I’m in a “pinch me so I know it’s real” mode after hearing news of just how impactful this website copywriting project has been for my eCommerce copywriting client, Bonnie of Archer & Olive.

Before Bonnie’s new website launched, she was averaging around $6,000 per month with her bullet journal-style dot grid journals and sketchbooks brand (that are amazing, by the way).

After working together, her conversion-ready website helped her drive over $300,000 in revenue from October 2018 to December 2018. (That’s in only one quarter, friends!)

Those are some incredible results all on their own, but do you know what’s even better?

Archer & Olive generated $1.9 million in revenue just ONE year after working together!

With a website copywriting investment around $4,400 (not including custom add-ons and product descriptions we’ve worked on since then as her business grows), it’s safe to say this project has been a wild success based on her ROI.

So how did we do it?!

I’m excited to share a deeper look into the strategic decisions we made during the website copywriting project and how her website was intentionally built for this level of growth. Let’s dig in!

(Ready to start your own website copywriting project? Let’s work together!)

The Story of our Website Copywriting Project

When Bonnie first contacted me in July 2018, I was fully booked with other projects during her desired start date. Even though her website design deadline was already set, we both knew we wanted to work together to create something epic.

After adding a little wiggle room to my calendar, I found a way to make it work. And boy, am I glad I did! It’s turned into one of my most enjoyable and profitable projects to date.

At the time, Bonnie decided to outsource her copywriting because she was struggling to keep up with her growth on Instagram (seriously, look how cute her feed is!!) while juggling all of the other hats of running her business. Who else can relate? *raises hand*

Creating a more optimized website was at the top of her to-do list as she set goals for the second half of the year. After hiring the incredible design team at Go Live HQ (and later taking the design in-house while working with The Owls on UX design improvements), she enlisted my help with all things website strategy and copywriting.

There were a few areas on her old website that we immediately wanted to improve:

• The call-to-actions were somewhat hidden and unassuming on her old website, which didn’t inspire people to explore her site.
• She wanted to increase her conversion rate from 1.3% to around 3% (which she has demolished since then!).
• Her biggest product differentiators weren’t highlighted on her Home and Shop pages.
• Her product descriptions didn’t include all of the benefits and features of her unique product.

From there, we talked about bringing her bright spirit and infectious energy into the copy by infusing the beautiful, community-oriented brand personality she’s well-known for on Instagram. Then we geared up for the first steps of my signature website copywriting process.

__________

Bonnie’s Brand Voice

motivational / fun / organized / feminine / inspiring / warm / friendly

__________

Website copywriting case study: Behind the strategy

Before I write a word of copy, I always collect information about my client’s brand foundation (things like their mission statement, core values, and things of that nature), website goals, and brand voice (things like words they love and don’t love).

From there, I translate all of that information into a custom conversion-ready website strategy that fits their business goals. This is primarily done by creating a visual layout of how the content will be displayed once the website design is created. I LOVE when clients give me full creative freedom to create something unique to them.

By using these layouts (which I call “copy wireframes”), I can show my clients all of the strategic decisions that go into each page. After their small revisions, I get to work on creating the actual copy while knowing that we’re both on the same page. (Not meant to be a copywriting pun… oops!)

Here are some of the winning features of each page we created for Archer & Olive.

Home page

After playing around with a few different headline options from the Home page, we settled on “Less Dreaming. More Doing.” We originally tossed around the idea of having the words change so that the headline would show different variations of “Less ___, More ___”, but we decided that keeping it simple would do the trick.

The “Shop Now” call-to-action is much better than her previous website because you can tell it’s a button. Not only that, but it also includes her signature foliage sketches and design, making it stand out even more.

Knowing that Bonnie wanted to be known for the dot grid journals with the ability to branch out into other related products in the future, we found a way to highlight her signature product above-the-fold (meaning before you have to scroll on the Home page) while giving her room for additional products.

A year after our project, she has added more sketchbooks, planners, and other paper goods to her shop that give her audience a variety of options to choose from without becoming overwhelming.

We also simplified her website navigation to make the search process much easier.

One of my favorite features of the Home page is this breakdown of exactly why Archer & Olive’s products stand out. Instead of putting the features and benefits into a typical list format, we decided to create a layout that was visually stunning, easy to skim as you scroll through it, and packed with additional information for visitors who wanted to learn more.

We also included these same differentiators in the Product landing pages on the right-hand side to remind visitors of why they should purchase from Archer & Olive.

Another Home page feature that packs a punch is her email sign up form. We strategically put it toward the bottom of her Home page to ensure it didn’t distract from the main call-to-action of exploring her shop, but it also has been a great way to build her email list.

The header copy that says “Plan your week with confidence” speaks to her audience’s strongest desire when using their dot grid journals or planners. We also had some fun with the sentence “We turn Mondays into your favorite day of the week…” to approach the topic with a casual, fun flair. The brand voice matches the beautiful and playful designs you see here.

PS: Since the launch of Archer & Olive’s website, Bonnie made a small change to the Home page headline in 2020 to highlight the eco-friendliness of her products and the social responsibility of her new packaging. As such, she’s made a few tweaks to the design as well, but the vast majority of her copy has stayed the same. This shows how you can slightly update your design and messaging over time while keeping the foundations intact.

About page

One of the main reasons I decided to make room on my calendar for this project was because of Bonnie’s personal story. On her previous website, there was no mention of the true motivation behind her starting Archer & Olive. Once I heard it in her own words, I knew I wanted to play a part in helping it come to life through ghostwriting.

If this is the first time you’ve heard the term “ghostwriting,” it refers to the act of writing in someone else’s voice and publishing it as if it was written by that person. This describes most of the work I do as a behind-the-scenes copywriter, and I loved putting it into action by telling Bonnie’s story from her perspective.

The main focus of her story was to explain how journaling has made a tremendous impact on her self-discovery and mental health journey, especially in helping her manage a bipolar disorder and general anxiety disorder diagnosis. Summarizing a huge chapter in someone’s life and condensing it down to a small paragraph isn’t easy, but it’s the kind of challenge I really love. We both were so happy with the final product!

But before we launched into her personal story on the About page, we chose the headline “Your journey to self-discovery starts here” to inspire her audience and entice them to continue reading. Since Bonnie sees journaling as a self-discovery tool, it allowed us to put the focus back on what really matters.

We also added a “Customer Care” and “Our Mission” section to address her audience directly, letting them know they’re in the right place and promising they will receive the same quality service they put behind their quality products. At the very end of the page, you’ll see what I call “summary blocks” that include three different page options so people who are browsing through her About page can find what they need.

The Future of Archer & Olive

Since our website copywriting project, Bonnie has not only seen explosive growth in her revenue and pageviews, but she’s also been able to confidently launch new limited edition products and artist collaborations.

I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with her on creating copy for many of these launches, writing everything from poetry-inspired Instagram captions (like this and this) to email newsletters to new product descriptions.

So, when I say I love being a long-term strategic partner for my clients, I clearly mean it. *wink*

Thank you so much for reading this in-depth website copywriting case study! There are so many more stories I could share from this incredible project that’s continuing to evolve, but let’s shift the attention to you for a moment.

If you have been:

• putting your website copy on the back burner
• struggling to sound anything like yourself
• focusing on the design rather than your messaging

… let’s chat!

I take on a selective amount of custom website copywriting projects each quarter so I can give clients my full attention. You can start by learning about my services or telling me more about your project.

The post From $72k to $1.9 Million: A Website Copywriting Case Study appeared first on Sindie.

Any time I had a new business idea during class, I’d write it down in a special notebook so I could spend my nights outlining my thoughts after speeding through my homework.

I may not have realized it then, but there was always one thing my mind envisioned before anything else: the new brand’s website.

I never went on to start any of those businesses (which is a relief after looking back at some of those early ideas!), but I channeled that initial entrepreneurial passion into a website copywriting business I still run today.

In the last four years, I’ve worked with nearly 150 website copywriting clients. As such, I can confidently say there are a few website copywriting tips that are true for most Home, About, and Services pages.

As I open a new round of my website copywriting program for entrepreneurs—taking my former custom copywriting process and turning it into a guided program—I wanted to share some of my favorite recommendations that you can quickly implement into your own website. 

My primary aim is to make website conversion and SEO strategies more user-friendly (and a lot more fun!), so let’s dig into the basics of why each page is important and the simple updates you can make that will make a world of a difference for your lead generation.

Improving your Home page 

I like to think of Home pages as the “central hub” of a business since it’s typically the most viewed page on a website. When someone types in your domain name in their search bar, they’ll be greeted by your Home page. 

Making a positive first (and lasting) impression on this page is your top priority.

Here’s how to make sure you properly welcome new visitors into your brand’s website.

