Thursday Press #132: She would never tell you this
[16 MAY 2024] extra extra, read all about it!
“If this fits, I'm even more excited because they have so many cute colors!!!”
^^ This is what my partner told me this morning, justifying her decision to finally give in and buy the viral (is it viral?) Free People jumpsuit.
As a counselor, comfy is key, so for her sake, I hope it's perfect!
We all know her feeling.
You find a magical unicorn piece of clothing so you buy it in every single color they have.
(And if you're me, you own it in several different sleeve lengths.)
See, the black shirt is great with my green joggers, but the brown is better with my black linen shorts. The striped tee is more fun, but the white tee is perfect for layering under flannels without clashing patterns.
All of these shirts have different applications in my wardrobe, but at the core, they're the exact same shirt.
That's a lot like marketing, if you ask me.
The application might be different — Pinterest vs. Instagram vs. email vs. LinkedIn vs. ads vs. TikTok — but the core marketing principles remain the same.
So if you know those, you can apply them in whatever kind of marketing scenario you want.
Personally, I learned a lot of these core marketing principles during my formative career years in the “dying" industry of print media (🙄)
And I didn't even know I was learning them!
I thought “marketing” would be the back door that would unlock that coveted editor position at Penguin Random House. Instead, I ended up with a bunch of transferable skills that you now get to benefit from!
Marketing Lessons from the Newsroom
My friend and copywriting queen Sara of Between the Lines Copywriting will be the first to tell you that no one cares about your degrees.
The fact that I double majored in English and political science with a minor in advertising isn't the kind of “seemingly irrelevant information” that will convert dream clients reading my About page.
But for this story, my resume + qualifications are very relevant, and I'll only be a little upset if you say you don't care.
I'll still keep it brief, though. Before starting my marketing business I —
Spent 4 years on my high school newspaper, 1 year as editor-in-chief
Worked at a few small publishers, one of which had a niche poetry Twitter scandal
Covered local elections for our start-up online news outlet
Learned more than I ever thought possible about outdoor furniture during an internship at a trade magazine
K, now here's what I learned from those experiences…
Don't bury the lede
The lede is the first sentence or paragraph in a news story and should contain the most important information about the story.
If you're burying the lede in your marketing content, you risk losing your reader's attention before they get to the good stuff. Don't hide what's important beneath a mountain of fluff and make sure you give your people a reason to keep reading!
Scoops are fun if they're factual
Everyone wants to be the first to talk about breaking news or a new feature, but don't jump the gun and share half-truths if you don't know for sure.
The latest Meta announcement has brought a slew of conclusion-jumpers to my feed, but I loved Sugar Punch Marketing's grounded breakdown of the whole situation!
Find your angle
The angle of your content is how you frame the story in a way that will make readers care. Find ways to make your content more specific and appealing to your target audience.
You need to understand your target market
One of my main jobs at the indie publishing press was sending out review copies of books to different publications and independent reviewers.
As part of this process, I needed to curate a list of relevant recipients for each new release. After all, it wouldn't make much sense to send a biography of Justin Trudeau to the American Poetry Review and expect them to publish a review of the book.
Knowing who your intended audience is and how to find them is marketing 101.
Use your customer's voice
By far the best thing I ever did for my marketing and copywriting is creating a reference document for “Voice of Customer” research.
It includes things like testimonials and kind words, but it also includes relevant quotes from inquiry forms, emails, DMs, and more!
Keeping this as a reference has made writing my website copy stupid easy. In fact, there are lots of little snippets that come directly from that document.
When you use your audience's own words, you know that your content will resonate with them, and it's a lot easier than just hoping and guessing.
Different departments have different responsibilities
Guess what? The editor of a book isn't also responsible for designing the cover, sending it to print, mailing review copies, setting up author events, marketing the release, and developing a sales strategy.
Those are all different departments with different, specific job descriptions.
As a contractor, service provider, freelancer, whatever, your particular responsibility is just one piece of the puzzle.
On the flip side of this equation, it also means that you can't credit one part of the puzzle for the success of the entire thing.
