One of the best lessons I’ve learned as a copywriter for creatives and as someone who is constantly switching between website copy, email funnel copy, and my own newsletter, Instagram captions, and blog posts, is to respect the flow.
I usually schedule my writing time for when I know I’ll be able to get into the flow state that makes the words stream out of me without effort, but if you’re batching content or working under a tight deadline, you can’t wait around all day. You have to find ways to get the work done regardless of whether The Muse has other ideas.
When the words just aren’t coming to you or you’re struggling to figure out where to even start, I have a couple of go-to copy kickstarters that will save your bum.
Here are my top resources to bookmark and things to do when you’re struggling with your website copy, Instagram captions, email newsletters, and blog posts.
Website Copy
DO NOT CLICK OVER TO SOMEONE ELSE’S WEBSITE. You’ll unintentionally end up with content that sounds a little too close to their voice than yours. Instead, grab a website copy template with prompts to help you work your way down the page.
Homepages are notoriously difficult to get right on the first (second/third) go-around because you’re balancing how much detail to go into, several CTAs, and incorporating images and supporting graphics. Organization and order of operations are everything. Take this homepage copy template (with prompts and a visual wireframe!) to keep you focused and ensure you’re including the essential information your homepage needs to keep your visitors on your site and get them to the page, resource, or CTA that’s right for them.
When it comes to your Services page, treat it like a sales page instead of a drive-thru menu. How you structure the page depends on the types of services you’re offering and what you want their next step to be, but more often than not, there are 6 Questions You Need To Answer To Write a High-Converting Services Page. Start here.
I rarely (actually, I never) write a website page without a Google doc wide open on the side that contains the must-have points we need to get across to our readers and the nitty-gritty information we need to work into the copy (like credentials, benefits, price, whatever and so forth.)
The About page is a weird page that isn’t really about you, rather, how your background or story or skills can be the solution to your reader’s problem (while also being personable and relatable!) It helps to take a moment to remember your bigger picture.
Find a way to revisit your core values and brand promise and remember what kind of a business you’re building. Get the clarity you need in a paced way by starting the 5-Day Brand Strategy Challenge. Every day for five days I’ll email you a video walking you through a few prompts to uncover your brand pillars. Your reward at the end of the challenge is my About Page Primer! (Sa-weet!)
Instagram and Facebook Posts
I rely heavily on pre-planned content calendars from social media experts (a.k.a. not me). I’m currently testing out Plann to batch write and schedule my Instagram feed and their monthly content calendar is AMAZING! They plan out daily prompts for Instagram stories, IG posts, LinkedIn, and Facebook and strategically weave in times to consider running a sale or market a forgotten-about product.
There are a ton of launch experts out there who offer courses and products to help you plan out your social media schedule to support a campaign but don’t go to Google to find them. I love searching Pinterest instead because 1) you can bet your booty the best content creators are using Pinterest and 2) you can quickly find and compare templates and launch guides trusted by other creatives, whereas Google is spreading a much wider net and the search results are way more generic and corporate-y. Plus, you’ll find a tonnnnn of free resources to inspire your content creation with every scroll.
I recommend creating a Pinterest board specifically for marketing ideas or copywriting tutorials. Follow me on Pinterest to find and save my always-growing library of freebies, tips, and tutorials (plus my favorite bohemian office and WFH Style pins — we keep things real around here. )
Blog Posts
I’m a bit of a post-it note enthusiast. I have an entire wall in my office dedicated to blog post ideas. To keep it focused, I took a note from my brand photographer and the Cocktails & Content Creation co-host Jessie Wyman and have one column dedicated to “Problems” my audience asks about and a corresponding row of “Solutions” I can offer in the form of a blog posts topic.
For example, one problem might be “I never know what to write about.” So I would put that post-it in the problems column and then write a new post-it called “Copywriting Kickstarters for Batching Content” and stick it next to the problem sticky. One problem might have 2-3 solutions, which is potentially 2-3 blog post ideas for you to wax poetic about.
Another idea that comes from fellow copywriter Ashlyn Carter, is to keep a folder in your notes app dedicated to “story banking”. Every time you get an idea, hear a quote, or come across an anecdote that feels relevant to your readers, type it down before you forget about it or take a screenshot. When it’s time to write your next blog post and you’re blanking on ideas, whip out your notes and scroll through your bank to find something that piques your interest or feels appropriate for the season or stage you’re in.
Email Newsletters or Funnel Sequences
There are so many ways to approach funnels and newsletters, it’s not even funny. My best advice is to start subscribing to email lists for people inside AND outside of your industry and to stay on their list for at least a few months so you can start to see how they cycle through content themes and pre-launch and launch strategies. Keep a folder in your email for each person you follow and “star” the emails you love most. Remember, the goal here is not to copy their emails, but to ask yourself why you liked it and why you think it was effective.
You can always unsubscribe, but chances are you’ll end up learning a ton about a specific skillset (email marketing, Pinterest strategy, Facebook funnels, etc.) along the way that makes a couple of extra emails a week, worth it in the end.
For example…
Join “Letters From Your Editor” for bi-weekly copywriting tips, templates, tutorials, and business advice for creative entrepreneurs.
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