Start with a clear headline

Wow, a website copywriter telling you to write a great headline. Shocker! (I’m not usually great at sarcasm since it goes over my head, but I think I nailed it this time. Right?) But seriously, your headline is really important. It’s one of the first elements of your Home page that a new visitor will notice and (hopefully) read.

There’s a science to creating a great headline, and it goes a little something like this:

• Do introduce what you offer (specialization) and who you offer it to (ideal audience).
• Don’t forget to include your differentiators (what makes you unique).
• Do include a targeted SEO keyword (but not if it makes your headline hard to read).
• Don’t make it overly wordy because it needs to be concise and clear.

You will most likely need to write multiple headlines before you write one that feels like a great fit for your Home page. I usually write 10 on the lower end and 20-30 on the higher end when I suggest headlines to my clients. That may seem like a lot, but your first headlines aren’t always the best options (trust me!).

I also like to keep a list of headline options on my phone’s notepad app so I’m able to write them down whenever I have inspiration. When you’re ready to determine which headline you want to use, ask a few trusted friends for their favorites and, if needed, test a couple of variations on your website with tools like Hotjar and Unbounce.

Give a direct call-to-action

It always surprises me when I go to someone’s Home page and I don’t see ANY information about what action I should take next. I see this most often with massively talented photographers and designers who feature beautiful slideshows of their work BUT they don’t include information on how to contact them or what to do if you’re interested in booking them.

Your Home page NEEDS a direct call-to-action. This isn’t a nice-to-have element; it’s an absolute must-have. An example of a call-to-action would be to visit another page on your website, fill out your contact form, sign up for your email list, or anything else that fits your strategy. You get the idea!

Your Home page is one of the only pages where having multiple calls-to-action makes sense. However, you’ll want to include them in a strategic order. We talk all about this inside my website copywriting group program, which you can sign up for and learn more about here.

Include visual interest

Now that you have a headline and a call-to-action that fits, you’ll most likely want to pair them with a stand-out image, graphic, or illustration that draws your audience’s eye and gives it that extra oomph.

I’ve recently been a HUGE fan of custom illustrations on client websites like NY Book Editors and JETLAUNCH. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that I hired my brother Zach Hollatz to create icons and illustrations for my own website redesign in late 2018.

You can also create your own graphics inside free tools like Canva or use free stock photos from sites like Unsplash. If you’re looking specifically for diverse stock photos, I have to plug my friend LaShonda who does amazing work with Eye for Ebony.

When possible, I recommend budgeting for brand photography and lifestyle sessions. They’ve increased my professionalism and complement my copywriting oh so well. I’ve worked with Carly Lavigne Photography, Kristen Dyer Photography, and Meghan Swanson Photography—all of whom I adore!

Add pathways for each offer

Each person who comes to your website will have a different set of goals, priorities, and problems they’re looking to solve. With this in mind, you’ll want to use your Home page as the main place where people can easily find where they need to go next.

Most of us offer more than one service or product (which I highly recommend so you can diversify your business model), so linking to targeted landing pages will help you better connect with each ideal segment of your audience. Then people can self-identify what they need help with as you direct them to the website page that best fits their needs.

When you create this pathway strategy, think about what services you want to offer and who is the ideal client for each one. What do they need assistance with? What pain points are involved? What kind of solutions are they interested in? What does solving this problem ultimately do for them? All of these answers can help you create better pathways on your Home page.

Offer a lead magnet (or freebie)

Many people like to use their Home page as a way to build their email list. Once someone becomes an email subscriber, you can directly communicate with them and provide educational content that helps you build brand trust. While your website captures your audience’s attention for a few seconds or minutes, your email marketing will keep it for the lifetime of their subscription.

It may seem like every brand is trying to grow their email list, but that’s because this strategy works! In order to stand out, you must give your subscribers something of immense value before signing up. You can do this by including an email sign-up form on your Home page that connects to a lead magnet. These freebies can include worksheets, ebooks, quizzes, email courses, video trainings, and more.

If you are looking to offer lead magnets and start your email list, I recommend Flodesk for beginners who want to design beautiful emails and increase their open rates, and ConvertKit for experienced content creators who want access to advanced features. I have used both products and LOVE them!

All of these tips will give you a great start on your Home page, but let’s talk about your About page next. 

Refining your About page 

Most people will say About pages are the hardest to write. 

This is usually because they hate talking about themselves, but in a minute, I’ll tell you why this no longer needs to be a fear.

About pages give us difficulty because it needs to somehow tell your entire brand story in a memorable way while staying incredibly concise and clear. Oh, and it has to grab your audience’s attention and get them excited enough to explore the rest of your website. That’s no easy feat!

If you have been struggling with your About page, here are a few website copywriting tips you’ll want to follow.

Don’t make your About page all about you

This same website copywriting tip is true when you write content for the rest of your website pages, but it’s especially true for your About page.

Let’s visualize this for a second. Imagine that someone just heard about your brand through a conversation with a friend. They don’t know much about what you offer, so they visit your About page to learn more about your brand. If all they see is a close-up headshot of you with a long bio that only includes personal facts about you, your audience won’t know how that information relates to them. 

It’s better to begin your copy by addressing your ideal audience member directly. Then, you can focus on sharing the bigger “why” and mission behind your business in a way that deeply connects with their values. At this point, they’ll resonate enough with your messaging to be interested in learning more about you through a personal bio.

Add at least one headshot of you

People want to work with other people, not faceless logos. Don’t be afraid to show your face (and smile!) on your About page. I recommend selecting a personal headshot where you are looking directly at the camera. This instills a feeling of trust, authority, and confidence.

If you want to add other lifestyle or branded photos to your About page, you have complete freedom to do so. Lead with a close-up headshot and then sprinkle the other images throughout your page. It’s a great way to infuse your personality.

For professional brand photography, I recommend looking at Laylee Emadi Photography and Julia Mary Photography (who is local to Minneapolis) for inspiration. They do a fantastic job of capturing the person behind the brand while visually communicating their brand story. For another example, my About page features a personal headshot with a few Polaroid-style photos toward the middle that’s a perfect fit with my style. 

Make sure your mission statement is clear

Much like your Home page, your About page will need to address the mission of your business. A mission statement is one of the most important pieces of copy you will ever write because it acts as a short brand summary.

You can use your mission statement on your website, digital and print marketing materials, or even edit it for your social media channels. It can also be used as your elevator pitch at networking events.

Here are a few things you’ll want to include in your mission statement: 

• Who you are (brand development)
• Who you serve (audience)
• How you help them (positioning)
• What you offer (specialization) 
• Why they should care (differentiator) 

If you want to learn more about creating a mission statement, I’ll teach you exactly how to write one inside my free CopyCPR email course, which you can sign up for by clicking here. I even give subscribers the opportunity to send their mission statements to me for personal feedback. It’s so much fun!

Internally link to your core Services pages

This is a BIG opportunity that many creative entrepreneurs are missing. It’s usually because they don’t know how beneficial it is to use this easy yet effective SEO strategy.  

Internal linking simply means that you are strategically adding links to key pages throughout your website. It tells search engines like Google that this page is important and relevant to your audience. (You can see how I did this by looking at my About page which links to my Website Copywriting and Content Creation services. Just promise me you won’t go crazy and link to every page on your website after reading this. Only choose one to three max links for your About page.)

I’ll save you from confusing SEO jargon (you’re welcome!) and briefly end this section by mentioning that internal linking will ultimately help you strengthen each page and your overall website’s performance in search. If you want more SEO tips, you can read this beginner’s guide to SEO.

Include some personal fun facts

Your About page is the perfect place to infuse more of your personality into your copy. What you decide to share as a “fun fact” totally depends on your brand. Some fun facts may be more of a fit than others, so I recommend coming up with a master list of commonly known (and little-known) facts about you that will dazzle your website visitors. Then you can narrow down your favorites to feature on your About page.

Are you obsessed with binging crime documentaries on Netflix? Do you volunteer at an animal shelter in your local community? Do you always have a stash of candy by your desk? Do you know how to clap with one hand and want to tell people about it? (Just me? Okay…)

The best part about sharing these fun facts is that it will personally connect you with your audience. I’ve received emails from people in my community who really liked learning about my self-published poetry collection and the bible verse that guides my business among other things on my About page. Start collecting those facts and enlist your friends’ help if needed.

Strengthening your Services page

When written in a strategic way, your Services page will become one of your best money makers as a service-based entrepreneur. Inside your Services page, you’ll need to outline the packages you offer and who they are the best fit for.

There are also a few more things you’ll want to include, which we’ll talk about now with these easy-to-implement website copywriting tips.

Mention the benefits before the features

It’s cool if you talk about how each client will get three 1:1 coaching calls with you and access to a private Facebook group, but no one cares if you haven’t talked about what they’ll actually get from working with you. This is the difference between leading with a feature and a benefit. 

