How to write content that sells without selling out from Kooky Copywriter Rebecca Clark
Show up! Show up! Show up! That’s what we’re told. But sharing content to promote your business online is easier said than done.
Often we fall into the trap of feeling like it’s a waste of time because we’re not getting any results. Or the trap of feeling like it’s convoluted and we have to be someone else to get any value out of it.
I’m here to break that misconception. Yes, content marketing is marketing so the end goal is to get you sales. But you don’t have to sell out to make that happen. Here are my top 4 tips for writing content that sells without selling out.
01 Stand strong in who you are
Before you write a word or record a second of video, be confident in who you are. You want to shape your content around you and your business, not be shaped by the content everyone else is creating. I inadvertently got stuck down the hole of focusing on financial gain even though it doesn’t actually motivate me or my ideal client because I was consuming so much of that kind of content.
Knowing who you are can sound a bit vague. It is something that grows in clarity and conviction over time. I find it helpful to create a Unique Business Power document for my clients to get an idea of what they’re all about. It’s a fancy name for the gathering of some very useful information!
This document explores their ideal client (such as where they are now and where they want to be both practically and emotionally), their brand voice (including how they want to come across and be perceived) and their positioning in their community (to understand how they can differentiate themselves).
When it comes to standing strong in who you are, follow your heart. If a particular strategy doesn’t feel good to you, don’t force yourself to use it. You can show up in a way that doesn’t compromise your values while also making sales. And having some fun along the way! That’s important too.
02 Serve first, ask second
This whole business thing is a two way street. Your ideal client has a problem and you have a solution. Approach your content marketing with the same mindset of exchange. Give your audience a reason to stick around and then ask for things from them whether that’s sharing a post or buying a course from you.
Most of us are running on half full anyway. We’re under so much pressure that following an account that expects us to do backflips for them is a massive red flag. (Not that I can do backflips anyway… I could never even do a forward roll at school because I was too scared of breaking my neck so they let me just roll on my side like a sad burrito during the Sports Day race.)
With so many online businesses out there not acting with integrity, expect your audience to be wary of you. Of course they don’t want to feel duped or taken advantage of. If you can show them that you’re there to serve them (on one level for free and another level within your paid services), they’ll trust you a lot more and therefore are more likely to follow your calls to action.
This directly relates to how you structure your content. Start with the value and then transition into how they can take the next step. It will feel a lot more natural for everyone compared to an out of the gate ask.
Make sure you do ask at the right moments! As tempting as it is, I know I’ve been there, hiding in your shell and never asking for a thing from your audience isn’t going to get you very far.
03 Create genuine urgency
When it comes to turning the people interacting with your content into paying clients, urgency is one of the biggest factors. Let’s face it, if we were given forever to make a decision, we’d probably take forever (just ask Lauren who didn’t give me a deadline for this blog – oops!)
Basically, your audience has a million other things to deal with so make following your call to action a priority. You want your audience to think “I need to work with this person now because they’re perfect for me!”
A lot of people think the only way to do this is through discounts and bonuses. The problem is that it isn’t sustainable. For a sale or bonus to be special, it has to be rare. If you’re going to offer the same deal next month, the urgency disappears.
Focus on the transformation you provide and the benefits of getting it sooner rather than later to create urgency in the situation your ideal client is in. That’s more sustainable and feels less superficial.
Maybe they can’t take another month of uncompleted admin tasks or the mountain of work will topple over. Maybe it’s not worth spending another month missing their sales goals when they could make changes now and finally leave their day job. Maybe they need to put themselves first now because they don’t deserve to have to wait for proper emotional support. Whatever you offer, there’s a good reason for your ideal client to work with you now.
04 Pack it with personality
One of the biggest reasons entrepreneurs feel disconnected from their content is that it doesn’t match what’s in their head. They have an idea of what they want their message to be but it gets lost in the overthinking of the written word and the need to fill the blank page.
You really don’t need to overthink your content. Yes, there are best practices for good writing (I didn’t spend 3 years at University studying Creative Writing for nothing!) But it doesn’t shroud your personality. The essence of you is what attracts ideal clients and convinces them that you’re the one for them.
So include your sense of humour. Reference your favourite TV show. Share that slightly embarrassing story. That will help you to stand out from the competition and get your audience falling in love with you first and then what you can do for them. If you’re going to show up, you might as well show up as yourself.
What now?
The most effective content isn’t the posts with the most aesthetic photo, that took the longest to write or that uses trendiest sound. It’s the content that nourishes your relationship with your audience which is completely unique. The more you feel like yourself in your content, the easier it will be to write and the more practiced you will be at transitioning from serving to asking.
If you’d like some more advice on how to spice up your social media captions so you actually like writing them and a gift your audience enjoys reading, check out my free guide. 7 Writing Techniques for Vibrant Captions gives you simple and easy-to-use strategies for doing something different with your captions so you don’t end up churning them out in a robotic state.
Get a copy HERE or click the pic 👇
Just Remember
This is your business. Do it your way!
So include your sense of humour. Reference your favourite TV show. Share that slightly embarrassing story. That will help you to stand out from the competition and get your audience falling in love with you first and then what you can do for them. If you’re going to show up, you might as well show up as yourself.
Who’s Rebecca?
Rebecca is a quirky-loving copywriter who helps business owners to build a genuine relationship with their audience through nurture sequences and more.
I love working with business owners who are recovering people-pleasers, sensitive and empathetic. They often have the best stories to tell and have had to fight to get their voices heard. My love of writing is lifelong which is what brought me to studying Creative Writing at university and as a pandemic start up I’ve been freelancing for almost 2 years now. When your clients decide to work with you because they want the results you describe, they can only take your word for it. So you might as well make those words as effective, impactful and unique to you as possible.
Beyond being a copywriter, you’ll find me exploring London, buying second-hand books I’ll take forever to read and listening to true crime podcasts on my train journey to Cambridge to visit my boyfriend.
BUSINESS LINKS
Website: https://www.poweredupcontent.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poweredupcontent/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-clark-copywriter/