“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

I recently came across this quote in The Storyteller’s Secret (which you should absolutely check out for yourself) and although I had heard it before, it struck me in an entirely new way. 

Because at the core of so many of our businesses is not the desire to deliver a one-and-done project that pays the bills. No way. It’s so much deeper than that. It’s the desire to invite someone into an experience that makes them feel special and seen while doing something we love.

And having worked with clients across a whole lot of industries, one of the similarities that come up in clients’ responses to the question—why do you do what you do—is that they want to connect with their clients and create a personal experience throughout the time spent working together. 

But how the hell do you take the desire to create a soul-filled, high-level, somewhat boujee, and absolutely personalized experience and translate it into your copy?

How do you tap into the core emotion of your passion and connect it to your dream clients’ desires?

1 – Be Authentic 

This is such a buzzword lately, but I think there’s a valid reason why: we’re sick and tired of BS. And we’ve gotten used to seeing a lot of it, which means we are also great at detecting it. 

You can sense, almost immediately, when you watch someone’s video or get a pop-up, whether or not that person is genuine. There’s a vibe that comes across and a big part of that vibe is whether or not someone is being authentic.

Don’t be afraid to be your freaking self because when you aren’t, people notice (even if it’s subconsciously). And when they feel like they don’t trust you, what you share won’t resonate because their guard is up. 

Whatever you’re writing or promoting or creating for the world to see, make sure you’re taking the time to step back and ask yourself:

-Is this me? 

-Do I feel good about what I’m sharing? 

-Am I doing this because I feel like I should or because someone else did?

Your style, your way of going about what you do is your secret sauce so spill it all over everything. 

2 – Get Personal 

People connect with people.

So, when your copy is only about the facts, you come across like a resume or a list rather than the full-fledged fabulous human you are. 

By all means, share the facts of your offer and touch on your professional qualifications, BUT, that’s just the beginning. To create copy that truly speaks to others, you’ll want to unearth some of the more personal parts of yourself. 

Start with a personal assessment: 

-Who are you as a person? What do you like to spend your time, energy, and money on outside of work?

-What things do you care about? What values are important to you?

-What do you hope to offer others? How do you want to make others feel?

You certainly don’t have to answer these questions blatantly in your copy, but these ideas seep into your messaging so getting clear on what they are is SO important—it’s foundational!

And, it will show up in your messaging in certain ways because all of the things you care about as a person are your unique qualifiers as a business owner. 

Maybe you care about helping women make a crap ton of money because you grew up broke.

Maybe you’re all about helping business owners get set up on Pinterest so they can use a marketing platform that doesn’t take all of their time like other social media platforms because you value easy, flowing work and having a life outside of what you do for a living. 

Going deeper than just the service you provide and your professional qualifications helps others connect with you as a person. 

3 – Practice Empathy 

This is probably the easiest way ever to connect with your audience: imagine what they’re feeling. 

Drop into their shoes. Walk around for a while. Feel the things they’re stressing about. The things they like to do on their weekends. Their guilty pleasures. The way they go about self-care.

Something that changed my perspective on this forever was a biz coach who told me: you have been your ideal client. If that makes it easier, imagine how you felt when you were where your ideal client is now. 

Often, if you’ve started your own business and created your own product it was to offer a solution to a problem you were having.

-What frustrations they’re facing?

-How can you relate to those frustrations?  

-What they’re dreaming about? 

-What they would pee their pants with excitement if your collaboration brought them? 

Write about that stuff, not just the measurable results.

Bottom line

To wrap it all up, be authentic, get personal (aka vulnerable), and be empathetic as hell.

(Honestly, these are great rules for life too, not just copy.)

And know that to create genuine connections with others, you’ve gotta be willing to do a deep dive into your passion and your people which is an ever-evolving process. 

If you’re craving copy that speaks to others in a way that feels good to you, I’m here to help. Whether that’s writing something for you or talking through your thoughts, don’t hesitate to reach out!