What is it that your audience wants? Is it more clarity, confidence, rest, peace, or something else entirely? Once you understand the benefits that you can offer new clients, make sure you create specific messaging around what results you can help your audience get through your services.

For example, if you help people gain more clarity, is it the kind of clarity that will revolutionize the way they set health goals or will it help them clarify their roadblocks to creating a healthy routine? The more specific you can be, the better.

Re-introduce yourself

There might be people who come to your Services page who haven’t seen your Home or About page. You can’t assume that people know all about who you are and what you offer. 

Here comes the tricky part. You need to give a brief summary of this information on your Services page in a way that adds something new for the people who have already visited those pages BUT doesn’t alienate the people who have only seen your Services page.

As a website strategist, I help my clients understand where they should introduce themselves and how to do it in a meaningful way that doesn’t distract from their message. When you get it just right, everything flows so smoothly.

I handle this inside the group program for my clients, but for now, I’ll say that it’s usually best to re-introduce yourself between the intro copy and your service package breakdown. (To see an example, you can look at my Services page.) This is an especially good idea for people who are writing longer Services pages. 

List every deliverable inside your service package

This list should include all of the tangible features and intangible benefits as we talked about in a previous section. You want to make sure that every visitor understands exactly what’s included inside each package. 

When listing these deliverables, it’s usually best to put them in a bulleted-list format so it’s easy to scan. You might want to emphasize the important details by bolding or italicizing them in the list. You can play with how this looks on your own website. Make sure you adjust your deliverables list if you make changes to your package later on.

You can also assign a monetary value to each deliverable that adds up to an amount that’s higher than the total package investment. This makes your audience feel like they are saving money while getting access to really valuable add-ons. This is by no means required, and sometimes people take this way too far (like saying something is worth $4000+ but they’re selling it for $97…), but it can be a good tactic for some entrepreneurs.

Make it easy to contact you

This might feel like a simple recommendation, but you’d be surprised how many people launch a Services page with no mention of how to contact them. We can’t let that happen to you.

There are a few different strategies you can take, depending on the call-to-action you choose:

• Fill out a contact form and receive a personalized email reply (what I personally use)
• Schedule a free discovery call through a calendar scheduling tool 
• Sign up for an email list and receive an investment or pricing guide

If you choose the first option, you can include buttons to your Contact page, but you may also want to embed a contact form at the bottom of your Services page. This is so people don’t have to click another button in order to give you their information. It takes one more step out of the process which is optimal when we talk about website conversions!

Make sure you’ve completely outlined your sales and onboarding process so you can thoughtfully choose the best call-to-action for this page. 

Highlight your most important FAQs

Even the most well-written Services page won’t answer every single question your audience member has. When this happens, it’s best to include a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section. You can include questions about your process, timeline, project calendar, work philosophy, and so much more.

If your Services page is already pretty long, I typically recommend putting a FAQs section on your Contact page or a separate page you can link to. This is where it helps to have a website strategist on your side to help you make these kinds of decisions, hence my group program! (You knew that was coming, huh?)

If you want an experienced website copywriter and strategist to guide you through a proven process to write website copy with better results, apply to be a part of the next round of my group program!

The post 15 Expert Website Copywriting Tips for Every Page appeared first on Sindie.

With a winning SEO strategy and personality-infused writing, Allison of AllieMarie Design and I created website copywriting that sells Allison’s visual branding services an autopilot while connecting her with ideal clients that are pre-qualified and willing to wait nearly a year to work with her.

Since Google now generates 80-90% of Allison’s client leads through targeted organic search (which means we haven’t used ANY paid advertising dollars!), she is able to book visual branding projects 9-12+ months in advance after implementing her new website copy.

In short, her website SEO is definitely working for her!

Allison went from feeling burned out as she tried to constantly attract new leads (some of which didn’t fit her ideal client profile) to creating a full client waitlist. Her client projects are more rewarding than ever, and she’s never felt more secure, confident, or respected as an independent designer.

The results sound wonderful, but how did we get there?

That’s what I want to dig into for the rest of this client story. I thrilled to see how Allison’s website copy has increased the profitability of her business while giving her more time to focus on partnering with ideal clients she loves. I know the same results are possible even beyond the graphic design industry. 

Here is an in-depth look into how we approached Allison’s website copywriting.

The story of our website copywriting project

After meeting Allison on Instagram in 2016, we became fast friends over hot chocolate (for me) and a vanilla latte (for her) as we talked about our experiences in running a one-woman business.

At the time, Allison had been in business for over three years and was working her way toward sustainability. She enjoyed some of her ongoing design work, but after seeing her wide grin and high-spirited expressions when she talked about her visual branding projects, it didn’t surprise me she wanted to shift more of her attention toward brand design.

When we decided to work together on new copywriting for business, there were a few things to consider:

• Allison didn’t want to work with only one industry in order to be successful. Without a traditional niche, she struggled with how to create targeted messaging that would still speak to her ideal clients.
• Allison is one of the most attentive, organized small business owners I know, but there was nothing in her copy that articulated the time and care she put into her client process.
• With her focus being on the website’s design (and rightfully so!), she hadn’t thought about which keywords would give her the most SEO value before we worked together.

Our solution was to create SEO-optimized website copy that felt like a having a casual conversation over coffee with a friend. We wanted to highlight Allison’s welcoming and warm personality while weaving thoughtful keywords into her copy in a natural way.

__________

ALLISON’S BRAND VOICE

warm / welcoming / collaborative / knowledgeable / understanding / friendly

__________

Website copywriting for graphic designers: Behind the strategy

I have a pretty unmistakable love for all things website strategy! I love bringing it to life with the tangible result of copywriting, but my mind totally geeks out in the strategy stage.

As I prepared Allison’s new website strategy, we agreed to pull inspiration from two of her taglines that still felt like a great fit for her brand. Because she likes working with “small businesses with big hearts” and creating “happy, thoughtful, inspired designs”, it was easy to find a place to fit these taglines into her About page and Services page.

Speaking of her website pages, here’s an inside look into how we wanted to utilize each page of her new website (which you can see has been brought to life here):

Homepage

Our primary goal with the Homepage was to keep the copy concise yet powerful. We decided on a two-column layout so it would match Allison’s minimal design.

We used Allison’s tagline in the header and all of the body copy points to the main call-to-action, which is a button to learn more about how to work with Allison. Since we want every Homepage visitor to land on her Services page, this was an easy choice!

About page

I usually recommend writing a more client-focused introduction before introducing the business owner on About pages, but we tweaked out strategy a little because Allison didn’t want to target only one kind of entrepreneur. Instead, we decided to create a bulleted list of the types of businesses she likes to work with so they still feel like they are in the right place.

We collaborated on a proper bio for her About page, detailing the heart behind her business, how she got started, and a deep look into her professional experience.

To give the page even more personality, we added the “On a Personal Note” section so visitors can get to know Allison before they hop on a consultation call. She laughs now about how much clients ask her about her study abroad trip to Paris and mutual love for Gilmore Girls.

My favorite part of her About page is absolutely the Core Values section. With short blurbs of copy, we set the tone for what prospective clients can expect from the collaboration while infusing some of Allison’s inviting, fun personality in between. Concise copy is my jam, so this was a really fun section to put together!

We ended the About page with “My Promise”, which builds the visitor’s confidence in Allison as a designer, collaborator, and business owner. It’s the perfect final touch before directing people toward the rest of her website.

Services page

Our main goal for Allison’s Services page was to not only highlight her visual branding skills but also educate visitors on the true value of quality brand design. Letting incoming client leads know that building a brand encompasses more than a logo design was incredibly important for Allison.

After educating visitors in the introduction section, we decided to reintroduce Allison on this page in case someone came to the Services page before they visited her About page. Since Allison’s business is named after her and she is the main point of contact, it was crucial for us to highlight the face and personality behind the business.

Before digging into the specifics of Allison’s signature design process, we wanted visitors to self-identify themselves as a good fit or not by setting expectations in a casual, light-hearted way.

Then we introduced her offerings along with a more in-depth look into her process. Clear call-to-actions were placed throughout her Services page so people could easily find what they needed (like the contact form, investment guide, or other materials).

After almost two years, we haven’t had to make ANY tweaks to this page and it still drives the majority of her contact form requests, meaning that it is successfully converting visitors into client leads.

After our website copywriting project

Not only does Allison feel more confident in her messaging and website than ever, but she’s also been able to create a waitlist of clients who are willing to wait almost a year to work with her.

Even though Allison is in a highly saturated industry with other brand and website designers, she can confidently stand out in the crowd, knowing her website copywriting educates and sells her visitors on why she is the right choice.

Investing in website copywriting gave her a solid foundation that she can build her business on for years to come. With every new offering she launches, she returns back to the strategy and copywriting we created in early 2017 to guide her overall messaging.

