BEHIND THE SCENES: 5 years of Branding Mistakes (& what finally fixed it!)
What's inside this post: Hide
When your brand and your brand’s voice are “off” it can actually dampen your success, keep your wallet (& your bank account) empty, and your inbox hearing crickets.
I know that sounds scary –and frankly, it can be!
Self-doubt, which can also show up as “Imposter Syndrome,” is the friend we don’t wanna hang out with, right?
Like “that” person that’s constantly asking those maybe-weirdly insecure questions, looking for outside validation & assurances because they didn’t have it themselves. 🥺 We can only take so much of building up someone else’s confidence before it becomes exhausting, because it doesn’t ever stick. It needs constant reapplication.
Imposter Syndrome & Self-Doubt are always hanging around waiting for the right moment to strike us when we’re vulnerable!
And in those quiet moments when the only work we have on our plate is marketing our business –and those efforts are NOT getting us the results we want…
…that’s when that unwanted friend shows up!
If you’re sitting in that spot right now, then you know how those terrifying thoughts can begin creeping into that radio silence:
Will I have to go back to a 9-5?
Where will my next paycheck come from?
How will I pay my bills?
Can I really do this?
They thought I was crazy, quitting my job; were they right?!
I thought I was really good at [insert service here], was I wrong?
Why does no one want to work with me?
But here’s the thing! It’s probably not YOU that’s scaring people off.
I know, –you need an example, don’t you?
I’m gonna put my own branding design journey on a pedestal today –EEK!– and show you all 6 –yes, SIX!– iterations of my branding before becoming what you know & love, which is Launch the Damn Thing!™️
Because I’m a visual learner, I think it’s always easier to see cause & effect with examples and in this case, I know my own journey better than anyone else’s.
Also, I prefer to point out my own mistakes, rather than someone else’s, so YOU will see that no one is perfect (& does everything right all the time), –even perfectionists like myself!
Ready? Take a look at 👇🏻
How do I learn to write words that sell?
“I’ll teach you how to overhaul your website’s copy, so it can finally pull its own weight in your business!”
Like you, at this stage I was realizing that the DIY-route wasn’t serving me. I’m sure it can for some people who have this magical gift of marketing words –but that wasn’t me.
And if it isn’t you either, that’s okay! It’s totally normal.
After realizing I needed HELP to learn this skill, I knew I wanted to learn from a pro, –and then I found Ashlyn Carter!
Meet my favorite profesh copywriter
I’ve been a follower & fangirl of Ashlyn since 2018.
I’d been following Boss Project (previously called Think Creative Collective) for a few years, and Jenna Kutcher, –both of them had Ashlyn on their respective podcasts as a guest conversion copy expert. I’d also gotten my grubby hands on a couple of her freebies (that I never actually used… #fail) but from those I knew the caliber of her over-delivery & her expertise, to a small degree. Want to hear her story & talk about what she does? Check out those two guest episodes here:
Boss Project’s The Strategy Hour podcast with Ashlyn:
Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger podcast with Ashlyn:
Coming from the corporate-y vibe of ‘always be professional,’ I found that…
Ashlyn’s style of writing conversational, friendly, how-is-she-in-my-head copy for her own website was a BIG clue that she could probably teach me how to do that for myself, too.
Her style –what she’s SO good at– is basically the opposite of that straight-spined (stick-up-the-butt) professional vibe I wanted to steer clear of in my own business.
Luckily, she has a course that teaches exactly how to do this –but not with HER voice, –with yours.
I knew I’d be stuck with bad copy & no sales-direction for many more months and would regret not joining her course when it was available, so… I made my decision to GO FOR IT and I’m SO glad I did!
Copywriting for Creatives*
I don’t know what I was expecting, but I guess I expected a lot less than what she actually provides. 😂 (Can you say, over-delivery?!)
CfC is PACKED full of…
videos with tons of golden nuggets,
tried & tested strategies,
psychology behind those strategies,
swipe files,
a giant 100+ pg workbook to use as ya work through the course,
an awesome Facebook community
and of course the Live hot-seat calls where we can submit our drafts & get actual feedback from the pro herself.
