104: My journey to becoming a freelance copywriter (plus bonus copy tips!), featuring Emily Reagan
Today you’re going to meet one of the most favourite people I’ve met in this online business world - Emily Reagan. To go along with our summer playlist, I’m sharing a replay from her podcast where she had me on as a guest.
I first met Emily back in March 2020 at an in-person conference, just before the world shut down. I was impressed with her mission to help women, and in particular, military spouses, to create freelancing businesses they can do from anywhere in the world. And in particular, Emily shows you how to become a digital marketing assistant - it’s like a specialized virtual assistant.
Since 2020, I’ve watched Emily’s business and impact soar.
She’s really out there changing people’s lives, helping them create freedom-based, freelancing businesses.
I routinely follow her online for some of the best marketing and techie tips. And her podcast, Unicorns Unite, is a goldmine of information about freelancing, marketing, messaging, and online business.
In this rebroadcast episode, you'll hear about my journey to becoming a freelance copywriter, and why I think there's a lot of misleading messaging out there that makes writing copy seem scary. Plus, I share a couple of my fave copywriting recipes, formulas, and tips that you can take immediately today and start moving forward in your business.
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
How I went from working at a nonprofit to quadrupling my income as a copywriter
The truth about why writing is so hard for people
How I help my clients elevate their copy
How copywriters can partner with digital marketing assistants
My go-to copywriting formulas that help me tap into my creativity
Resources that can help you elevate your copywriting skills
Doesn’t Emily seem like one of the most warm and genuine people on the planet? If you want to learn more from her, make sure to visit her website and follow her on Instagram. You can also learn how to be a member of her workgroup here.
If you’re inspired by my story of leaving my day job to start my own business... heads up! The doors to Summer B-School are closing on July 26th.
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[00:00:03] Speaker1: Welcome to ill communication, copywriting tips and sales strategies for small business. I'm your host, Kim Kiel. I'm a copy coach, sales strategist, and direct response copywriter. It's my mission to help women leaders and changemakers amplify their voices through copy. It's why I'm dishing out all the juicy tips, writing prompts, and sales formulas to help you generate more leads. Book more calls, and get more high value clients on repeat. Sounds pretty good. It's time to ditch the overwhelm you might be feeling and find confidence in your copywriting so you can get your message out there and attract more soulmate clients. Let's get started. Hello. Hello my lovely friend. I am delighted to record the intro for this episode, because today you're going to meet one of the most favorite people I've met in this online business world. Now, just to back up a little and remind you, as I mentioned in episode 99, three Tips to Make Business and Life Easier over the summer, I'm curating a special summer playlist for you. Over the fleeting summer weeks, I wanted to create a little more space for me in my business, so I'm rebroadcasting a few replays of podcasts that had me on as a guest. I've hand-picked these episodes because they are great conversations with someone who creates brilliant content, or is an expert that I know you will get a lot from. And today you get to meet Emily Regan. Emily is a freaking badass.
[00:01:49] Speaker1: I first met Emily back in March 2020 at an in-person conference just before the world shut down. I was impressed with Emily's mission to help women, and in particular military spouses, to create freelancing businesses they can do from anywhere in the world. And in particular, Emily shows you how to become a digital marketing assistant like a specialized virtual assistant. And since 2020, I have launched Emily's Business and Impact saw. She's really out there changing people's lives, helping them create freedom based freelancing businesses that make good money and can be done anywhere. I routinely follow her online for some of the best marketing and techie tips, and her podcast, Unicorns Unite is a goldmine of information about freelancing, marketing, messaging, and the world of online business. Emily is also one of the most real people you'll see online. She shares some of the struggles she deals with personally and shows the challenges of being a working mom. She's funny, charming and incredibly smart. And in this rebroadcast episode, you'll hear about my journey to becoming a freelance copywriter. Why? I think there's a lot of bullshit messaging out there that makes writing copy seem scary, and I share a couple of my fave copywriting recipes, formulas, and tips that you can take immediately today and start moving forward in your business. This is a fun and fast paced episode I know you'll love. Let's get into Emily's episode. Hey Kim, welcome to the show.
[00:03:31] Speaker2: So glad you're here.
[00:03:33] Speaker1: Hey, Emily, thank you so much for having me.