Here’s what Allison had to say about our website copywriting partnership:

“Working with Kayla on my website copy was nothing short of dreamy. She gracefully led me through her thoughtful process from start to finish, taking the time to listen to my needs and dig into the heart of my business, and then turn everything into beautiful writing that speaks directly to my ideal clients and has a clear strategy behind it. My brand voice has never been as strong, polished, and “me” as it is now, thanks to Kayla’s brilliance and love and talent. Since working with Kayla, I have received inquiry after inquiry from small businesses who found me via Google – talk about marketing on autopilot! When you work with Kayla, you’re in the best of hands.” – Allison of AllieMarie Design

Are you ready to invest in website copywriting to attract and convert the right kind of leads while keeping your brand voice intact? Let’s talk today about your vision and see if my signature website copywriting process is a good fit for you!

The post Website Copywriting Portfolio Spotlight: AllieMarie Design, Graphic Designer appeared first on Sindie.

I hardly even knew what it was!

My website was more of a passion project than it was a business at that point. When I decided to leave my full-time job three years ago, I had to approach my website differently.

Instead of just writing as a creative outlet, I became more serious about my own website copywriting. I had done some copywriting work for Fortune 500 companies at a PR firm for a while, but this was a whole other beast.

When I transitioned into offering only website copywriting and content creation services, I decided to redesign my website and rethink my own keyword strategy.

Just shy of two years later, I cleared my browser cache and searched for my top four keywords. To my surprise and delight, I was the top result on Google for ALL FOUR of them. No wonder I was getting most of my client inquiries from Google.

All of this is to say that SEO has revolutionized my business (and no, I’m not just saying that because I’m a website copywriter). I know it can do the same for yours.

Let’s talk about why SEO matters for your business too.

Why your website needs to be optimized for search engines

The great thing about optimizing your website for organic search engine traffic (which refers to traffic you don’t have to pay for – score!) is that people often go to Google when they are making a purchasing decision, or at least are considering to make one.

Visitors who turn to Google for answers have a higher probability of converting because they are already actively searching for a solution, so you have an opportunity to provide them with one.

You’ve probably focused more of your time as a small business owner crafting the solution you want to offer rather than optimizing your website to better display and provide that solution.

Don’t worry, that’s why I’m here!

As a creative entrepreneur myself, I’ll break down this seemingly confusing topic in terms we can all understand. While knowing the jargon of SEO can be helpful, it’s better that we put it into language that helps us take action on what we’re learning.

What is SEO?

You’ve probably heard this term a dozen times before, but what does it actually mean? SEO, which is short for search engine optimization, simply means improving your website in order to increase its visibility in search engines.

Let’s use a real-world example. When you type in a keyword or phrase into a search bar, you expect to be provided with a list of the top resources on your topic of choice.

Have you ever wondered how Google decides who gets the top spot? It’s all through SEO!

You’ll often hear people talk about SEO when they say their goal is to get to the #1 spot on Google. This is the most coveted spot in all the land so it should be a goal for all of us.

As you climb toward the top of the SERP (which stands for search engine results page), you increase not only your website traffic but also your credibility. Google is very committed to giving its users the best suggestions and recommendations which is why they take website optimization so seriously.

Anything Google cares about, we should care about!

This is also a good time to say that while Google is not the only search engine out there (I’m looking at you, Bing, Yahoo, and Ask Jeeves… which is somehow still around), it’s the one I’ll be using throughout this series. The other search engines work similarly so rather than constantly say search engines, let’s keep it simple with Google.

Okay, back to the good stuff. Now that you know what SEO is and why you should care about it, let’s talk about the kinds of things Google is looking for. It’s the best way to make sure Google hooks you up with the right visitors.

What search engines like Google are looking for

Before we dig in, remember that Google exists solely to create a great user experience for the people who use the tool. The better their experience is, the more likely they will be to come back and use Google.

This is important because Google depends on traffic to their search engine for advertising. Seeing as they are the number one most visited website on the internet, I’d say they are doing a pretty great job at providing a good user experience. #understatement

Since we are focusing on what search engines like, let’s talk about a few key factors you will want to include in your own search engine optimization strategy.

Relevant evergreen website content

Jargon alert! This definition is thankfully really simple to grasp. Evergreen content is content that stays relevant no matter what time it is consumed. It’s not time-based, like an event recap blog post or a special limited-time offer, so you don’t have to worry about your content going out of style in a few months.

Your website should be built on the foundation of evergreen content. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t create short-term website pages (which are often called landing pages) with specific timing in mind, but you won’t be focusing on building SEO value with those. Why is that?

SEO is all about improving your website’s performance for the long term. This is why we want to focus on creating evergreen website content that is strong all on its own. We can do this in a few ways, namely by introducing keywords which we’ll talk about next.

Sprinkling keywords into your content

We’ve talked about the beauty of reaching the first page of Google results, but how do you know if you’re doing this whole SEO thing right? It starts with keyword research. Without the right keywords, you’ll be spending time on optimizing for the wrong things.

I have a much more in-depth blog post on keyword research in this blog series, but I’ll give you a little teaser for now. When we think about keywords, let’s assume that you’ve chosen an industry you want to work in and people you want to work with.

Once you have done your own keyword research, which sounds a lot more difficult than it actually is, you can start to weave those keywords into your website copy. Here are a few good places to weave them in:

• Title tags: Before you click into a website from a Google SERP (stands for search engine results page), you’ll often see the website page title tag first. This is because it is the largest text shown on the SERP and is usually colored in blue (unless you’ve clicked on it already so it’s purple).
• Meta description: Underneath your title tag in the SERP, you’ll see a small summary of text describing what the visitor will find on your page. This is what we call a meta description. Place relevant keywords into your meta description, but make sure to weave them in so you don’t get close to keyword stuffing territory.
• Headers: In your website building platform, you’ve probably seen the Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 options. These features aren’t there just to make your website look pretty. Headers are also a great place to squeeze in some extra SEO value with your keywords. Make sure you have one in there, as long as it is readable and easily digestible.
• Body copy: This refers to all of the content you create in the body paragraphs of your website and blog posts. Instead of listing them all in a row, try spreading them out throughout your content. It may take a little time to get used to it but you’ll start including them in your content instinctively in no time.

Good user experience

There’s that “user experience” term again. It just keeps popping up everywhere! The more you dig into SEO, the more you’ll hear about this term so it’s a good one to understand early on.

User experience refers to, you guessed it, the overall quality of a visitor’s experience on your website. To make a lasting impression, you’ll want to create a good user experience from the get-go.

Here are a few factors that go into a good user experience:

• A well-organized website navigation and overall website structure.
• ONE clear call-to-action (like subscribing to your email list, buying a product, signing up for a consultation call, etc.) on every website page.
• Easy-to-read text formatting with headers, styles, etc. (because no one wants to read a wall of text… not even Google bots)
• Big, bold images to break up your text and add more visual appeal to your content.
• Making sure you don’t frustrate your audience while they are scrolling through your website (like making all of your internal page links open up in a new window… that drives people nuts).

A good user experience doesn’t stop there but this list gives you a good starting point. If you’re still unsure of where to begin, think about the kinds of things you like on other websites you regularly visit. Chances are those things are also appealing to your audience.

If you want your blog to be focused on your quality content, keep the design minimal with no sidebar. If pop-ups turn off your subscribers more than they convert, don’t have them on your homepage.

It’s worth it to continually improve your user experience, so your website traffic and conversion will keep climbing, thanks in large part to Google when you do it right.

Understand how SEO can improve your website traffic

Naturally, there are more than three things that search engines like but this gives you a good foundation. If you are still interested in learning more about SEO, more power to you! This will be an incredibly influential area of your business marketing because the tweaks you make today could provide you with lifetime value.

SEO is all about the long-term strategy so don’t worry about getting it all done in one day or even one month. Any website copywriter and SEO strategist will tell you that it takes time to optimize your website.

With that in mind, here is the next thing you can learn about SEO: Keyword Research Tips from a Website Content Writer

The post What is SEO, and Why Should I Care as a Small Business? appeared first on Sindie.

Maybe keyword research feels daunting and overwhelming, or maybe it makes you feel like you need to get an MBA before you dig in. None of this needs to be true.

SEO is known for being a mysterious industry. This is mostly because it has to do with competition, and the easiest way to reduce your competition is to stay quiet about the optimization tips and tricks you know. But that’s not how I roll.

Today I’m showing you a behind-the-scenes look at how to do basic SEO keyword research for your website.

Everything learned I was from DIY efforts so I’m confident that you can learn in a similar way if you don’t mind a little experimenting. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know it’s my method of choice. *wink*

I’ve also found success through my own DIY efforts. In a relatively short time (about a year or so), I ranked #1 for four of my desired keywords. While this result may not be plausible in all industries (like for attornies and insurance agencies – uffda, sorry!), it’s still incredible to see how a few minor tweaks can help you grow your online presence long term.

