Readers trust a writer who knows the subject, proves each point, respects them, and makes no careless mistakes. To improve your credibility through your writing, do your homework, back up your ideas, stay humble, and check your text for errors.
If people do not know you yet, you need to build trust before they are open to the ideas in your writing. Credibility takes time, but there are ways to speed it up. Here is how you can improve your credibility through your writing.
1. Do your homework
If you are not yet an expert on a topic, research it thoroughly. That is how you build your portfolio. When you show your knowledge and expertise in a subject, people start to look for you when they need answers.
Word of mouth is a powerful way to improve your credibility. When your clients talk about your excellent work, it makes a real impact.
2. Back up your ideas
Neither you nor your audience lives in a vacuum, so every idea you share and every point you make needs proof behind it. That is how you gain trust: by making your arguments with strong evidence. You can use studies, research, or articles from reputable sources. Citations: how to do them properly shows how to credit them.
"How many sources do I need?"
Three is a good number. It is enough to support your argument from several points of view, but not so many that they overwhelm your readers.
3. Be humble
You may consider yourself knowledgeable, or even an expert in your field. But you are not the only one.
Your audience may see you as arrogant or even rude, even when you do not mean to be. This often happens in business writing. You write a harmless proposal or an email to a client and explain the ins and outs of the business as if the client knew nothing.
"So, what do I do?"
Read the proposal or email aloud to someone you consider an expert in the field. If they feel lectured, your client may feel the same.
"I have no one to give me a second opinion."
Then put your text aside for an hour or more. If you write it at night, sleep on it. In the morning, you can read it with fresh eyes. How not to be rude when writing has more tips on tone.
4. Watch out for mistakes
A big part of looking credible is getting rid of the signs that make you look less credible. In writing, that means checking your spelling and grammar. You cannot afford to be sloppy here. If your writing is full of mistakes, your clients will take you for an amateur, however good your ideas are.
So check every text before you send it. The Spell Checker catches spelling and grammar errors that you might miss.