[00:03:35] Speaker2: I have been wanting you on the show forever since we met in March of 2020. We all know what happened there. We met at a copywriting conference. You came into my work group earlier this year and taught an amazing session on welcome sequences, and I paused a little bit on my podcast over the summer, and then I'm like, I gotta bring Kim back. I gotta bring her back. You have such a powerful story. You just are so generous with what you teach. And so I'm excited to learn how you became a freelance copywriter and what that, you know, shift was for you. And then also, you're going to share some coffee tips with us at the end. So why don't you just tell everyone who you are a little bit about you, where you live, all the good stuff.
[00:04:15] Speaker1: All right. Thank you so much, Emily. I remember sitting next to you at that conference way back. It feels like a decade ago, doesn't it? It's crazy. So much has happened. Anyway. Uh, my name is Kim Keel. I am a sales copy strategist and a voice copywriter and a copy coach. So I do a few different things. Primarily, I work with women business owners to help them identify, hone, and amplify their voices so that they can show up with more confidence. Write. Copy. Get it out there. Stop overthinking. Quit being overwhelmed because I know so many of us struggle with like, just that constant overthinking when we're trying to write. So I help them, like, calm that sort of drama around it so they can get their words out there. They can find clients, they can make a difference in the world. I do all of that from my little home office here in Edmonton, Alberta, where it is snowy for about nine months of the year. I always get jealous when I'm watching your Instagram feed and you're like, oh, we're still at soccer and it's outdoors. And I'm like, we've been indoor. We've been indoors for weeks already because there's no such thing as outdoor soccer in November, which is when we're recording.
[00:05:27] Speaker2: Oh my gosh, I'm so ignorant. Do you not in there like, can you ski the snowboard or anything?
[00:05:32] Speaker1: I'm a downhill skier and the mountains are about four hours away from us. But yes, we ski uh, multiple times a year and my kids have a, you know, a pass to the local, like, little hill here.
[00:05:44] Speaker2: Oh, my gosh, I'm so jealous. We just booked a weekend trip and by the time this podcast comes out, we will have skied. But it's like six hours away and it already $7,000 into this, like, you know, four day weekend. I'm like, what is going on? And I just miss it, I miss it. So when you talked about snow, I was like, you know, thinking positively about the perks of that, but oh my god, no.
[00:06:05] Speaker1: And just being in the mountains, there's something so magical about being in the mountains. I get some of my best ideas and energy when I'm enveloped in these beautiful mountains, and I just feel like a part of the landscape. I feel like a part of the universe. So I'm. I know you're gonna have an amazing time on your trip.
[00:06:22] Speaker2: Oh my gosh, that's how I felt in Sedona. Just coming from the Midwest, coming from being in the South for the last, like chunk of time. Something about mountains. I don't know what it is, but I will never take them for granted. They're just so. They're just so inspiring and I love it. I love that we went to Sedona for a business trip and a business retreat, and that was my goal, was to to make it there. And I just kind of steered that little trip. Oh, like, this is Emily Bucket list. So I was just happy to do that. Okay, I know we're digressing here. Tell us what you were doing before you became a copywriter. Tell us the story about how you pivoted.
[00:06:55] Speaker1: So for about 15 to 17 years, not to, like, give away my age or anything, I was working in the nonprofit sector. I was also working a little bit in the environmental community, both for government agencies, working as a frontline educator and interpreter. I actually had a job where I would write musicals and make costumes, and I would sing songs about nature. And one of them was actually where I got dressed up in like a grizzly bear scat costume with, like, a little jazz toupee, or a little like a little hat with a little swirl on top. And I sang the bear scat song. So that is sort of what my foundation is, is translating science and information in a way that people can understand it. So over time, I kind of stayed in that environmental field, but transferred into fundraising and fund development for nonprofit agencies, where I started to write grants, write fundraising letters. Learning all of the skills of direct response, but applying them to charity and having to really tap into the empathy emotion, tell stories, and get people to open their wallets. So I did that again, as I said, for about 15 to 17 years. And then, oh gosh, it was about five years ago now. I was working at a day job. I was only working part time because I still had two quite little kids, but I was commuting every day downtown, and although I don't live like a major metropolis, it was still, you know what this is like when you're commuting away from your kids. You constantly feel like you're late for everything. Like I was late to drop them off at the day home. I was late to get to work. I was late to pick them up from school, and I just felt like I was dying.