I want to help you become best friends with Google because of your SEO.

So let’s dig into a fairly simple four-step approach to keyword research that will help you discover what keywords are worth focusing your attention on.

(Have you read my post on the basics of SEO? If you haven’t, definitely read that first and then come back to this one to put what you’ve learned into action!) 

Step One: Brainstorming relevant words and phrases

Let’s use the example of a wedding photographer that is based in Minneapolis. Since I’m from Minnesota, you’ll see a lot of examples based on my location because, well, it just makes sense. You can still use the same advice no matter where you are located or even if you have a primarily online business as I do.

Anyway, back to our wedding photographer. Let’s call her Becky. If Becky is looking to improve her website’s SEO, her energy is best spent trying to figure out what her ideal brides are already searching for.

The first thing she needs to have nailed down is who her ideal client is. This is a good first step for any small business owner. Becky has found that she really loves capturing Millennial couples who are interested in a rustic or farmhouse wedding theme. Traditional chapel weddings aren’t really her thing, so she wants to focus on clients who want outdoor weddings.

We’ll come back to these specific details in a bit but all of this information will be really helpful. For now, we know who her target audience is. From there, she can move on to creating a list of words that are associated with her industry. “Wedding photographer” naturally comes to mind first, but she can keep going with her list.

Becky will probably come up with a list that looks something like this:

• minneapolis wedding photographer
• wedding photographer st paul
• wedding photos mn
• wedding photographers mn

This is a great place to start! As you create your own list, we can move on to the next step.

Step Two: Preliminary SEO keyword research on Google

Now that you have a list of words and phrases that are specific to your industry, location, and audience, we can start doing some preliminary research. Let’s start with Google’s built-in search function since it is a user-friendly place to start.

If Becky is looking to do some basic research on what brides are searching for in her area, she can go to Google and start typing in key phrases to see what auto populates. It will show her some pretty fascinating results.

She first starts with “wedding photographer” and here is what comes up:

After taking a look at this, she can see that “wedding photographers mn” is a strong keyword since it is near the top. She also has it on her original list of ideas so it’s a match.

Now she tries another key phrase from her list. This time, she finds even more interesting results:

Wow! It looks like when people are about to search for “mn wedding photographer”, they are looking for photographers who are affordable and have services under $1000. Becky didn’t have these on her initial list so she’s glad she checked.

If Becky’s pricing is around $1000 or less, she would want to include more of these popular keywords because it’s a great and relevant fit.

However, like many of my own wedding photographer copywriting clients, Becky’s pricing is higher than $1000 because of the value she provides her clients well beyond their wedding day. She won’t want to use these popular keywords with the words “affordable” and “under $1000” because she would attract the wrong brides.

(Side note: Are you starting to see how this all comes together? We haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet and we already know a lot. Okay, let’s keep going.)

Step Three: Getting more specific with your SEO keywords

Look back at Becky’s initial list of key phrases in Step One. You may be thinking “Wow, they all seem pretty basic.” You’d be right. While these popular phrases are searched for frequently, we’ll want to focus more attention on how to make Becky’s website stand out to her ideal brides.

We can do this by taking her original list of keywords and getting even more specific. This is where the fun part comes in!

Remember how Becky liked shooting weddings that have a rustic or farmhouse look? Many of those types of weddings take place in barn wedding venues. Keeping this in mind, she starts searching for a few different combinations of keywords.

She types in “mn barn wedding photo” but only one option comes up: “barn wedding photography mn”. This tells Becky that she should choose “barn wedding photography mn” over “mn barn wedding photography”.

Even though both options have the same combination of words, the placement of the words is SUPER important. It’s smart to choose the auto-completion keyword because that is what brides are already searching for.

(Pro tip: It would also be smart for Becky to create relationships with barn wedding venues and other wedding vendors who help brides create a shabby chic look. This will help Becky stay in front of brides who already match her style as wedding vendors refer her work and vice versa. You can borrow the same approach for your website.)

Take a moment to create your own list of specific keywords. You can start with the key phrases you wrote originally and break them down into words that describe your process, experience, style, or any other factor that helps you sell what you do.

If you are a designer, you can start playing with keywords that describe your unique style (minimal vs. romantic), a color palette of your choice (neutral vs. neon), or client type (startup vs. agency).

If you are an online course creator in marketing, you can experiment with keywords that describe your teaching style (video course vs. email course) or topic of choice (Instagram photo styling vs. Instagram caption writing).

Spend some time in this phase! You may just stumble upon a list of keywords that connect you with your ideal client sooner than you think.

Step Four: More advanced SEO keyword research

We can learn a lot by looking at Google, but our work isn’t done yet. Let’s get back to Becky. Since she wants to start implementing keywords like “mn wedding photographer” and “barn wedding photography mn” into her website as soon as possible, she decides to look into a more robust keyword research tool.

You can do your own keyword research through the Google Keyword Planner (which is only available for people who run Google ads), Moz Keyword Explorer (10 keywords available each month with a free account – highly recommend!) or even Answer The Public.

There are so many options to choose from so let’s just look at one. I really love the Moz Keyword Explorer so we’ll use that for our example.

As Becky types in “mn wedding photographer” and hits search, she is greeted by numbers and graphs she doesn’t quite understand. If you feel the same way looking at these results, don’t worry! You’re not alone.

Let’s talk about what each piece of jargon actually means in a language we can all understand.

• Volume: Volume refers to how many approximate users on a monthly basis are searching for your desired keyword. Because there is no data here, it means that it is too low for their tool to measure. We can infer that it’s because of the specific location (Minnesota in this case) in the keyword. If we used a more general keyword like “wedding photographer”, we would see the monthly volume dramatically increase. Keep in mind that the higher the volume, the more competition you’ll usually find.
• Difficulty: The keyword difficulty score ranges from one to 100. The higher the number, the more difficult it will be to compete with other service providers who are already ranked for the keyword. Moz recommends that new businesses start with keywords that are at a maximum of 20-30 range for difficulty. As you grow, you can continue to optimize your website for stronger keywords where there is more competition.
• Organic CTR: Click-through-rate (or CTR) shows how likely a keyword is to convert into organic web traffic to your site. The higher the organic CTR, the better chance you have to have someone click on your website if it’s on the first page of Google. It’s 100% here so score! (By the way, organic web traffic is any traffic you don’t have to pay for, which is my favorite kind. *wink*)

After looking at the results from the Moz Keyword Explorer, Becky feels confident in using “mn wedding photographer”. Although the monthly volume numbers didn’t show up because of her location, the difficulty score is around the range she is shooting for and she loves the 100% organic CTR likelihood.

Now it is your turn to try a few of your SEO keywords!

The post Step-by-Step SEO Keyword Research: Tips from a Website Content Writer appeared first on Sindie.

Good things come to those who wait, right?

Let’s just go with that.

I’ve been receiving SO many sweet emails from aspiring and new copywriters who ask me to mentor them or at least give them some tips on how to get started.

I always respond back, but sometimes I’m so flattered that I hardly know what to say. I’ve been answering emails and DMs privately for months now, but I wanted to start creating more a public resource for people who want to get started with freelance copywriting.

I decided to take five questions that I’ve received from different people through private messages and make my responses public so everyone can benefit.

Joyce: How do you get past the fear of putting yourself out there as a new freelance copywriter?

Before I began working as a copywriter, I published weekly blog posts for three years. Before that, I was sharing my (sometimes angsty) poetry online for hundreds of thousands of readers on a Tumblr blog. (If you look hard enough, you’ll probably find it… happy hunting!)

I mention this because it would be easy to say, “Well, I’ve always been good at sharing my work”, but it wouldn’t entirely be true. I had years of practice writing for myself before I ever thought about writing in someone else’s voice. This kind of practice is invaluable for writers.

That’s why I always recommend new copywriters spend time building and writing for their own personal brand before they start writing for others. This is how you’ll discover your style, build your expertise, cultivate a community, and start laying the groundwork for a successful business.

The more you understand the nuances of your own voice, the more skills you’ll have developed for writing in someone else’s voice. Your ideal clients will be the people who already resonate with the style of your voice, but they will bring a different tone, story, and mission that is unique to them.

To get past the fear of putting yourself out there, start cultivating your talent behind-the-scenes and share your work publicly. Just get started where you are and with what you have!

Faith: What is something you wish copywriters knew before becoming copywriters?

I would shout this from the rooftops if I could. Start detaching your value and worth from your work as quickly as possible. Seriously.

This piece of advice may seem odd, but when you work as a copywriter, clients will constantly be critiquing your work. Even the most talented copywriters receive edits from clients. It’s a part of the job, but it can be hard for some of us who are sensitive to criticism (like me!).

My friends and family know me as a highly sensitive creative who reportedly came out of the womb seeking approval. Maybe you can relate to feeling hyper-sensitive to the thoughts, emotions, and comments of those around you. But it doesn’t have to keep you from building a profitable, sustainable copywriting or freelance writing business.

