4 steps to getting the writing done
Last week, I sat with a group of 8 business owners, teaching how to write copy in my mentor’s year long business building program.
The question up for discussion was:
Okay, Stella, it’s time for me to do a teleseminar – and write emails to get them on the line. And copy for my partners to promote it. And a sales page. How do I figure out what to do first?
Oh, how I adore this question.
I realize it’s not sexy. It’s not “how do I make a gajillion dollars?” or “how do I trick people into thinking I’m an institute, when it’s just me, at home in my yoga pants?”
But this is where the rubber meets the road for up and coming service based entrepreneurs.
Because at a certain point, you can only “hold” so many one on one clients.
And if you want to make more money, you need to branch out and offer group programs. The catch is, many business owners who try to sell group programs online get burned, because they don’t know how to write compelling copy.
But I digress. The point is – what are the steps to getting the writing done?
In the example below, I’m thinking about a revenue-generating project, where you offer a preview call to drum up sales conversations (or send folks directly to a sales page). But really, it can work for any writing project in your business:
Step 1 – What’s your business goal? Before my students write anything, I ask them to walk me through WHY they think they need to do it. In the example above, Wendy wanted to start offering group programs, and she was at a place where she wanted to do a preview call to get a rush of sales conversations on the books. That’s legit – but I’ve seen just as many business owners NOT have good reasons for writing a launch (like, they are afraid to go out and actually ask people for business).
Step 2 – List the deliverables. Once you are clear on your goal and your strategy, make a list of all the things that need to get written. This will do wonders for any feeling of overwhelm or confusion. Note: if you are marketing your business online, yes, Virginia, it IS a lot of writing. That’s why you need Step 1 – you need to get in touch with WHY you’re doing this. The payoff has to be bigger than all the writing time… and some folks just need to stop avoiding sales conversations by trying to do everything online. It’s not easier – especially if you are still having trouble asking for money for your skills and services – but it’s a whole heckuva lot faster.
Step 3 – List hard deadlines. I like to work backwards – if you start the course on this day, when do you want to do the preview call? If you do the preview call then, how many weeks out do you start mailing to your list? If you are reaching out to partners to help you spread the word, when do you want to get copy to THEM?
Note: there is a lot to think about. This is why many coaches and service based business owners “eddy out” and just stick to working with clients one-on-one. But if you’re motivated to make more money, and you think this online marketing thing is actually kinda cool, go for it. Just know that you’ll be learning as you go – and expect to bomb along the way. This is normal. And the way you learn is to actually DO this stuff – not take endless courses or read as much as you can on the topic. Jump in.
Step 4 – Set up your writing schedule. When we’re writing copy for clients, we like to do the thing with the closest deadline first. What this means is that work out of order:
- Create the title of a preview call first
- THEN write copy for promo partners
- THEN write the opt in page for the call
- THEN write the sales page
- THEN write promo emails
What this does is focus you on what you need to know, when you need to know it. Even if you’re not at this stage in your business yet, the lesson here is: stop trying to do everything in order. Yah, you may need to wrap your head around the program you are selling FIRST… but writing the sales page FIRST is probably a time drag, keeping you from the bigger fish you need to fry.
The other thing here is to schedule time with yourself for idea generation, writing, and revising. We take business owners through this process, and train them out of the common expectation that “writing copy” is just sitting down and having the Clarity Fairy come and – voila! – instant hot copy.
Horsefeathers. You want this? You’re gonna have to work for it. Just like anything else that’s worth having.
Now, our mission is to make that a whole heckuva lot more joyful of a process… and show you how to win over the best clients for you. But you can get started on your own, with these four steps. Try it for your next copywriting project, and let us know how it goes. (Also – I’m curious – any of you have 4 OTHER steps to getting it done? Post ‘em below!)
Now, our mission is to make that a whole heckuva lot more joyful of a process… and show you how to win over the best clients for you. But you can get started on your own, with these four steps. Try it for your next copywriting project, and let us know how it goes. (Also – I’m curious – any of you have 4 OTHER steps to getting it done? Post ‘em below!)