[00:08:46] Speaker1: Basically working this like a great job where I felt like I was making impact, but it just wasn't worth it anymore. And I remember one day I dropped my kid off at the day home and she was like, oh, by the way, I'm not going to be around for the month of September because I'm going back to my home country. And it was like my whole world imploded because my littlest was starting kindergarten, and I had lined up for her to, like, do this special drive and arrangement for me. And she, like, pulled the rug out of me and I bawled all the way to work. I basically walked into my boss's office and quit on the spot. And so, yeah, well, I mean, I had been percolating about leaving and trying this sort of like, can I go out on my own a little bit? And my husband was finally like, yeah, let's do this. Even if we go into debt, we need to try letting you, you know, hang your own shingle out there. So I quit, and they actually became my first client because they were like, please don't go. We created a brand new sort of position for me that was very compartmentalized. And yeah, about five years ago they were my first client. And then I started bringing on other clients local, usually through referrals and then over time joining different communities, getting involved in different group coaching programs and different quote unquote masterminds. And in their meeting a network of people and being able to work with them and invite them to work with me. So that is sort of like in a nutshell, how I became a freelancer.
[00:10:13] Speaker2: Oh my gosh, that is so fascinating. And I can I just ruin the ending here? You told me that your annual salary. Can you tell me the quote? Like how does it end?
[00:10:22] Speaker1: So now I'm making around $250,000 a year, which is practically like quadruple the like. Basically, my annual income has now become my monthly income, so. Oh my God, it's pretty crazy.
[00:10:37] Speaker2: Okay, sorry. I like totally asked that question awkwardly, but just who I am. So I also came from the nonprofit area and my last full time job, I was a PR communications director. I made a 40,000 and I mean the job before that, also nonprofit. I made 40,000. Yeah. And I loved the work I was doing. But everything you just said was so true. And then to realize as a military spouse, I was just going to leave it anyway, like there was a deadline expiration date. And I just thought, why am I doing this? I would drive home at lunch and breastfeed my first born in 20 minutes here, 20 minutes back, and I just like, what am I doing?
[00:11:14] Speaker1: It's exhausting. The mental and emotional load is exhausting, and even though, you know, we feel like we're having an impact with these organizations and agencies and they are very deserving of our time and talents. The reality is, like when you have small children, it's just so hard to make it work. And so for me, becoming a copywriter and freelancing was my way of being able to still have impact. I'm still working for very mission driven women business owners. I still have a couple of charity clients that I keep every year, and so I'm still being able to have that same impact and also an income and freedom.
[00:11:51] Speaker2: Oh my goodness, the whole shebang. That's amazing. How did you get your previous work as your first client? Did you just pitch him a package or what happened? Well, it was like.
[00:12:01] Speaker1: I can't do this anymore, I can't commute, I need to quit. And they were like, please don't quit. How can we make this work? And so I just said, well, I could work three days a week, I could work, you know, mornings while my kid is at school and I would be responsible for, for these kinds of things. I can come into the office and have a meeting with you one day a week. And so we just kind of created it also with like the intention that, like, if this doesn't work, we can, you know, say goodbye. But it worked out for a good nine months I did that.
[00:12:34] Speaker2: Oh my gosh that's amazing. So like on the spot you're just thinking of like everything it would take to keep working, right?
[00:12:40] Speaker1: I mean I probably went in there with like a best case scenario in my mind and then, you know, oh, that's so awesome.
[00:12:47] Speaker2: And then to see an age, of course, with the pandemic, this is more common. This is more attainable for a lot of us who have a position that can be remote. Now, I mean, this has showed us that this possible. So this is amazing. Okay. So I want to go back to what you said with how you help business owners like you have a heart for the small business owner. I love that I can remember being in PR and my first freelance projects were writing press releases for the little guys, and it just felt so good to help to help get their message out there. And then here you are helping with copy, and we see this as digital marketing assistants. We see this in our clients. They're handling a lot of battle having to be visible in their business. And then the struggle to write is real. It is very, very real. And I meet so many business owners who we cannot find enough writers in our business, which is like super strength if you're a unicorn and you could do this. That was kind of why I wanted you here on the show to share us some tips. You were so amazing in the work group sharing your welcome sequences. But let's talk a little bit about this writing mindset because like, why? Why are we so stuck on this? Why is this so hard for people? Well, I think.