The reason I recommend taking your value and worth out of your work is that you can’t go into a client project expecting perfection. This self-inflicted pressure is usually why most new copywriters either quit or never get started.

Be proud of the work you are producing, but don’t put your whole identity into it. Take it from someone who did and went through the roller coaster of a lifetime. I want to save you from that wild ride!

Helena: Where have you found most of your clients (outside of referrals)?

This is one of the most common questions I receive in my Instagram DMs! Here are some of the places I’ve been able to find clients. Some of them may surprise you!

• Good ol’ Google: Most of my client leads now come from Google, which is wonderful because that means my site is #winning at SEO. It’s also been a great selling point for my copywriting services because clients can see I know a thing or two about using keywords. *wink*
• Instagram Stories: Yes, that’s right. I’ve met some of my favorite clients not from my Instagram feed but instead from my (sometimes goofy) Instagram Stories. I share videos that show who I am, what I’m working on, how I’m building my business, and what a day-in-the-life looks like (even though it’s not glamorous at all). I’ve had a few clients say that my Instagram Stories sealed the deal when they were looking to work with a copywriter.
• Local groups and masterminds: When I had a consulting business, 95% of my work came from online relationships. Now it’s a little more 50/50 or 75/25, depending on the month. This is also great practice as you start to tailor your elevator pitch. The more you know how to sell what you do (in a non-icky way, of course), the better!
• And yeah, the rest are referrals!

Kelly: What are your best practices for choosing ideal clients?

Most people recommend niching down to a specific industry, which is a great move for copywriters who want to stay really specialized. It’s not good to be a generalist, but I’ve learned it’s okay to work with people in different industries, too.

Take me, for example. My most ideal clients are usually people who are visual creatives (like photographers, designers, artists, etc.), but I happily work in other industries too. I have a background in working with tech and SaaS companies, which I absolutely love throwing into the mix.

I’ve also found that working style and communication has a LOT more to do with how “ideal” a client lead really is. Too many of us focus on niching down in an industry rather than niching down audience characteristics. Both are important, but there’s always some wiggle room.

I learned quickly that I like working with people who are hands-on in the vision and voice development process, but who can also be hands-off when it comes to the actual writing process. I like to collaborate on items upfront, and then I like to be left alone to do my thing. It’s not a style for everyone, but that’s the point. It works really well for the right people, and that’s how I find the right clients.

I’ve had clients that say my month-long website copywriting process isn’t long enough since they are used to working with agencies that have a three month turnaround time. That’s fine! They just aren’t my ideal clients. The same goes for client leads who say my process feels too simple. It’s been streamlined for a reason!

Listen to what your client leads are asking for and see if it aligns with how you work. What you write is important, but I’ve found that the relationships and communication behind the writing can matter even more when you’re in the copywriting business.

It’s about the tangible product and the overall experience, so keep tweaking it until you find people who fit whatever your best work environment looks like. It takes some practice, but you’ll get there.

Read More: Digging Deeper Into Your Ideal Client Profile 

Obi: How did you determine what your copywriting style is?

I love this question! I often tell this story to new copywriters I mentor. When I was transitioning my consulting business into a copywriting business, I wondered if anyone would resonate with my style of writing.

Everyone around me seemed to fall into two categories of copywriting: (1) feminine, romantic, poetic, Mary Oliver-type copy or (2) sassy, explicit, in-your-face, no-BS copy. There didn’t seem to be an in-between at the time, so I definitely was an outlier.

I wasn’t overly witty or charming. I didn’t cuss, but I wasn’t necessarily super buttoned up and professional either. Instead of feeling like there wasn’t a market for my style of writing, I looked at the success of my blog as an indicator that other people loved what I was creating (which is another reason to write for your own brand first!).

To determine your copywriting style, you first have to accept that it won’t (and shouldn’t) look like anyone else’s style. If you try to emulate the way someone else writes, you’ll start to cultivate a style that doesn’t even feel like you. And who wants that?!

You will probably find that your style has aspects of different styles. For instance, my tone is very warm and welcoming (which I consider to be my “Minnesota Nice” charm rubbing off) but it’s also concise, purposeful, and story-driven. Oh, and I throw in a few goofy side notes to add some personality to otherwise educational, helpful content.

It’s a style that works for me, and I’ve been able to find 40+ clients (and counting) that it works for too. You’ll also be able to find a market for your style. Just keep cultivating your voice!

Record yourself speaking, ask your friends and family to look over your copy to see if it sounds like you, create your own writing project, find accountability partners as you begin to write, take yourself through your own brand voice development process… the possibilities are endless!

The post Ask a Copywriter: Freelance Copywriting Q+A with Minneapolis Copywriter Sindie appeared first on Sindie.

While I adore blogging (heck, it’s how I got my start), I decided at the beginning of Q2 to pour all of my energy into my copywriting and content creation clients. After transitioning from brand strategy coaching to copywriting, I owed it to my clients and myself to streamline and perfect my workflow.

I fell into what I’m calling my “perfect flow” of client projects pretty quickly. Much of the credit goes to my incredible clients who have given me the opportunity to work on some remarkable projects.

Rather than simply updating my copywriting portfolio, I thought I’d highlight some of my favorite projects of the quarter and tell more of the story behind each. Let’s dive in!

Website Copywriting: Tribe Photo Co.

The story behind our website copywriting project

After Richard, the founder of Tribe Red Leaf Studios, found me on Instagram (no, seriously!), we immediately connected over our love for poetic content and intentional community building.

I had the opportunity to collaborate with Richard and his team to create copy for the new tribephoto.co website, which launched last month as a brand extension of the renowned Tribe Red Leaf. It’s been one of my favorite projects to date! Since then, we’ve also created some blog content and additional copy for their marketing materials.

What I loved most about our website copywriting project

I’ve never had so much creative freedom in a single project, something I am deeply honored by and grateful for. Richard believed in my poetic voice from the beginning and gave me full reign to craft website content around the adventure of being an indie photographer intentionally lost in the woods.

Oh, and I wrote all of the copy on my patio looking out at the lake while surrounded by trees. Can you say dream job? I was in the zone the whole time.

Blog Ghostwriting and Content Creation: ConvertKit

The story behind our ghostwriting project

Continuing with projects I’ve been honored to work on, the Product Creation Masterclass project I worked on with ConvertKit was no different. I’m not shy about my love for ConvertKit, my long-time email service provider and now copywriting client.

When Darrell, the previous lead of Business Growth at ConvertKit, came to me with a ghostwriting project that would become their biggest affiliate driving offering yet, I said a huge YES to working together. Together, we created 20 full-length lessons (we’re talking 1.5-2k words each) for subscribers who wanted to learn exactly how to build their first digital product in 30 days flat.

What I loved about our content creation project

Besides working with a highly-motivated, extremely inspiring team of entrepreneurial spirited members, I loved that the Product Creation Masterclass led to an ongoing opportunity to write for their blog, Tradecraft. Cheesy, I know, but when I work really well with a client, I love having the chance to keep working together. It’s one of the major highlights of what I do.

Launch Sales Page Copywriting: Holly Meyer Design

The story behind our sales page copywriting project

As a copywriter, it should be easy to find words to explain how much Holly Meyer means to me but alas, I cannot. Holly has been my client since the very beginning when I solely partnered with small businesses as a brand strategist. I helped her quit her day job to pursue her visual branding business full-time, and she invested in me when I transitioned from coaching to copywriting. I’m convinced that business owners who grow together, win together.

Back to the project before I get overly sappy. I recently had the chance to write sales page copy for Holly’s preassembled brand suite shop launch, Brand Provisions. We infused her personality into every section of her copy. My words have never looked more beautiful since they’ve been paired with her brilliant designs.

What I loved about our sales page copywriting project

Saying I loved everything probably isn’t specific enough, is it? In that case, I’ll say my favorite thing was how effectively and quickly everything came together. From contract to first drafts to launch, we were up and rolling in less than a month! This must be what happens after working with one another for over a year. #winning

Various Content Creation

One of my favorite things about what I do is collaborating with heart-centered small businesses to create ongoing content for their blogs and newsletters. Nurturing these ongoing client relationships is my greatest privilege.

Looking at the list below, you’ll see there’s a HUGE variety in the topics I cover for clients. And yes, I really do like it this way. Here’s a sneak peek at the work we’ve produced together in Q2:

ConvertKit

You probably noticed ConvertKit made the list twice. It’s been a joy to work with their team on an ongoing basis after finishing up the Product Creation Masterclass.

