​We are in the midst of a series about writing in your authentic voice and I have been sharing tips about actually executing authentic copy.
 
Today's tip about writing authentic copy is an exercise. Freewriting is super valuable and here's why: if you want authentic copy that truly sounds like you on your website, but you're not really a writer, the truth is that practice is crazy invaluable.
 
What I'd like you to do is try freewriting. Set a timer for 10 minutes, don't let your pen come off the paper, choose a topic and just go for it! When that 10 minutes is up, look back at what you've written. What sort of mannerisms do you tend towards? What sort of words do you frequently use?
 
I'm personally really lucky. I hear words in my head like a spoken voice so I can channel a voice, write it down and Bob's your uncle. But if you're not used to doing that, then practice is going to be the name of the game.
 
I am recording this video from very crazy beautiful Palm Springs, California again. That's it for today. If you're just having a call with me and seeing if we might be a good fit, please reach out for a connection call.

Did you give this tip a try? What mannerisms or turns of phrase did you notice in what you wrote? Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine! Comment below.

In the past couple of videos, we've talked about what it means to be authentic, how to know if you're being authentic and talking about some tips to actually work on execution. In this video, I'd like to give you another tip.  Watch my video or read on below...

So, today's tip is to write for your audience, whoever they happen to be. Simple tip, but the way you personally write a letter to your elderly grandmother, for example, versus how you write a letter to your best friend is different. I think we can agree on that. To make your copy readers more authentic, remember to always speak to your target audience. It doesn't matter who that audience is, it's just important that you speak or that you write to them and only them. Hold them in your mind when you're writing. When you don't remember who you're writing to, it's unlikely to read as authentic.
 
If you haven't done an exercise to determine who your dream client is, consider reaching out to me. I have a trademarked approach called the bridge approach where we do. One of the elements is to dive into who your dream client is, so that you can write in a way that resonates with them. I do free connection calls, so please consider reaching out. I'll include the link below.
 
I am a digital nomad; you've probably heard that before. Today I'm filming this video from Palm Springs, California. Believe it or not, I am up at the top of a tram way up in the hills, which is why you see so many evergreens behind me rather than palm trees. That's it for today. We'll talk to you next time!

There is no particular point to this story other than I thought you would like to hear it.

This morning I made myself a hard boiled egg, ran out of time to ensure that it was all the way hard-boiled. I was like "cool, I like soft-boiled eggs", put it in my pocket, ran to the airport, sat on my jacket at some point and filled my pocket with egg yolk.

Now I need to get on the plane. I kind of rinsed out my pocket as best I could, coated my hands in yoke and was trying to work on the computer at the same time.

So yeah, the glamorous life of digital nomad. If you think you might like to talk to a weirdo like me, about being your copywriter, reach out. I'd love to talk to you. I do free connection calls, so let's chat!

In this short series, we've talked about the importance of authenticity in copywriting. In this video, I brave the freezing snow to discuss authenticity and how to define your business' personality and what that means for you. Check it out...it's amazeballs! ​

In the last few videos that I've been sharing, we've been talking about authenticity and copywriting. We've been talking about what it means to be authentic, how you know if you're being authentic, why it matters to be authentic and how you can do it. So I'd like to share another tip in today's video.

We're talking about how to define your business' personality and how you do that in copywriting. I think a lot of people who will be watching this will probably be personal brands. Meaning that you are your business and your business is your brand. And either way, even if you're not, this might be something that you haven't thought through or given a label to, but my suggestion for you is that you could come up with three human values that represent how you want your business to be experienced.

So how can you show off these characteristics in the words that you use and in the rhythm and tone of your writing? When you have that, you now have a specific benchmark to know whether a certain piece of writing is in your voice or not.

So, for example, I like my voice to be approachable and kind of funny and casual. So when you read my copywriting, you might see me word use words like "amazeballs", or phrases like "that's my bag". I express myself in that way on purpose.

In terms of going forward, if you'd like to have a chat or if you're interested in knowing what it would be like to work with a copywriter, I do free connection calls. I'd love to tell you about how I work and hear about your business goals.

This week, I'm recording this video from very snowy Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It's pretty but
it's wet. Okay, that's it for this week, and we'll talk to you soon. Bye for now!

