← The Amy Porterfield Show
The Amy Porterfield Show
Your Copy's Too Safe - Here's How to Fix It (And Finally Sound Like You)
00:29:04
When Your Copy Evolves, So Does Your Business
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- [00:02]
Amy Porterfield
Hey, there. Welcome to the Amy Porterfield Show. When you know what you stand for, you do not need more ideas. You just need more ways to say the ones that matter. I think I already told this story, but when you have a podcast and you do a lot of them, you forget the stories you tell. So forgive me if you've already heard this. Actually, side note, my mom's best friend has an uncle named George, and George repeats himself over and over and over again. So it's always a joke in their family that when George is not around, they'll say, george me if I told you this, essentially saying, like, stop me if I've already said the story, but it's George me if I told you this. So I'm going to steal that right now because you need to George me if I already told you this story. I can't remember. When you podcast a lot, sometimes you don't even remember the stories you've told. But real quick, I had a woman that emailed me recently because in my new newsletter, I'm encouraging everyone to reply, and I'm on the other end of those replies. And this woman emailed and said, these new newsletters that you're writing, obviously not you. Like, there's no way you're writing this. I've known you for a long time, Amy, online. I know your business model. I know the way you write, and this is not you. So obviously either you're using AI or someone else is writing it. And so when I saw this, I was like, oh, no, no, no, because I am writing all of them. And so I made a quick loom, showed my face, and I was like, hey, it is me writing this. It might feel a little bit different, but I'm behind every single one of these newsletters. And I just wanted to let you know it felt very satisfying, because she was absolutely wrong. But the reason I bring this up is that I feel like my copy has changed over the last year. I feel as though my voice online and on social media feels a little bit different. It might be a little bit more direct. It might be a little more to the point, a little less nice and a lot more valuable, I hope, but also very much me. And I just stopped being afraid to share my thoughts and my feelings and my knowledge in ways that might offend people or rub them the wrong way or they just won't agree with me. God forbid someone doesn't agree with me. And the funny thing is, with my copy, I was so afraid to ruffle feathers. But even when I wasn't trying to ruffle feathers. I was. We all are. No matter if you try to make everyone like you or not online, there will be a lot of people who don't like you. So, you know, you've already heard it. Just like, just do you. Because people aren't going to like you anyway. So, anyway, it just took me a long time to get there. But the reason I bring this up today is that I want to talk about copy. The copy that you are writing on social media, most importantly in your emails, on your sales pages, in your scripts, the copy. I was updating our voice guide in our business. So we have this voice guide. I've had it forever, but we stripped it down. I feel like we're in an era, all of us is like making things more simple and stripping things down. So. So I think it was like 30 pages or something and we stripped it down to maybe five or six. But it's my voice guide. It's how I talk, how I say things, things I believe in, what I like to talk about, the do's and don'ts of how I write, words I use. And it's just essentially all about how I write and how I talk. It's my voice guide. And let me just tell you, you can use ChatGPT to prompt you and ask you the right questions to create one of your own. And it's important to have one, especially if other people in the business are writing for you. I do have a copywriter that writes my sales pages and some of our promo emails. Even though I'm writing that newsletter, I get help with other things. I can't possibly write everything in my business with where we're at right now. So this voice guide is really important. So we all are on the same page of how I want my voice portrayed online. And so we were recently updating it because I feel as though your copy, it just affects everything. The success of your offers, your visibility, your ability to build trust and your clarity across all of your marketing. I mean, copywriting is everything. And so I wanted to make sure that we were really nailing it. We were talking to the right person. I did an episode recently all about my customer avatar and how her name is Hank. If you haven't heard that episode, I'll put it in the show notes. But really fleshing out our avatar made me want to go back and make sure that I was talking to her in the way that will resonate with her. So that was a big part of it as well. And so once I was updating this voice guide. I thought, you know, this is a topic that deserves a full episode. Working on that guide, it got me reflecting on some of the copy lessons that I've learned from my peers over the years. And honestly, they're still shaping how I write today. So I've been a student of copy from the first day I started my business. It's an important part of my learning. Like, I'm always learning to do a better job of expressing myself online. So in this episode, I want to share a few of my favorite writing strategies from people who consistently inspire me with how they show up in their own copy. Some of them are master copywriters that teach you. Others are just doing their thing, and I'm loving their copy, and I'm loving their style, so I learn a lot from that as well. Now, some of these ideas actually influence parts of my voice guide. It's also called, like, a speaking and writing guide. I'm sure you've heard of them before, but we call ours the voice guide. So some. Some of the lessons influenced how I wrote that voice guide, and others are just approaches I just love and lean on when I want my copy to land with more clarity and connection, which I always want it to land with more clarity and connection. Right. Okay, so let's do this to start. What I wish I'd known sooner about writing copy online is that the scariest copy to write is. Is always the copy that actually works and converts. So I used to think