How to Make Your Freelance Services Stand Out on Your Website

How to Set Your Rates for Your Freelance Services

How to Make Your First $1,000 as a Freelancer

ThinkSEM

Back when I was an online marketing n00b paying my dues in college, I interned with ThinkSEM. The company’s founder, Clint, encouraged my passion for entrepreneurship from the beginning. Now I work with them with them on a freelance basis and it’s so rewarding. The blog content we create together ranges from responsive web design to conversion rate optimization to SEO.

7 Ways to Double Your Website Traffic Through Social Media

Sidebar or No Sidebar: The Battle for Higher Conversions

Pretty vs. Performance: How to Choose a WordPress Theme for Lead Generation

Claire Dobson

Along with Holly Meyer, who I mentioned above, Claire and I have worked together since the beginning of my business. She was actually my first client EVER, and thankfully we’re still collaborating like champs today. Together, we worked on her Insta-Success course sales page and a select few blog posts to beef up her content strategy. We’ll have even more content for wedding professionals coming in Q3 so stay tuned!

5 Quick Steps to Seriously Optimizing Your Instagram Profile

How to Get the Right Brides on Instagram to Book Your Services

3 Ways to Feel More Confident as a Service Provider on Instagram

Courageous Creativity

I met Anung Vilay, the founder and apparel designer behind Courageous Creativity, years ago at the Minnesota Bloggers Conference. She became one of my first ongoing content creation clients when I transitioned out of coaching. We get to create heaps of adventurous content for her introverted audience, including a 5 lesson email course on learning to say “no” intentionally.

Finding Your Footing: An Introvert’s Journey Through Career Building

5 Real Ways to Purposefully Say “No”: An Introvert’s Manifesto

10 Excuses to Overcome in 2017

Kristen Dyer Photography

I had the pleasure to collaborating with Kristen Dyer to create blog, email newsletter, and social media content for the launch of her Motherhood Sessions around Mother’s Day. She graciously leads our local Minneapolis chapter of TuesdaysTogether where we met. Here’s a sample of our work.

…And that’s a wrap!

Can you see why I was okay taking a minor step back from the blog this quarter? I can’t wait to share with you next quarter what other projects I’ve been working on behind-the-scenes. Until then, follow along on Instagram and Twitter for project updates, copywriting inspiration, and some silly Boomerang videos.

The post What Launched in Q2: 2017 Copywriting Projects Recap appeared first on Sindie.

As a refresher, here’s a quick recap of what we covered in the last

• What is a lead magnet? A lead magnet is just fancy digital marketing jargon that can be defined as the offer you’re giving an email subscriber for signing up for your mailing list.
• 5  starting lead magnets and content upgrades for business owners
  • 01 // Email course
  • 02 // Video training
  • 03 // Interactive quiz
  • 04 // Ebook
  • 05 // Email challenge

Let’s continue the list of lead magnets below…

06 // Audio series

Okay, so maybe being video makes you shift in your seat and writing isn’t really your thing. If this sounds like you, creating an audio series could be a great fit. Think of it as a mini podcast you’re creating around a specific theme or subject.

Your audio clips can be as short or long as you’d like. They can be interviews with other business owners or people in your target audience, or solo episodes with you and the microphone. Get creative!

Examples: Before I created the #createlounge podcast (which is currently on a break), I created The Power of We Audio Series which featured 10 interviews on different community building platforms with entrepreneurs I adored like Mariah Coz, Melyssa Griffin, Sarah Morgan, Maya Elious… so many! Of course, the queen of audio series will always be Danielle LaPorte – I really loved Fight for Your Joy.

07 // Printable checklist

If you’re short on time or resources, creating a checklist can be one of the easiest lead magnets to make. This does, however, mean that a lot of content creators have created pretty low-quality checklists.

Because most subscribers have likely traded their email address for a checklist that was less than helpful in the past, add a preview of what’s covered in the checklist so subscribers know what they’re signing up for. This goes for any of the other lead magnets too.

Examples: I love how Caitlin Bacher’s Facebook group checklist is ultra-helpful and unique, as well as Emily Bank’s checklist on how to DIY your brand.

08 // Worksheets or Workbooks

How have we gone this long without talking about worksheets or workbooks? This is another great lead magnet, especially for subscribers who love a good pencil and paper brainstorming session. It’s the best kind of adult homework.

You can also create digital worksheets and workbooks with fillable forms in PDF form! I’m lucky to have a few designer friends in Minneapolis who are going to be showing me exactly how to do this at our next mastermind meeting so I can’t wait to use this feature more. Woo!

Examples: I have a few collections of worksheets from Finding Your Ideal Client to Becoming a Social Media Hero, but I need to give a big shout out to my branding designer, Allison Hall, for creating the most comprehensive Branding Workbook I’ve seen yet.

09 // Community

Of course, this is one of my favorite lead magnets of all! For my entire first year of business, I helped creative bloggers and entrepreneurs build dedicated tribes around their brand.

That combined with my third year of hosting the #createlounge community means I can confidently say that communities are a proven and purposeful way to build your email list.

Examples: Rather than take up more space gushing about how much I love communities (seriously, I could do this all day), you can see this post from the archive which highlights 7 of my favorite Facebook groups.

10 // Printable or digital art

Who does love a good wallpaper or cute print? These are often highly successful lead magnets because subscribers feel like they’re getting something they can hold for free.

Are you a designer? Create a monthly themed phone or desktop background. Are you a calligrapher? Create a hand-lettered print subscribers can download, print, and hang in their home office. Have fun with it!

Example: I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated solely to phone and desktop wallpapers. Yes, I know I’m a writer by trade, but I love all of the pretty designed things. Plenty of these wallpaper creators use their digital art as a lead magnet for their email list.

11 // Calendars and spreadsheets

If you think in a more logical and strategic way, outlining calendars and creating spreadsheets could be a great way to help your audience make sense of their goals, finances, and beyond.

I got over my spreadsheet-phobia when I found I liked compiling social media analytics (who knew?) at my previous PR agency job, and ever since then I haven’t been able to get enough of them. It’s likely that your audience feels the same way.

Are you a coach? Create a strategic calendar that can help subscribers plan their week or month ahead. Are you a financial planner? Create a budgeting spreadsheet that helps subscribers track their expenses. Again, have fun with it!

Examples: My most popular post to this day includes a Social Media Calendar Template which is a simple spreadsheet to help others create a plan for their social media marketing. Another spreadsheet I love is from Iyanna who helps you price out your offerings – so useful!

12 // Resource library

Do you find yourself having a hard time choosing a lead magnet? Well, I’m happy to say you don’t have to! If you want to create multiple resources that I’ve listed here, think about creating a private library for subscribers. It’s best to keep your library password-protected so it feels exclusive. #VIPstatus

Another great thing about creating a resource library is that all of your content can be accessed in one place, meaning your subscribers don’t have to opt-in in different areas of your website to download, watch, or listen to what they want.

The best libraries are those that are frequently updated and well-stocked so while this may take some time to build up, it’s a great opt-in for your general email form.

Examples: I’ve always admired how well-stocked Melyssa Griffin’s resource library is with all kinds of resources on different subjects throughout her years of transition. My friend Melanie of My Billie Designs also has a resource library full of out-of-this-world branding and graphic design resources.

I hope these lead magnet ideas help you build your email list as a creative entrepreneur!

The post 12 Types of Lead Magnets to Attract (and Keep) Email Subscribers: Part Two appeared first on Sindie.

First, what’s a lead magnet?

I’ll tell you!

A lead magnet is just a fancy marketing term that is defined as the offer you’re giving a subscriber for signing up for your email list.

Lead magnets can be placed anywhere on your website. I’ve seen lead magnets in header banners, blog posts (commonly called “content upgrades”), About pages, pop-ups (which aren’t my favorite but I digress)… the list goes on.

Why are so many business owners using lead magnets? Isn’t it a lot of extra work?

Well, yes and no.

It does take extra time and effort to put together lead magnets but it’s for good reason. Here’s a few of them:

• Lead magnets entice subscribers to sign up more than age-old sayings like “sign up for updates”. #yawn
• Lead magnets show that you’re willing to go above and beyond to freely give your subscribers the best, most relevant information you can offer.
• High-quality lead magnets often lead to high-quality experiences, which subscribers love.

Pro tip: You can decrease the amount of time you put into creating lead magnets by going through your blog post archive or old notes and piece together content you’ve already written. When you approach the subject(s) from a fresh perspective, the content is just like new!

When I speak at networking events and conferences about email marketing, I often hear business owners say they don’t offer lead magnets because they’re worried subscribers are only after one thing.

I get it. I started out in that same camp, worried that by giving my audience a freebie, subscribers would take the content and run. And I was right.

Some subscribers were only interested in the one-time download, but most were looking for a way to connect. By not offering lead magnets like my Copy CPR email course or my brand voice style quiz, I could be losing out on a chance to make not only a lasting impression on new visitors but a lasting connection, too.

Let’s talk about the types of lead magnets that can attract AND keep your subscribers engaged. I have a dozen of them below to help you get started as soon as today.