[00:13:52] Speaker1: Because we were taught how to write in like English ten, 20, 30 or whatever numbers you learned when you were going to school. Even at university, we were taught very formal ways of writing being grammatically correct. And I think that, you know, we all probably have a little bit of like overthinking and trauma around it. Also, when you read things on the internet, you just think, you know, something sound really good, something sound really bad. You just don't you don't really know how to find your way. And then people are telling you all the time like, oh, writing is so important. It's like you have so much writing to do when you're a business owner and you have to get it right in order to have these sales. And that may be true, but it doesn't have to be hard. And for me, I used to be that person who would, like, spend hours agonizing over what to write. And even though I was a really good writer, it just took forever for me to get it done. So when I discovered copywriting formulas, which a lot of people like to frown on, I was like this whole, like new world. Like like the heavens opened.
[00:14:56] Speaker1: It was like I found this a golden key to unlock speed, creativity and sales is through these copywriting formulas. And so copywriting formulas, you've probably heard a lot of them like problem, agitation, solution, Aida, attention, interest, desire, action, the P4 picture, promise proven push. You just use these frameworks as a starting point. So when you sit down to write, you think, okay, I'm just going to use this formula, the P4, and you just start writing in that sort of formula. So picture, picture this picture. Imagine having a job where you could work from your desk and get up and throw another load of laundry into the into the laundry machine. Imagine how freeing it would be to not have to do that commute every day. Well, that's exactly what's going to happen to you when you become a unicorn with Emily Ragan. Like, so you paint that picture, you make a promise. You finish out the rest of the formula. So when I figured out all of these formulas it was like a whole new world unlocked. And so when I am working with my own clients, 1 to 1, I use these frameworks and formulas as a starting point. And then it gets finished off, polished off, and optimized.
[00:16:12] Speaker1: But even when I'm coaching smaller business owners who are working with me inside of my copy club, I help them identify which formula would be great to start with and just start like, don't overthink, just start, grab this formula and just start writing. Because once you kind of take away and clear out that noise and say, okay, I'm going to write a, B, C, and you write a, b, c, you're actually writing a little bit more creatively. You have more opportunity for innovation. And the metaphor I like to use is the whole pandemic, because when we were under the pandemic, how many innovations happened? Because we were constrained, we were locked down. But all of a sudden, all of our businesses that we were working for innovated lots of shops that we used to have to go in to get our order now offer delivery or curbside delivery. The same is true in your business and when you're writing, if you can create a constraint, you will actually innovate and write more creatively. It's kind of this weird situation where you think it's going to make your writing sound very blah, but it actually helps unleash more creativity. Interesting.
[00:17:15] Speaker2: I mean, I can see why it gives us a starting place. And I think so many people struggle with that concept of like the shitty first draft, right? Like, just sit it down, just get it out, stop editing as you write. And I never thought of it as a way that would actually make it better and innovative like you're talking about. Mhm. Interesting. So what kind of copy are you writing most in your business as, as a copywriter.
[00:17:38] Speaker1: I write basically three different kinds of copy. They're all sales copy. The first kind of copy that I write are voice guides. I'm certified Codex voice. So no.
[00:17:49] Speaker2: I didn't know that. No, no.
[00:17:51] Speaker1: No matter. It doesn't matter. So I have always had a knack for picking up voices. And I took that program just to sort of formalize and figure out, like, how do I know how to do this? And obviously that program is fabulous. And it unlocked a whole new area for me. So I typically write these voice guides for entrepreneurs of typically multi, six, seven, even eight figure businesses. And they have a very strong voice and they just haven't been able to find a copywriter who can mimic their voice. And they spend so much time going back and forth in the editing phase that it's driving them nuts. So I'm able to create that voice guide for them, that shows them how to write in the voice and keep in the sales and persuasion so that they can better hire their teams and train their own teams or work with subcontractors. So that's one service that I offer. The other copy that I write primarily are website copy and launch copy or funnel copy. I work on a 1 to 1 project basis, or I work in a retainer situation. So I have a couple of retainer clients that I work with on an ongoing basis. One I white label Facebook ad copy to them. So that's all I write is Facebook ad copy for all of their clients and for my other ones. It's anything from like challenge funnels to welcome sequences to mini launches to nurture email copy and then. Yeah, and so website copy is typically a project. We just package it out as a project.
[00:19:20] Speaker2: So which one's your favorite?
[00:19:21] Speaker1: I am in the middle of a web copy project right now, and I love it. And I love it because it gives me a chance to really dig into the business owner and pull out their magic and be able to present it back to them in a way that they didn't really know, that that's how people actually viewed them. Like we can't see the package from the inside of the bottle, right? So being able to come back to them with a like messaging recommendations and some web copy that is showing them how amazing they are. It's like this really special moment. Love it. Of course, like voice guides. I really love writing voice guides for the same reason, because I'm able to break down their voice and say, this is your voice and this is what people are attracted to you. So those two are my favorites for sure.