In this short series, we've talked about the importance of authenticity in copywriting: what it is and why it matters. In this video, I share a quick tip for actually *achieving* authenticity. Check it out! ​

So on to that tip, share a personal story. Sounds simple, right?

But let's imagine you're writing a blog. Sure, you could just share the facts. But what if you weaved in a story? It helps to humanize your brand. It helps to humanize the story. It's what connects people to each other.

So a great place to include this on your website copy would be on your about page. You'd be surprised how just adding that little bit of detail and personality can help make someone laugh, help them feel connected to you and make them feel like you are their kind of person.

Today I'm recording this video from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is not warm as you can see. Anyway, that's it for this week.

If you're interested in connecting with me as a copywriter, I'd love to talk to you. I do free connection calls. I'd love to tell you about my process and learn about what your goals are for your business. So please do reach out. Until next week, I'll talk to you then.

​Two thoughts…
 
Here's the first thought. If you've ever wondered about what it might be like to be a digital nomad, and maybe there's an ounce of not perfect truth from people who are wearing their Prada shades sitting on the edge pools where they tap on their laptops, it might actually look more like this because one of my digital nomad tendencies as I have is this awesome ability to travel around from friend to friend's house, and it's wonderful because they sort of fight over me. I don't pay rent, but I do pay in dirty dishes and screaming two year olds...which is cool because it's like test driving other people's lives. I'll do it for a month at a time and then I'll go test drive somebody else's life. Well, that's one way that dirty dishes relate to being a digital nomad or a copywriter.
 
The second thought is that sometimes the dishes are there because it means you prioritize something else. And for me it makes today working out, meditating, meeting with some new leads, doing some writing, and the dishes fall by the wayside. But you know what? That's cool. Yeah. These are the rotting dishes of success!
 
If you're interested in getting to know me a little better, if you're interested in hiring a copywriter. I do free connection calls. I'll include a link to that in the video, but let's see if we're a good fit. I'll tell you about my process.
 
That's it for this week. I'll talk to you soon. Love you!

​In my last video, I talked about the importance of authenticity. Today, I’d like to talk about how you know when something is authentic. Watch below or keep reading to find out more...

So, how do you know when something is authentic? It’s a really difficult question to answer, but there’s really only one way to know. Would you say it? You are the only person that can answer that question. You are the only one who really knows if it feels right. The funny thing is, it's contextual. We don’t walk around saying “why did I just say that? Does that sound right? Does that fit in line my life views?”

So when it comes to authenticity, it not only comes down to whether or not it feels right to us, but how its perceived by other people. And today, I’d like to talk about a tip to help you be perceived as authentic in the eyes of others.

As leaders, and I suspect that you are a leader if you’re watching this, it can be difficult to allow yourself to be imperfect. So to appear authentic to others, we need to be okay with imperfection and embrace that. Now it might seem difficult to embrace imperfection in a professional context, but in the right context, it can really lend itself to authenticity.

You know what it makes me think of, is the question that is often asked in job interviews: “what’s your greatest weakness?” And when you take that weakness and turn it into a strength, you say things like “you know, sometimes I’m pretty hard on myself, so it means I end up working pretty hard or sometimes I’m tireless and don’t know when to quit”. But if you’re an accountant for example, and you’re asked about your greatest weakness and you answer, “sometimes I get the 6 and the 9 confused”, uhh…that’s not going to bode so well for you.

So when you’re sharing your imperfections, look for the silver lining.

Today I’m filming this video from beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I’ve struggled a bit with people and noises behind me, so hopefully this turns out. But, there’s a gorgeous rainbow behind me (see, always find that silver lining!) and you can still see the remnants of it.

That’s all I want to share for today. If you’re interested in learning about me as a copywriter, I do free connection calls. I’d love to hear more about you and what you’re working on.

Until then, keep smiling. 

What does authenticity mean to you? Leave a comment below and let's talk about it. I like to keep it real and look forward to hearing from you!

So today, I'm going to start with a statement of fact. The word “authentic” is an adjective, it means something that is authentic to one's own personality, spirit, or character.
 