smart, structured, professional copy would protect me from judgment or online bullies. Like I mentioned earlier, like, if I just stay really structured and professional, no one's going to come after me. So I wrote sales pages that were technically solid but emotionally flat, stripping all personality out of my copy because I didn't want to be too emotional or too much or even too casual. Like, I used to be scared of bitches being too casual. So, of course, like I've mentioned before, I tried to please everyone with my copy. And so the lesson I learned is that if your copy feels a little too neutral, it might be a sign that you're still editing yourself to fit someone else's expectations or just plainly put, just to make sure most people like you and you don't get called out online, but your ideal customer doesn't want that. She wants to feel like you see her or him, and like she or he can trust you to lead them. So that is so very important. Like, I want your copy to make people feel something, and I want them to either like you or not. Like you, based on what you're saying, I think that's how it has to be. And this was a lesson just I did. I didn't understand for so long. I've really, over the years gotten thicker skin and so it's okay if somebody doesn't like me. But dang, took way too long to get there. And I want you to get there like yesterday. So I want to share some copy lessons that will help you feel more like you, that will be more fun to write. Because let me tell you, when you're in your first few years of business, even maybe first five or six years, you're likely writing your own copy. I didn't have a copywriter until way into my business. So if you're writing most of your copy or all of your copy and you're trying to be safe, then you must hate copywriting. I know this from my personal experience. It's not fun and it's frustrating, but the minute you start writing just as you, it becomes so much more enjoyable. So I want to touch on that as well. When we get into different areas of the examples I want to share with you, but there are some copy lessons I have learned from some of my peers and people that I love. And so I want to share one with you. Or actually I want to share three of them with you. So the first one is how Marie Forleo shapes the way she writes titles. So titles for her YouTube show. And I've always loved this, I think she does a really good job with this. So let's just talk podcast titles. But you could do titles for anything with the lesson I'm going to teach you here. So when your title for your podcast is clear and sounds like you, it doesn't just grab attention, it builds trust before even the first sentence that they hear you utter on your podcast or your video show. So the title of your show or your podcast so so important. So I want to give you an example of just two of her podcast titles. They're not like earth shattering, they're just really good. So one of them was repeat these two words to reinvent yourself. Repeat these two words to reinvent yourself. First of all, the word repeat and the word reinvent are powerful words. And then this is so curiosity based. So you're like, what two words I have to know. So I love that one. The other one was how to write a book and actually finish it. So that actually finish it. It just shows that she knows who her audience is. She knows her audience has probably tried to write a Book before they've started. Stop, started, stop. It's very normal in the entrepreneurial world because it's hard to write a book. And so she just nails it, how to write a book and actually finish it. One thing that she amazes me with is she gets to the point with so few words. I really struggle with that sometimes. So I think she does a fantastic job with titles. Again, they work because they're direct. You know exactly what transformation is on the table. You're reinventing yourself or you're writing that book like it's very clear. They invite action, so they open a loop that naturally pulls the audience in. They're beyond informative. They're actually motivating. And also, good copy just doesn't sound good. It gets people doing something and gets people moving. And I feel like that motivation part is important. They also, like I mentioned, spark curiosity without crossing into, like, clickbait. Let's be careful there. And they're packed with personality. So it's like something your smartest, boldest friend would blurt out at a brunch right before changing your life. Like, they're always really powerful and smart like that. So love her titles. Now, how do we apply this? Well, I want you to look at the titles for again. Your podcast, your blog, your video show, whatever you've got. Just look at one title. Is this title unmistakably clear, and does it create forward motion for your ideal customer? Let me say that one more time. So I want you to pull up a bunch of titles that you have already and ask yourself, are these titles unmistakably clear, and do they create forward motion for my ideal customer avatar? Hey, real quick, before we continue, I've got to tell you about one of my most favorite resources. If you've ever thought I just want my marketing to look as legit as my business actually is, well, then, welcome to Tonic. So Tonic has completely customizable showit website templates and Canva marketing templates that are built to make you look elevated and modern and like you seriously have your stuff together, even if you're still trying to figure it out behind the scenes. So I use Tonic for my book launch of two weeks notice and of my podcast launch of the Amy Porterfield Show. So the Amy Porterfield show, if you go to my website, that is a Tonic template. The one where I'm all in blue and it's all brand new, that's a Tonic template. So if I had the bandwidth, I would use their templates to redo my entire website. That's how much I love their design because their designs are not just stunning, they're strategic and they convert. So if you want your online presence to feel polished and professional and just like you without hiring a full time design team, Tonic is your new best friend. So to check out their templates and get a special discount just for my listeners, go to tonicsiteshop.com amy and you're going to find two exclusive templates that we created together. So that is tonicsiteshop.com forward slash amy okay, let's