[00:20:08] Speaker2: Oh my gosh, that's so fun. I just love like, your big heart. Like it was always yeah, yeah. Okay, so for anyone who's listening, who is new, I know when I first heard about copywriting and I came from the journalism world like I was always a strong writer, but then this copywriting world just, like, blew my mind. I don't think I understood how much researched and how much of the process went into it. So could you just paint a tiny little picture of what that's like? It's not like Kim just sits down and hammers out a website or about page or sales page. What does your your copywriting process look like?
[00:20:42] Speaker1: 100%. And in fact, when I was like sharing how to like take, just take a framework and start writing, I was like, oh, but I'm missing this whole extra piece. So I'm so glad that you asked them. So, uh, basically between 50 and 80% of any of my copywriting projects are research. It's me researching the existing my client. It's me understanding their offer. It's me interviewing their clients. I typically interview between 3 and 5 clients of theirs to hear like, what were you struggling with when you said yes to so and so? What was going on in your life that made you realize you needed help with this? What other things did you consider? What hesitations did you have when you were saying, yes, and all of that becomes copy. So as I begin interviewing people, looking online for similar competitors or even other courses in the same niche, and reading some of the comments or testimonials or reviews that those people have, you start to see, like what's very important to those clients, and then you are able to really pick up some big themes about those clients. So for example, I have some realtor clients local, and as I was interviewing all of their clients, they kept saying, oh, they were just with me. Each step of the way, I felt like they were with me one step at a time. And absolutely. On their website we have multiple references to she was there with us every step of the way. They held our hand every step of the way because I realized that's their secret sauce and that's a huge selling feature for them and their business. So you interview your customers and clients and then you pull that into these are the pains and problems that they're having. These are the solutions. These are the hesitations. And you can tackle that in the copy within the copywriting framework that you choose.
[00:22:33] Speaker2: It's awesome. So how can a digital marketing assistant help set you up for success? So when our clients ready to, you know, hire the big gun to come in and make our copy better, what could we do that so you can do a better job?
[00:22:45] Speaker1: That is a great question. In some of the situations that I've been in with working with people's team is to help find the customers that we are going to interview to sort of make a loose introduction like, hey, you're going to be hearing from Kim, she's going to reach out to you and set up an interview. It's totally chill, you know, like just making that little casual intro. It's also getting all of the copy files. So like copying over the nurture sequence, copying over any of the testimonials and case studies that you have, copying over the existing copy that you want refreshed. So it's all of those pieces. And then also I've worked with team to deliver the first draft so often, like those eight figure business owners. Like I give them the near perfect version, but I meet with their team first to be like, hey, this is what I'm saying. Her voice is, do you agree or disagree? And they can be like, yes, this is great. Oh, she's not really gonna like that too much. So then I'm able to like, make sure it really nails it on the head by the time I present it to the business owner.
[00:23:46] Speaker2: Oh my gosh, I love that. I remember when I was working with Jennifer Allwood and we hired a social media manager who was writing her voice, and we didn't have those assets. She was 20 something and Jennifer was not, and she kept using words like inspo instead of inspiration. And I just wish she would have asked me because I would have been like, that's not her. Like, I don't want to do that job. But I can tell you that not right.
[00:24:09] Speaker1: And I think that's where the benefit of a voice guide comes in, because then you have this master document that's like, do not ever use anything that a millennial would say if you're a Gen Xer or if you're like, maybe you do, maybe you do say inspo, maybe you do say boo. Maybe, you know, you can actually articulate that so that when you have that person who maybe isn't quite at the same voice can mimic it a little bit better.
[00:24:34] Speaker2: Or, well, I'm a good xennial, so I'll like go either way. But, um, yeah, that is so awesome. And also, I learned a lot by watching the coffee writers come in and and fix our sales page, and then I would get to make the changes. And so I learned a lot in that process by seeing the before and after was always very enlightening for me. And so that's a really good, really good tips, because our marketing assistants are starting to see a future with a niche, a specialization. And I want to encourage you to start paying attention to copy. Sometimes we're checking over things. We're just making sure things are right and we see things in passing. Sometimes we have to whip together a thank you page and our client and his copy. I mean, there's this messy start up phase where you just have to be competent enough to get it out and then like, let your client queue see it. It's ultimately their business. But I want to help my digital marketing systems be better, be more knowledgeable about copywriting so they can see opportunities to strengthen our copy. And so I wanted to talk to you. You're going to share some copywriting tips.