01 // Email course

Email courses are all the rage, especially for business owners who are trying to build a passive income stream for their business. Email courses may sound fancy, but really it’s a simple collection of automated emails that are meant to educate and activate your audience. Think of it like mini blog posts you’re uploading into an email series (called a “sequence” on ConvertKit).

Within all the great educational content, you can also add in soft and hard pitches for your main call-to-action, whether that’s to purchase your paid course, workshop, ebook, or even give a nod to your services.

I love using ConvertKit, my email service provider, to automate these email courses so after I write and upload all of the content, I’m done. It’s as simple as pressing the “publish” button!

Examples: Last month, I launched my Copy CPR email course to help entrepreneurs write the copy on their websites, but here are two others I love: Claire Dobson’s Instagram Secrets course and Anung Vilay’s Getting to Your No course (okay, I’m a little biased since I was the ghostwriter behind both of these courses, but it still counts! *wink*)

02 // Video training

Take your educational content one step further by creating an incredibly helpful video training. Through video, you can share step-by-step tutorials, give a backstage look into your creative process, and allow your audience to connect with the face behind your brand.

If you’re a designer, you could teach lessons on how to pick your color palette, choose the right fonts for your brand, or build an inspiration board using Pinterest. If you’re a photographer, you could teach viewers to find their perfect Instagram filter, take photos with the rule-of-thirds, or choose a flattering outfit for their session. The sky’s the limit so get creative!

If you’re wondering what you should create a video training on, think about what questions you’re commonly asked by subscribers and your social media or blog audience. The best video trainings are those that answer questions people are already asking about!

Examples: Regina of byRegina is constantly creating some of the best video trainings I’ve seen in the blogging industry, but this free 2-hour presentation called Serious Social is seriously awesome.

03 // Interactive quiz

This lead magnet has been my most successful lead magnet EVER, and I’ve tried quite a few lead magnet types. Why? I think it’s partly because everyone loves a good Buzzfeed-style quiz and because it helps visitors feel like you truly understand them.

I use Interact Quizzes for my lead magnet and cannot recommend their platform enough, especially since it automatically adds all subscribers into segmentations in ConvertKit. #swoon

I was able to get my quiz, along with all of the personalized email series for each quiz personality, up and running in about 6 hours. It was the biggest hit of my relaunch last month!

Example: You know what’s coming next. *wink* Feel free to test out the Interact platform and start brainstorming with what you can do with interactive quizzes by taking my own on Finding Your Brand Voice Style. Fun, right?

04 // Ebook

When most business owners think about creating a lead magnet, the first form to come to mind is usually an ebook. While it may seem like ebooks have been around forever, I’ve seen a few entrepreneurs use them in really genius ways.

The freedom of an ebook is what makes it special. You could create an ebook on lessons you’ve learned in your industry, how-to’s, personal storytelling on your experiences, roundup advice from other entrepreneurs, or tips on just about any subject.

If you naturally feel confident with writing or feel like you have a bigger story to tell, an ebook may be a great lead magnet for you. Start with writing the content and then bring the same amount of intention into your ebook design.

Example: I wrote an ebook lead magnet for my previous homepage called Blog to Biz on 20 lessons I learned from, you guessed it, using my blog to create a full-time business. Another example I love is from A Branch of Holly who took this a step further and created a digital magazine, Blogging Breakthrough, for her subscribers.

05 // Email challenge

An email challenge is the sister of an email course, meaning it has a similar format but the action is a bit different. Instead of solely educating your subscriber as you would in an email course, you’re also inspiring them to take action with a challenge.

“Challenge” is an action word, meaning the word alone inspires subscribers to sign up and opt-in before you even explain what it is. Can you tell I love me some copywriting magic?

What about the length of an email challenge, you ask? I usually recommend no more than 7-8 prompts because when challenges are too long, participation drops significantly, which then leads to more unsubscribes. #TheMoreYouKnow

Example: There are many email challenges out there but here are a few from people I love: Allyssa Barnes’ 7 Day Blog Boost challenge, Jess Creative’s 5 Day Amp Up Your WordPress challenge, and Erika Madden’s 21 Day Brand Impressions Detox challenge. That’ll keep you busy!

The post 12 Types of Lead Magnets to Attract (and Keep) Email Subscribers: Part One appeared first on Sindie.

Email marketing is arguably the most effective and sustainable marketing platform for increasing lead generation, connecting with your ideal clients and raising your conversion rates.

If we take out all the online marketing jargon in that sentence, it simply means that your email list is the best way to share content that is going to attract and entice your people to take an action.

While it’s obvious we can’t (and shouldn’t want to) ignore email marketing, it can often feel like just one more piece of content to create.

Because so many of us are creating weekly blog posts, regular podcast episodes, live and recorded YouTube videos, social media content, or all of the above, email marketing can often fall to the bottom of our overflowing to-do list when in reality, email marketing should be your first priority.

Surprisingly enough, I didn’t like email marketing when I first started blogging.

I know, kind of a weird thing to admit now as a copywriter and content creator, but it’s true.

Email marketing and I had a love-hate relationship, and I was experiencing way more of the latter.

So what changed?

After about four months of trying six different newsletter formats and designs as I grew tired of everything I was experimenting with, I decided to go back to what really mattered: the words.

I spent too much time worrying about if my newsletter banner photo was going to look pretty on mobile devices or if I was creating the best roundup of links in my industry, but my audience didn’t care about any of those things.

My early subscribers traded their email address for an inside look into my blog and business through storytelling.

The same is true today.

I thought when I first started my email list that I had to emulate what other bloggers and small business owners were doing.

Maybe you feel the same way starting your own email list as a budding entrepreneur.

As you start to create your email marketing strategy, you’ll encounter countless myths about what it takes to truly grow your email list. Let’s bust those myths together, shall we?

Myth 01 // Your goal should be to get as many subscribers on your list as possible

This is wrong, so very wrong. The problem with the mentality is that not everyone who lands on your site is going to be a great fit for your product or service.

If your email marketing strategy is to get every single person who comes in contact with your brand on your email list, it’s going to be very hard to sustain.

This will become difficult once you grow your email list beyond 1,000 subscribers. Why? Because you’re going to have to start paying to send emails to each subscriber, even those that will never convert.

While I love my extended family dearly, I don’t try to get them to sign up for my email list.

They aren’t entrepreneurs who need help with content marketing and copywriting so they’ll never buy from me. This is totally fine, but it’s better for them to follow along with my journey on other free-to-view platforms like my blog or social media.

When you first start your email list, I know getting to that “sexy” goal number of subscribers seems like the most important thing, but your future self will thank you for being specific and niching down.

Myth 02 // Your newsletter design is more important than your newsletter copy

I used to get SO caught up in design, which was dreadful because while I’m quite gifted at words (if I do say so myself!), my design skills are mostly based around aesthetic, not execution. *face palm*

Because I started in Mailchimp, I felt like I HAD to have a great design my subscribers would ooh and ahh over, but it never felt complete.

When I made the switch to ConvertKit, my current email service provider and one of the loves of my (business) life, I gave myself permission to ditch the design and focus on my strong suit.

Every email sequence, email course, and single newsletter I’ve created since then feels like a perfect fit.

My subscribers didn’t care about the typography in my newsletter banner (although Comic Sans is always out of the question).

They just wanted to hear from me, so my newsletters had to reflect that.

I now use what I like to call a naked email template.

I know it sounds a little scandalous, but it just means that there are no design elements (aka text only). Just words and maybe a few links.

While this may not work for every business owner or for every industry (see Free People’s beautifully designed emails), you shouldn’t feel like you can’t get started on email marketing until you’ve created the “perfect design”.

You have what you need to get started right now. The process begins when you put words on the page (or hiring a ghostwriter who can make it look like you did! *wink*)

Myth 03 // You need to have a new content upgrade or lead magnet with EVERY blog post

When I first started blogging in 2013, you were considered an overachiever if you created more than one 500 word blog post a week and had a regular article promotion schedule on social media.

Now it seems like everyone is told you need a blog post, audio recording of the blog post, unique content upgrade, multiple social media promotion images…

No wonder my friends entering the world of online business right now are overwhelmed! I would be too.

One of the most common things I’m asked about content marketing is if you need to have a separate lead magnet for each blog post in order to increase your email list.

My answer is a big “heck nah!”

Don’t get me wrong, having fresh lead magnets like downloadable PDF checklists and mini ebooks is a great way to attract new subscribers, but too often I see this myth discourage business owners from creating content at all.

Instead, when you’re first starting out, create one lead magnet a month around a general theme that relates to your services or products. Then you can intentionally plan your blog content strategy around the content upgrade so it can naturally fit into multiple blog posts.

More bang for your buck!

The post 3 Myths on Growing Your Email List as a New Business Owner appeared first on Sindie.