shared experience makes them feel less alone. And in a digital world aching with anonymity, that feeling is your most powerful currency.

Conclusion: The Encouragement of Being You 

Clarity earns trust. Humanity earns a connection. You don’t need a title to offer either.

If you’re learning, observing, struggling, or trying, you already have something worth sharing. 

The internet doesn’t need more perfectly packaged experts. It needs more real voices willing to speak before they feel ready. 

When you stop trying to sound like someone else and start sounding like yourself, your writing becomes lighter, clearer, and more impactful. You are not rejecting expertise, you are redefining how it’s earned.

So publish the post. Share your thoughts.

Someone out there is waiting to hear it, exactly the way you say it.