[00:25:38] Speaker1: I've got the five C's for copywriting, which is a great way to before you sort of submit your copy to your business owner or before you press publish, it's a great way to like, just make sure you have all of these elements in place as you're going to write your copy. So the five C's is my take on what was originally called the four C's, and it's by a famous copywriter and marketer named Robert Bly. He's written a handbook on copywriting, which is actually holding up my mic right here, this one. So I always have it nearby. His four C's help you really understand how to write. Great, crisp copy that will convert. So the four C's are clarity. You want to make sure that you are clear on your offer. You want to make sure you're clear and have clarity on your audience. Like who is your one reader? You want to write clearly. You want to make sure that you're not using too many words when you could just be using a few. So just being clear on your offer and your audience. You also need to be concise. That's the second seed. When you are concise, it's encouraging you to have short sentences versus those really long sentences that so many of us have been trained, like write these compound sentences. That's great for an academic paper. It's not great for digital marketing. If you have a compound sentence, break it into two sentences and that's like, if you're like when you take this course, you're going to get X outcome and you're going to discover how to y.
[00:27:14] Speaker1: Just break those into two sentences, create some white space on the page and your copy will be more easily read. Definitely think of being concise. Kill your darlings like that where we fall in love with, like this great metaphor or great story. And you have to kind of sometimes you just have to kill those stories if they're not really pertinent to the sale. The third element that you need, the third C, is credibility. So especially when it comes to sales messaging, you need to have credibility. You need to show and demonstrate that your offer or solution works. Is there proof. This is like including logos including data points, including testimonials. So when you're reviewing a sales page or a sales email, do you have some of these credibility points on the page? The fourth C is it has to be compelling. And this is where we make it. Is it compelling to read? So are you being engaging in your writing? Are you using little, uh, strategies like emojis, GIFs, images? Are you telling story? Are you using a little bit of humor? Are you using self-deprecating humor? It's like, how do we make our writing more enjoyable and entertaining to read? So that's one area of being compelling. The other area of compelling is, are we compelling our person to take action? So often when we are writing, we forget to tell people what to do, so even on a social post, you want to have some next step which could be.
[00:28:48] Speaker1: Tell me in the comments what you thought of this post. Hit like and subscribe. Or it could be even as much as click the link to book your free call. So you want to compel a piece of action. The fifth see that I've added to Bob Bly's Fauci formula is compassion. I believe that especially today in a post-pandemic world, post apocalyptic world, we need more compassion and kindness in our copywriting. And it's sort of the foundation for being an ethical salesperson. So are you being kind in your copy? Are you showing empathy for your reader? So when you're kind of doing that pain, agitation, you're not being mean about it. You're just really being caring and compassionate about it. Are you giving people enough time to make a decision? Are you using slimy sales tactics like countdown timers that really make people get them into fight or flight mode? Like there are ways that we can just add on this sort of layer of compassion and kindness that will still create beautiful sales, and probably sales that are going to be with the right people. You probably will have fewer chargebacks. You'll have reduced churn because you have allowed people the space and time to make a decision and come into your container with you. So those are the five CS clarity, concise, credibility, compelling, and compassion.
[00:30:12] Speaker2: I love that you added the fifth one and that is so on brand for you. Yes. Sebastian Bach. And we're seeing that I mean we're seeing that in the launch phase, people needing more time to make a decision. And not this, like, fake sense of scarcity and urgency and shaming. Right? Making people feel bad. And that's not who I am. And I never want to pressure someone. But you nailed it to people who are in this like high stress situation to buy and not always our best students and clients, and we don't get the results that we want. I don't know about you, but like, I have this bleeding heart for anyone who is working with me with a course or in my membership, and I want them to succeed. Like I don't want to see it not working out for them. So I love that that also pulls in the right person too. When you come out of capacity, it's heartbreaking.
[00:31:03] Speaker1: You know, I've been in a few different kinds of communities and some where they're really more sort of soul based and some where they're more like this direct marketing approach. And I can see, like who comes into the community there, like because they were under that sort of high pressure, like excitement. This is the solution you've been looking for. This is the one size going to fit your all, and then they're not there after three months because they were not a good fit. It's because they felt pressured into the sale and it wasn't the right solution for them. So it's just heartbreaking because you put all this money and energy into your launch to attract people in. You want those people to be right fit.
