I wish someone had told me this about copywriting 8 years ago
Hey,
This week I got an invitation to be featured on a Leadership Coaching website. Because I don’t receive invites to this kind of thing too often, I decided to say yes and spend the 30 minutes required to respond to the 3 prompts they requested I answer in order to be featured.
The questions were…
Your bio in the third person.
What do you do differently or how is your coaching different from others?
What according to you has been the most critical thing that has contributed to your success as a coach?
I’m actually not going to share those responses with you quite yet, because that’s not the point.
Hit reply if you’d like to read my responses and I’ll send them your way ;)
Here’s what struck me:
I was, in fact, able to write strong and witty responses to those 3 questions in under 30 minutes, and feel confident enough in my writing to send it off immediately.
That may sound like no big deal, but I can assure you that if I gave these 3 questions to most of my clients, who are rockstar leaders, creators, and service providers, it would take them wayyyy longer than 30 minutes to even have a draft they’d not die for anyone else to read.
Why?
Because here’s the unpopular truth about copywriting:
It is NOT EASY to write about yourself.
Duh, right?
I’ve been writing since I was old enough to hold a yellow #2 pencil. I’ve been writing copy for my business since 2017. I’ve taken business coaching masterclasses and copywriting trainings and created innumerable articles, podcasts, courses, workbooks, playsheets and beyond. And here’s what I want you to hear…
It’s taken me this.long. to be able to hammer out words that I feel confident about sharing with the world on the fly.
It takes time, practice, diligence, and also, I’ll be frank– it takes someone with a zone of genius in writing.
I wish that when I started out as an entrepreneur, someone would have clearly told me how challenging it was going to be to put what I do into words. I’ve spent so many frustrating, head-on-the-keyboard hours beating myself up for laboring over a few dumb sentences, only to erase it all and say “f*ck it, I’ll come back to it tomorrow.”
Does this resonate, Kate?
Do you feel like you want to crawl in a dark hole whenever you are asked to submit a bio, or a description of your work, or even tell someone what it is that you do?
If so, please know you are not alone or unique. This is a universal challenge.
This is why even the most brilliant copywriters— who literally charge lots of money to write copy for other people— hire copywriters to write some of their best copy!
And if you’re wondering, here is the reason it’s hard.
You are too close to your own genius to see it clearly.
Like holding a book an inch from your nose, it's blurry and out of focus, even though it’s right there.
You are a master of your craft. It’s like breathing. You hardly even notice what you’re doing, because it is second nature to you. Most of the time, you actually assume everyone else has your gifts too, without realizing the talents and wisdom you possess are rare and unique gems.
And when asked to put that mastery into words yourself, you struggle and flounder like a cat in a bathtub.
[nod to my teacher Babs MacAfee for that phrase!]
I get it. It sucks. And this is the alchemy we get to transmute.
Here’s 3 little tips to help you not crawl out of your skin next time you’re asked to submit a bio:
🦋 Simplify.
What are you passionate about doing for your people? Who specifically do you help and what transformation do you provide? Be as clear as possible and keep it concise. The longer it becomes, the more likely you’ll include word vomit that is trying to make up for your insecurity and not actually serving the purpose of illustrating the powerful work you provide.
🦋 Lighten Up.
Have fun with it, and for the love of all things holy, please get weird and don’t second guess yourself. Be authentic in your expression. Use words you’d actually use if you were talking. Avoid molding yourself for an imagined audience and be real instead. At the very least, you’ll have fun writing it and be amused at the new arrangement of strange words you discovered to describe your genius.
🦋 Start with the transformation.
So many people begin their bio with where they studied, where they got their degree, and all their modalities and certifications they use. B O R I N G… start with your passion! Your why! Your people! Your purpose! Then, if you must, end with the boring stuff. But side note: that boring stuff is more of a CV and reads as a very stiff, formal bio. So unless that is what you intend to create and that aligns with where this bio is going, lighten up and give us info that will tell us who you are and what you do, not where you learned it all or how you do it.
I hope that’s helpful, dear one!
Hit reply and let me know how this landed, and I’d love to see a recently updated draft of your bio if you feel like sharing. Because I geek out on this stuff.
Also: did you know that I now offer copywriting coaching and writing services?
Yes indeed!
I’ve crafted some 6-week and 3-month programs designed specifically to support my folks (that's you) with writing the copy that makes them want to hide under the covers. That can include projects like
Bios, taglines, headers
Lead magnets + freebies
Sales + landing pages
Email sequences for new subscribers
Website and webpages
And beyond 🙂
If you’re looking to expand your body of work, create more prosperity with your creative genius, bring all your gifts to the table and uplevel your expression to beckon your favorite people out of the woodwork, hit reply and let’s set up a call.
You can also fill out this questionnaire and then I’ll reach out to schedule a free 1-hr Discovery Call for us to explore our options based on your needs and desires.
Let’s go!
With love from your friendly neighborhood word witch,