And here's the second fact. There's no one else in the entire world exactly like you. Combine those two facts, put them together; it means that when you are really and truly yourself, when you behave in an authentic way, it is what differentiates you from the masses.

Why does that matter? In today's world, people have more coaches, more copywriters, more financial advisors, whatever it is, you do, they have so many of those kinds of service providers to pick from that they hardly know where to start. So when you differentiate yourself, It means that you stand better chance of being picked.  

So I'm going to launch into a quick little story time here. I'd like you to imagine that it's two in the morning, your phone buzzes and it says it's your mom. And your mom's message says, “sup, dawg, you need to Venmo me like 200 bucks, plzzz”. I don't know about you, but for me, I would read that and be like, okay, a Nigerian prince has abducted my mother because that's just not how she talks. That's not authentic for her. The reason I know that is because she has a personal brand that's consistent.

And what consistency means is, it starts to build trust. When you have trust, love can come from that and from love, come sales…and we all know where sales are important.

So that's kind of a first delve into why authenticity is important. I know I've been away for a little bit. I haven't posted a video in a while, sorry about that. But I'm filming this today from steamy, steamy hot San Antonio, Texas. I'm in the historic marketplace right now. And it's a million degrees, I think it's about 37 degrees Celsius, maybe 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

I'm going to do some more videos on this and how to actually work authenticity into your copywriting.

So if you're interested in hearing about that, please leave a comment below. Quick freebie offer as well, I do free connection calls if you are interested in talking to me and seeing if we might be a good fit. Tell you what my processes is and tell me about what you're looking for. I would love to do that with you!
 
Apart from that, that's it for today.

​​On this channel, I talk about travel and nomadic lifestyle, copywriting and editing tips, of course, and some motivation and inspiration stuff. So that sort of thing interests you, please consider subscribing or leaving a comment below. 

In a recent video we addressed whether or not you can write your own copy, and the answer is yes, but we also looked at some things that you need to consider if you’re going to be doing that.

In this video, I have two more things to share about what to look out for if you’re going to write your own copy. Check them out below...

So, those things you need to look out for. After you’ve written your copy, you need to make sure that its spick and span, totally error free, no funny grammar mistakes, no silly spelling, no weird sentence structure stuff because when your client looks at that and they see mistakes, they look at it and think one of two things. They think “ooh, I’m not sure that this person is legit. They can’t afford the experts that they need. They can’t afford to have someone copy edit it or afford a copywriter.” So make sure it looks clean.

The other thing about clean writing is that it says that your message is worthy of attention. You and I both know that it is, but let’s make sure that your clients do as well.

​I am recording this video from Bolivia. A beautiful salty lake…somewhere. :)

If you’re thinking you’re not keen at making a go at it alone, why not consider hiring a copywriter? Take a look at what I’m all about. Here's a link to a free connection call if you’d like to talk to me and see what I’m all about and tell me what projects you’re working on.

Otherwise, we’ll talk to you next week. I hope everything is great with you!

Let's connect! Leave a comment below and tell me about things you're working on or share a "clean" copywriting tip of yours.

Ready to write your own copy but tortured by that damn blinking cursor? In this video I'd like to talk about getting past writer's block. Listen or read on below...

A quick three tips for you.

Start by writing as though you plan to throw it out. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Just imagine that whatever you're writing is actually going straight in the trash bin. That way the pressure comes off.

Next, if you've been doing nothing for too long, get out there for a change of scenery. Whether that means having a shower, going for a walk, calling a friend, just do something different. I'm not advocating for procrastination, but sometimes you just need to change speed to see things flow. I’m working with the assumption here that you watched some of my other videos and you really have a sense of the person that you’re writing for and speaking to that person.
 
Once you've done that, just start writing. Get something on the page. The first thing you write down doesn’t have to be part of it. Editing is an entirely separate beast. Just get some words on the page and you can fix it later.

That's it for today. Today I'm filming from beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As you can see downtown behind me there.

If you're interested in talking to me about working with you as a copywriter, I would love to have that conversation. I do free connection calls so please do reach out.

That's it for this week and we will talk to you later.

Writer's block can be so hard...but commenting below isn't! :) Maybe it's the change of speed that you need to get going on your work... I'd love to hear from you!