[00:31:42] Speaker2: Yes. Oh my goodness, these were such good coffee tips. And I think we can, as unicorn, look over our clients email as we're formatting, as we're helping build out the pages or write the blog post. Have all of that in mind and you have a more magnetic copy. Tips for us. Tell us about your freebie that you have for this audience.
[00:32:00] Speaker1: So the freebie is like 15 pages of gold if you ask me. They are really short, snappy, and again, like if you are coming into working with a new client, you could probably just look through this magnetic copy tip checklist and see a couple of things that you could recommend to tweak right away and like, look like a rock star. Uh, it's everything from, like, how much white space you have on the page, how to make your headlines, show up, different kinds of copy formulas that you can use, how to use bullets, the rule of one, the rule of you, all different manner of tips that you can use anytime you sit down to write or you're editing something that your client might have written. So that's one way you can get it at triple w.com/magnetic. The other way you can get some really great tips is actually on my podcast, which is the Ill Communication podcast. And each episode is like 5 to 10 minutes. One tip you get one tip, one writing prompt, or one copywriting formula that's going to help you do your job better. And I think for a world of unicorns, like, honestly, I think this podcast is great because if your client says, oh, write me an email and you're like, but what about, well, you can just pull a writing prompt and write that email so you can get that also on my website CNBC.com. So I'm so.
[00:33:24] Speaker2: Excited to launch that. And a couple of times I've gotten your email and I just forwarded it to dev on my team who helps with emails like go listen to this. Go listen. That's probably annoyed me. Like just go, like, soak up all of Kim's advice because, you know, we love learning and this is such a, like, easy way to digest it. And I love that your podcasts are short. Unlike mine. Mine tend to go on too long, but I love some.
[00:33:45] Speaker1: You have some nice short ones too, I was noticing.
[00:33:47] Speaker2: Oh my gosh. Okay, so do you have advice for a unicorn who's thinking about specializing in coffee? Like what would you tell him or her?
[00:33:56] Speaker1: So I would share sort of the path that I took to feel confident in my copy skills is I have actually invested a lot of money into different kinds of copywriting training. I've taken the certification programs from copy hackers. They're copy school, which always is a great investment if you're willing to invest in that next level of copywriting. I can tell you from the clients that I work with, they are always looking for copywriters who understand that conversion element. So if you're willing to invest in that, absolutely do that. I would say read some of the great books like the Copywriters Handbook. Another great book is called Words That Sell, which is a way to like, infuse some really power words into your copy. There are so many resources out there that you can use to sort of help you elevate your copy skill, but at a at a certain point, you just got to say, okay, I'm expert enough and I'm just going to start doing the copywriting. And as you work with your clients, you'll understand the process a little bit better. You'll understand what kind of copy you like to write.
[00:35:02] Speaker1: Is it sales copy? Is it content? Are you more of a storyteller? Are you more of a sales copy person? I think a lot of us tend to like overthink in the beginning, and we're like, I need to figure it all out right now. And you don't. You actually figure it out by taking action. So when I first started, I was working with all kinds of different projects. Every referral that came my way, I would take, and I would often regret a lot of those because it was just the wrong, wrong fit client for me. But I was like, oh, this person referred me. That's like, I should really take it. But I have subsequently learned just calm down for a minute, sleep on it, and then decide if they're actually a good client for you. So as you deliver great work, people will want to continue working with you. I would say the copy school, learning how to do conversion copywriting. And if you're really interested in voice, the Codex Persona voice program is also very, very good.
[00:35:56] Speaker2: Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. We did have Justin Blackmon on the show a while ago, so I can do that, and I have sent my teammate through that to help me kind of identify my voice and be able to write for me. But this is all very meta. All the coffee tips you shared, the ones inside your freebie, the Magnetic Coffee Guide. We all can apply this to our outreach email, our portfolios, our own social, our own website. So just to say it very bluntly, like you need to know copy. If you are an independent contractor, you are a self-employed business owner and you need to be marketing and prospecting for yourself and your words matter. It's it can make a difference. What I heard Kim say was start flexing your muscle. Now just start. Just start.