get back to the episode. Okay, Example number two is from Gary V. And this is how Gary Vee changed the way I show up online. Now. Love him or hate him, I know he can be very polarizing. I think I've said this before, but I used to not be able to follow Gary because I felt like he was shouting at me and it made my anxiety, like, go through the roof. However, I've met him enough times and I've interviewed him for my podcast and he's just so sweet and he just makes you feel like you're his best friend. So once I got to meet him on that level, I was like, oh, I've got this guy all wrong. So love listening to him now. I always tease that my friend Jasmine Star, like, would marry him if she wasn't already married. She loves this man. She calls him Gare Bear because she loved him so much. I'm like, what am I missing here? And then I kind of realized it. So Gary Vee, let's talk about him. The man is pretty prolific and he shows up exactly who he is. He has content across every platform every day. But when you zoom out, you realize something surprising. He's often saying the same thing in like a hundred different ways. So he creates for clarity and understanding and he repeats what matters most for his message. So you're going to hear that man repeat himself over and over and over again, but it's in different creative ways across different platforms, so it's not super obvious and it really sinks in. So he simplifies what people overcomplicate. I really think he does a good job of that. And he says it all, like with no filter or no filler. I mean, the guy is just a hundred percent himself. And if you read enough of his stuff, you can't help but be like, yes, yes, you're so right. I get it. He's passionate about it. And again, he's got some core messages that he talks about in a hundred different ways. So for example, if you scroll through his social media and just look at everything he's posting. You'll quickly spot one of his core messages. Empathy and kindness in business matters. Empathy and kindness in business. It matters. And so if you take some time to, you'll find that theme throughout so much of what he does. And I love that. So you'll see it in videos where he's connecting with other people, when he's just talking off the cuff, when he's on stage. It's this message that is really woven through so much of what he does. The message doesn't change, but the format constantly evolves. A punchy 30 second video filmed in the back of an Uber or a polished keynote clip from a Fortune 500 stage, or like a casual screenshot with some text and the message on a quote card. Just all these different ways, same type of message, different mediums, always clear, always, always unmistakably Gary. And that is so powerful. So he proves that when you know what you stand for, you don't need more ideas. You need more ways to say the ones that matter. I'm going to repeat that one more time because I think it's powerful. It was a reminder for me as well. So Gary proves that when you know what you stand for, you do not need more ideas, you just need more ways to say the ones that matter. And so next time you feel stuck, I don't know what to write about. I don't know what to say. What if you had a list of here's three things I stand for, here's three core messages that I could shout from the rooftops every single day. And what if those three things you weave into all you do in different ways? I don't think you will ever run out of ideas around creating content. So here's what I want you to do to make this actionable. I want you to look at your last three months of content. Let's just say it's either podcasts or social media. What message or belief do you think is showing up for people? And are there many? Can you not find it? Is there one? Are you talking about it a lot? Like, if you looked at your content, do you see some of your core messages come up again and again and again in different ways? Because I really do believe it will make content creation so much easier. And you get good at talking about it. Look how good Gary is at talking about some of his core messages. Like, the man just has been doing it for years. I remember meeting Gary when I was in my first year of business. It was like the most exciting thing I remember, I shook his hand, Hobie took a picture of us. I'm like, hobie, you don't even understand who this man is. Back then he was more known for like the wine guy, but he was crushing social media even back then. So anyway, though, how he was then is how he is now. He's just gotten better and better at his messaging. Okay, so final example. This is example number three. I wanted to share with you a lesson in copy. And essentially it comes back to how Veronica Romney, she was on my show, helped me clarify exactly who I'm writing to. So she helped me clarify who I'm writing to. So one of the most transformative shifts to make in your copy is the concept of identity marketing. Instead of telling your customer what to buy, the concept here is start reflecting who they're becoming. So switch from buy this language to be this language. If you haven't heard the episode, I'm going to link to it in the show notes. It's so good. And she talks about this in such a bigger way. But let me give you an example. So instead of writing copy like buy this now or something along those lines, try something like step into your next level as a sought after CEO. So that would be copy. I could write like I am helping people become the CEO of the businesses that they are creating. And so instead of saying, yeah, click here to buy this, I could say something like click here to step into your next level as a sought after CEO, giving them the identity that I know they're working toward. So instead of limited spots available, I could try join a curated experience for women scaling past six figures. I want to be a woman scaling past six figures. Like it's either their identity now or the identity they aspire to. Instead of just saying like telling them what to do again, instead of do this, it's be this instead of this has a $997 value. Like we put next to our bonuses. Say something like price to be a no brainer for entrepreneurs ready to lead with clarity. So instead of just this is the value of it. Oh, I price this to be a no brainer for entrepreneurs ready to lead with clarity. So there's just different ways. It's just