The Lessons in Side Hustling Podcast Transcript

Transcription

1 Episode 18: Copywriting #1 Can t stop, won t stop writing. Hi and welcome to Episode 18 of the Lessons in Side Hustling podcast. I'm your host Luis Báez. You know, I start every episode with a little gratitude for listeners, and I want you to know I mean it. I really appreciate you tuning in, when you have so many choices in the world. I m very excited about today s episode. We ve just wrapped a four-episode block on marketing, content strategy, and social media. I gave you some tips on building an list, on treating subscribers right with valuable content delivered consistently. I talked about building a content runway and I shed some light on social channels so you can do it right as you scale up your side hustle. To have a listen or revisit of that series, start at LuisBaez.com/episode14. We re now going to pivot to talk about the creative communication side of things. Yep, that s right we re going to talk copywriting. In fact, we re going to roll into a whole three-part series on the magic of copywriting. If you re a regular listener, you already know how much I looooovvee series. I ve gotten into the podcast series approach because we can dig in together on a topic without it being overwhelming. I can give you real, actionable strategies and tools to put into action, and you have a clear place to start. That s what we re going to do with copywriting, too, and here s how we re going to roll: Today we re going to talk about how to just get started, since sometimes getting started is actually the hardest part. Don t you think so, too? Next time, we re going to talk about how to find your voice. You want to sound authentic and build connection. I ll tell you how to hone in on the right voice and tone. And then, finally, we ll talk copywriters. Whether it s now or down the road, you might find you need or want some help. I ll tell you how to spot a good copywriter from a mile off and how to make sure you give him or her good stuff to work with. You re going to be so smart about great copy by the time we ve done this thing. I just know it. First things first: I want to get your head on right about great marketing copy. By that, I mean copy that persuades. That influences. Page! 1 of 5!

2 You see, marketing at its very basic is about getting somebody to do something that you want them to do. It s about persuading someone to sign up for your list, to download your free guide, to retain your consulting services, to buy the thing you re selling. To pick up what you re putting down. So great marketing copy has a definite structure and it results from a specific process. By that, I mean that great marketing copy assures you that the thing you re considering is the solution to your problem. To do that well, great marketing copy has to get inside your customer s head first. It s kind of a specific and calculating thing, but it doesn t have to feel that way in the end. The effect is separate from the process. You have to get inside your customer s head, you have to assure him or her you have a solution, you have to reassure that you re an expert, and then you have to ask him or her to do something. I have a framework I use allllll the time to help people understand it, and to help people feel natural about the process. I ve talked a little about it before, but if you re new, or this concept still feels new, it s worth us going back to it. I call it the Impress, Inspire & Influence Framework, and here s how it works: Impressing is about communicating your value in a way that feels compelling, relevant, and accessible. It s clear, clean, and appealing copy that makes people feel instantly good when they read it for the first time. Inspiring is about how you connect with customers. It s the voice and tone you take in your copy, the way you tell your story, the way you spin that authenticity into your services and your distinction as a professional. Influencing is about what you ask people to do. You Influence by establishing your credibility, building trust, and asking your audience to take action. The Impress, Inspire & Influence Framework applies to every piece of copy you ll ever write. Let me give you an idea of how the framework looks in action. Take your website Homepage, for instance. Your homepage is the welcome mat that greets your visitor when he or she arrives. It has to summarize all your special specialness. Within a fairly short amount of scroll space, it has to impress, inspire, and influence so that your visitor digs into the other pages of your site. So, there s a formula to put the framework into action: Page! 2 of 5!

3 You use a catchy headline that impresses. I love Food Heaven Made Easy s: 8 Weeks to a Healthier You. You include a mission statement that inspires theirs is we work towards making the world a healthier place, one meal at a time. You influence with sample content, maybe a video, and a strong description of how you help: an ecourse designed to transform the way you eat, make healthy eating enjoyable, and develop sustainable habits. Then you ask your visitor to take action. Enroll now. Grooving with me? Let s roll the framework bus into another example. Let s think ahead: you ve built your list by offering a download of your free ebook, and you re going to craft the follow-up with the ebook link. Here s how the framework applies: Cut through the clutter. Impress with a snappy (yet believable!) subject line: Zero to hero: how I scaled my side hustle to 6 figures in 6 months. Then, you inspire with content that connects immediately: Let me tell you: I get it. When I started out on this business journey in 2015, I had no idea where it would take me. Two years later, I ve replaced my full-time income and have worked with clients in 7 time zones on 63 projects and counting. Then, you influence by turning the content to them. I know you re harboring ideas of doing the same. I d love to help you get your business off the ground with smart planning and actionable strategies right out of the gate. If you think I can help, let s chat no obligation. I m all ears. The Impress, Inspire & Influence Framework adapts to any copy you need. It s a great way to keep your head on straight about what the words should be doing when. But, it s not the only ingredient in writing successful marketing copy. And so I m not going to spend the entire episode on it. The framework sets you up for persuasion and flow, sure, but you also need to pick the right words. And there s where lots of us get stuck. There is no shame in it you re in good company if you re among us. We all have gifts, and for some of us, writing is one. For some of us, it s not. And if you struggle, you have options. I want to plant the seed on a couple of them. Page! 3 of! 5