[00:36:41] Speaker1: And I think to keep in mind all of those assets that you just mentioned, your portfolio, your outreach email, your website. One of the most important rules that I can leave you with is the rule of you or the what's in it for me rule. Like when you're creating your portfolio, think about it from the perspective of your client or your potential client, like you want to set that up so that you're like, do you need website copy? Well, here is some website copy that I've written before. You know, just really position it to the benefit of the reader or the client that you're trying to attract. Everything your website, your emails, put it through the lens of what's in it for the reader. And if you can't really answer that, or if it's feeling a little bit too, I do this, then I do that and I do this and I do that. It's not going to work. So definitely go back and just make sure that you've really, really understood who your reader is, what they want. And as you're messaging and selling your services, you're really touching on those points.
[00:37:39] Speaker2: Oh my gosh, that is such a good tip. Thank you for sharing that him has been a pleasure. Thanks for being on the show. I'll put the link to your freebie in the show, notes your podcast, and then where's your favorite place to hang out?
[00:37:50] Speaker1: I am dabbling a little bit more in LinkedIn, but I would say I'm most active on Instagram and like my personal Facebook is kind of where I just hang out and like, it's not business related. It's just like personal. So if you want to, like, catch up personally, meet me on Facebook. If you want a little more professional tips, head over to Instagram or LinkedIn.
[00:38:11] Speaker2: And then also, since our networks are expanding with every podcast guest, are you looking for clients? What kind of business can we refer you? Because sometimes we know that that's not a copy we want to do, and maybe Kim will do it.
[00:38:23] Speaker1: So if it's a real challenging voice, like someone who has a really strong voice, either very like strongly aggressive, you know, badass, blah, blah, you know, that kind of a voice or even someone who's really academic, real brainy, like psychologists or financial advisors have a really hard time with that kind of copy. I'm really great with those kinds of voices. Any female owned business who is making an impact and making a difference. Those are the kinds of projects that I love working on. And also I am often looking for junior writers in my own business. So if there is I was thinking about this this morning in the shower, Emily, like, if there is someone in your unicorn community who is looking for some mentorship and to start out as a junior copywriter and maybe has a bit of an aptitude for writing. Like I'm also open to making connections that way.
[00:39:17] Speaker2: Oh my gosh, that's amazing. And you're not the only one to think about me in the shower, so. Matt. All right. Thanks for being here. Kamau. Such a pleasure as always. We'll talk to you soon.
[00:39:29] Speaker1: Thank you so much, Emily.
[00:39:30] Speaker2: Hey, thanks.
[00:39:32] Speaker1: So see what I mean? Doesn't Emily seem like one of the warmest, most genuine humans online? She really, really is. You can find Emily in her amazing tips on Instagram and at her website at Emily Regen Pr.com. And of course, you can subscribe to her podcast, Unicorns Unite on all the channels. If you're a digital marketing assistant or a VA and you want to work more closely with Emily and get access to the latest marketing trends, or to upskill your services or to access an incredible job board. I highly recommend you apply to the Digital Marketers Work Group. Emily will also be hosting an info session all about how to become a VA in September, so definitely check those out. I'll put the links to connect with Emily into the show notes. And hey, if you're inspired by my story of leaving my day job to start my own business, I want to make sure you know that the doors to Summer B-School are closing July 26th. B-school is the online course I took at the beginning of my journey to help me dial in the business basics so I could build a successful and profitable copywriting business.
[00:40:46] Speaker1: Whether you're a seasoned business owner who's struggling to find clients or a total newbie, B-School is a great investment. Now, B-School only opens two times per year, so if you're interested, now is the best time to check it out. Visit shkelqim B-School. But thank you so much for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed meeting Emily and being in her energy, and I'll be back next week with a short and sweet episode that'll show you what the Rice Krispies has to do with great copywriting. Hey, thanks for joining me for today's episode. But before you go, I want to make sure you've grabbed a new tool to help you assess the effectiveness of your sales copy. It's an easy to use tool that will help you identify what's working well and what could be improved among all of the copy assets you have in your business? Grab the sales Copy scorecard right now to find quick and easy ways to improve your sales copy and boost sales. Get your free scorecard over at Kim Kilcolman Scorecard. I'll be back next week with another quick tip writing prompt or sales hack for you.
[00:41:57] See you then.
Resources Mentioned
Episode 99 - 3 tips to make business and life easier over the summer
Follow Emily’s marketing tips and latest events on Instagram
Apply to be a member of her workgroup
Check out Marie Forleo’s B-School
Additional Resources
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