a subtle shift, but it completely changes how your message lands. So each line says I see where you are and I believe in where you're going. Another way to look at that is like, I get you and I know what you want. That's what you're writing. Your copy really should be saying, I see You, I get you. I understand you, and I know where you want to go. I know what you actually want. Let me help you get there. So this idea of identity marketing, we're starting to play with it more and more. I think it's a way to really respect your audience. Like, instead of just throwing things in their face, which they know the drill. They're like, yeah, I've seen this over years and years. What if you put a mirror in front of them or you put a concept in front of them that makes them feel like, yeah, that's where I want to go. I want to move toward that. It's just a different way to connect with your audience. And the reason why it works is it brings immediate clarity to your audience. They recognize themselves in your copy and they see a next level version of worth stepping into. So it builds connection without pushing. You're not asking for a sale. You're inviting identity alignment. It's just a really cool concept I love. So how do you apply this? Well, I want you to choose just one piece of copy, like on a sales page or maybe an email you're writing, and ask yourself, would someone who read this, would they think this was written exactly for me or this is written for the person I want to become? Like, it's aspirational. Like, they read it and they're like, yeah, I want that. That's going to be me. So remember, when your audience feels as though they are reflected in your copy, they're not just more likely to buy, they're more likely to trust. And we know that trust is at a minimum lately. So that's so important. Okay, so this brings us to the thread that's been running through all of these examples, which is clarity. So before I wrap up, let's talk about clarity. There's no framework that has helped me lock in clarity more than story brand. So this framework brought everything together for me. It made my launches more effective, it made my messaging more grounded, and my audience is ready to say yes now more than ever before and feel good about it all because of this copy framework. So really quick, you got to look into it at a deeper level. I can't do it justice on a quick podcast, but the story brand framework, you can get the book. It's from my friend Don Miller. It's so good. But hear me out for a quick second. The story brand framework looks like this. First, you've got a character. Your customer is the character. They want something, and then your character has a problem, so they face a challenge or an obstacle that they need to solve. And that character meets a. A guide. You step in with empathy and authority to help them, and you're going to give them a plan. So you offer a clear, simple path to move forward. And this plan calls them to action. You give them a strong, direct invitation to take the next step, and that helps them avoid failure. So you show what's at stake. Mistake. If they don't act and that ends in success, you paint a clear picture of what their success will look like. So this is where storybrand really shines. It removes the pressure from you to sell and instead positions your copy as the clarifier and the guide in someone else's transformation. The whole thing is you're not the hero to them. You're the guide, and you're helping them with a transformation. So that is just a tiny snapshot, but I can't imagine running an online business and not really getting the story brand framework. Grab the book. It's really good. And it will guide you through, and it will be easier for you to write copy. Okay, so one thing you can do to get into action with this story brand framework is to look at your sales page and ask yourself, am I clear on what my customer wants? Have I named the real problem? This is such an important question. Have I named the real problem that they're facing? And do I show up as a guide, not a hero, but as their guide? And is there a simple plan that they can follow? And have I clearly told them what to do next? And do I show what they'll miss out on if they don't act? And have I painted a compelling picture of success? So these are all the things that you want to think about for, you know, especially with sales pages. I had the opportunity to sit down with dawn and J.J. peterson, who both, you know, they're both incredible at story brand framework. And they looked at one of my digital course academy sales pages, I think, like two years ago, and we had our biggest launch yet. And I do think it. It was partly because we nailed down the story brand framework. So it was really clear how I served people when they came into my world during that launch. So I used it for my sales page. Dang. I will always use it for my sales page. Okay, so to wrap up, I always love looking at what stands out from other people online. So to inspire my own writing, I think there's something really powerful about intentionally surrounding yourself with voices that expand what you're doing. So this month, carve out some intentional time to immerse yourself in the people and the brands that truly inspire you and pull you in. Because I promise there's something about their copy that you could actually do on your own that would inspire others as well. Oh, and real quick, these brands that you follow and you get inspired by, they don't have to be in your niche. In fact, it's probably good if they're not in your niche. Like, when you're looking at Nike or Apple, they're likely using some rhythm and language and visuals that really pull you in. I love looking at big brands and thinking, like, how can I do that in my small business? So there's inspiration everywhere. And the problem is when you're overwhelmed and overworked and you're in the weeds too much, you never get to really come up for air and kind of look around and get inspired. So this is your permission slip to create a little white space and allow yourself to get inspired by other people's voice and copy and brand, and then get inspired by that and pull it into your business in your own unique, unique way. All right, my friend, I hope you found value in this episode, and I can't wait to chat with you again next week. Talk to you soon.