4 First off, for some of us, writing good copy is a matter of perspective. It s hard to write about yourself and what you offer, for a few reasons. I think those are: It s hard to have a clear view of your own value and shortcomings. It s even harder to strike the right tone between impressing, inspiring, and influencing, and outright bragging. No one wants to listen to bragging. And there s no humility in humblebragging. It s hardest of all to feel comfortable writing about your own self. Even if you re a gifted communicator and the words flow easily, it can be really challenging to step outside yourself. So where do we go from here? Well, first, recognizing the difficulty of the task is often a good start. Sometimes we humans just need to admit that something is hard, because we dig deeper and ask more of what s inside us. There s a thrill to achievement that can propel us over obstacles. It s actually really awesome when that happens. Giving yourself a clear place to start is another way to motor past the obstacles. Who ever said you had to start at the very top of the homepage? Let me tell you: great writers of the world sometimes have to start in the middle and work their way backwards. Give yourself that same permission. You might find it easier to start with the descriptions of your products or services, then work through the About story before coming back to the homepage, your mission, and your how I help stuff. Ditto with s. Don t feel like you have to start with the subject line. In fact, I recommend leaving that to the very last. You can also give yourself clear start and end times for brainstorming and drafting. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, make yourself a cup of tea and grab a cookie whatever you need to fuel some idea generation. Then, set a timer. Give yourself 20, 30 minutes to work through a few ideas. You don t need to write a novel. You don t even need to finish a paragraph. Sometimes just knowing you ll have a stopping point fuels your brain and ideas differently and makes the task seem less overwhelming. Finally, creativity isn t linear. Ideas don t come together on a timetable. Put parameters around the time you ll spend working through ideas. Work when you work best morning, midday, or evening, whatever your schedule permits. Then, give your ideas time to breathe. Sometimes we do our best work when it s our unconscious on the shift. Now, let s talk expertise. Each of us knows someone who s gifted with words. Maybe your dad is a writer. Maybe your sister is an editor. Perhaps your best friend knows someone who rocks content generation for an agency. Call in a favor and Page! 4 of 5!

5 find that acquaintance or friend with that superpower. Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement. All these tips and ideas are meant to help you find somewhere to start. But if the idea of writing copy for your site, a brochure, an still is making you shake like a leaf, seek and accept help. The creative world is full of copywriters who do this stuff for a living. And they do it really, really well. Words are their gift so invest in their services, the same way you would want them to invest in yours. You can find writers on LinkedIn ProFinder, on Upwork, Fiverr, which you know I have a lot of love for, or through your network. If you re really going to be spinning your wheels, get help you can spend your precious time on other aspects of business development. Whether or not you re going to do your own copywriting, you ll find my next episodes really helpful. Any copywriter worth her salt is going to ask you about voice and tone, so you ll want to be able to have some concrete ideas to work with. Voice and tone that creates consistency is the subject of my very next podcast. And, after that one, I m going to share some secrets on good copywriting processes. You can put them to use for yourself who knows, you might find that you tap into a gift! You can also put the process to use to make sure you get copywriting gold out of anyone you hire. Before we wrap up, I want to give you a little exercise to do. The world is full of great copy examples: billboards, TV ads, s, Facebook posts, and more. I encourage you to find 10 pieces of marketing copy you like over the next week. Find 10 things that appeal to you, and write them down, or snap pictures of them. Then, figure out what it is that appeals to you about them. Is it word play, like puns? Is it fresh vocabulary and language? Is it aspirational? What sort of emotion does it evoke? If you do that, you ll start to see what your own style is like what you like, what thrills you, what turns you off. And once you do that, you ll be well on your way to either writing your own a little bit better, or being able to tell someone what makes great copy, in your humble opinion. And If you re just getting started on your entrepreneurial journey, or looking to level up, and listening in today made you excited and eager and ready to get going then I have a treat for you. I've put together the complete guide to DIYing your side hustle website. I break down all the steps to structuring and writing copy for your business digital home. If you're interested in snagging that head on over to LuisBaez.com/website and it is all yours. Thanks again for tuning in I m already looking forward to next time. Page! 5 of 5!