My most successful clients aren't successful just because I'm a good Pinterest manager. They're also talented business owners in their own right who've cultivated a stand-out brand and engaged audience who's ready to buy.
Whether or not you also once fancied yourself the star of an Oscar-nominated docudrama about investigative journalism, there's a lot to be learned from the publishing industry about marketing, sales, and grabbing attention ethically…
4 More Lessons I Learned from the Publishing Industry
Luckily for you, bestie, you don't have to spend 4+ years in underpaid, boring office jobs to learn these kinds of marketing skills.
In fact, the other resource that has helped me the most when it comes to marketing and copywriting is BTL Copy's Site Series® copywriting course!
I've been going through Site Series 2.0 as I work on updating my website, and once again, I'm truly astonished by everything that's in it.
I'm about to gush for a second, but if you want to skip straight to the good stuff, here's what you need to know:
Site Series is available for purchase until May 17 and you can get started for as low as $190/month
Using the code “BURK” will get you 10% off the course
The sales page with all the juicy details and testimonials you could want is right HERE!
Alright. Ready for the gushing?
(I just gave myself the ick typing that, please don't unsubscribe because of it.)
When I tell you this course is the best thing I have ever purchased for my business and the sole reason my website exists in its current state, I'm being soooo fucking for real.
I don't like writing my own copy. It feels like pulling teeth and it's HARD.
I would love to have Sara write my website, emails, freaking everything. But I'm CHEAP and won't pay her prices lmao.
Site Series is the next best thing. Also like maybe even better?
Because remember how I talked about those core marketing principles? And how even if you use them in different applications, the foundation is the same?
THAT'S what you get when you take Site Series. (Among the 50 trillion other lessons, resources, and bonuses.)
Truly, genuinely knowing how to write copy that converts is the best skill any business owner can have IMO, because it applies everywhere.
And you know something else? I haven't seen anything else like it. And I spend a fair amount of time creeping on other copywriters. (It's market research, okay?)
Now, Sara would never tell you this because she doesn't want you to think she's too girl boss, but y'all know I don't mind being a hater…
Other copywriting courses are basic AF and don't even teach you how to write copy.
🚩 RED FLAG ALERT! 🚩 If your “copywriting” course only hands you templates and tells you how to fill them in, it's not a copywriting course.
It might get the job done, but it's nothing compared to Site Series.
Sara teaches you how to write copy and why it works, not just what words to string together to make a sale.
I know what you're thinking.
💭 “Sarah, you're an affiliate for it, you just want to make money off of me.”
Yes, if you use my code I'll get a small kickback as an affiliate. But, you also save money, AND I would never share something I don't genuinely, wholeheartedly endorse.
💭 “She's your client, of course you think her stuff is hot shit.”
Well, yeah. But if her content and offers weren't good, I wouldn't be telling you about them and I wouldn't have purchased them myself.
It's actually because I'm so close to this that I can tell you exactly how much work, thought, and consideration has gone into making this the best possible resource.
💭 “Okay, okay, so what actually is Site Series?”
Glad you asked 😎
7 chapters of copywriting and content marketing education
Copywriting Basics
Website Copywriting (15+ pages, not just home, about, + services)
Website Launching
Search Engine Optimization
Blogging
Pinterest Marketing (with yours truly)
Email Marketing
Notion dashboard of bonus resources
Blog post checklist
CTA master list
FAQ guide + swipe copy
Google tools walkthrough
52 blog post ideas
Target audience development workbook
Offer development workbook
Newsletter content planner
Page-specific web copy section checklist
Website copy drafting template
& more! 🎉
6 months of 24/7 one-on-one access to Sara (and me!) via Slack
low key this is my fav part because I get to bother Sara all the time and connect with other Site Series students!
Alrighty-o, I'm done yapping (for now).
If you've ever had any interest in learning how to write better copy, upgrading your website copy, or improving your content marketing, all with the goal of attracting the right people to your website and converting them to clients and customers, now is your time!
Remember: you can get 10% off Site Series (any payment plan) when you use the code “BURK”.
Feel free to ask me any questions you have about the course, what's inside it, my honest opinion, anything!