I’m positive there’s more I’m leaving out, too.
CFC is designed to teach YOU how to follow Ashlyn’s step-by-step system to clarify your stand-out message confidently, and write your site so that it can finally pull its own weight in your business.
Ready? Check it out 👇🏻
In as few as 30, 60 or 90 days, you can learn to…
spend less time marketing in all the ways you don’t NEED to and get clear in 1 major piece that DOES— your words.
pitch yourself (and your work) confidently—because you’ll be clearer on all of it & who you want to work with (vs who you have to work with).
get to work with your ideal clients because they come knockin’ on your door—and you can say goodbye to everyone else who’s not a good fit.
become YOUR OWN best copywriter and marketer (& save 💰)
I was tired of simply existing online, so Copywriting for Creatives* was what I needed to begin taking the next step!
What’s inside Copywriting for Creatives*?
Again with the honesty here:
Because this course is so PACKED full of content, it will take some time to get through all of it, but IT. WILL. BE. WORTH. EVERY MINUTE worked. and every penny spent.
Ashlyn teaches the basics & hands out tips & tricks like candy in Module 1, and if you're an honor student like me, you'll be taking copious amounts of notes (& then telling everyone that seems mildly interested, all the things you’ve learned… –oh, that’s just me then? Hmkay).
She also gives & teaches you her proven formulas, frameworks & strategies + the psychology of it all, so you can learn how to create your own copy that converts viewers into buyers without having to rely on her swipe files. (And this is where the gold mine is 🏆)
The know-how she's sharing is what got her the big bucks, after all. The clients like Delta (Airlines) at her corporate job prior to going full-time freelance. Jenna Kutcher, Katelyn James, and so many more ‘big-wigs' in our entrepreneurial space.
But more specifically, when you enroll in Copywriting for Creatives, you’ll...
✏️ Get Ashlyn’s “5 Steps to Write Absolutely Anything”—among other writing hacks, including templates for you to plug-and-play and get on with your day.
✏️ Learn how to dig up your unique brand message following Ashlyn’s precision-perfect workflow.
✏️ Develop your custom Brand Messaging Style Guide, so you can confidently write anything and everything for your business with purpose.
✏️ Write with the best of ‘em. Ashlyn teaches the ins and outs of writing, so you can actually develop into a better writer. (Including templates, checklists and tools she uses!)
✏️ Know what needs to change on your website and how to measure what’s working.
Oh, and I did mention the LIVE calls where you can submit your own copy & get actual feedback, directly from Ashlyn, –right?
“Is Copywriting for Creatives for me?”
If you're second-guessing whether CfC is truly what you need right now. I hear ya! I'd been hearing about CfC for at least a year before I actually enrolled myself. 😂
CfC is for you IF you…
✅ Are frustrated that the messages you’re putting out into the world right now feel disconnected and not like you at all, but you know you need to get CLEAR on what you do, who you serve and why it matters...
✅ Need a messaging refresh, so your website can do the heavy lifting to both bring in ideal clients annnnnd repel the not-so-great-ones that wear you out (and make you wonder why you do this thing at all)...
✅ Know the importance of writing to help you stand out in a noisy, oversaturated industry—so you know your place in the market and can confidently share your message with the world...
✅ Want to make a difference in your client'’ lives by giving them an awesome experience & meeting all their expectations, because they did truly “know, like & trust" you before y'all began working together –all bc of that awesome copy you wrote...
If that’s you, then you’re a perfect fit for Copywriting for Creatives!
📌 Pin it!
Real, tangible growth in your business is possible!
Only YOU get to make the call if you’re ready to take your foot off the brake and follow Ashlyn’s guidance to get where you really want your business to go.
😬 Before Copywriting for Creatives, everything I wrote for my business sounded like a professional email or a college research paper. I didn’t know how to do it any other way, but it was NOT working.
😎 After CfC, –well you’re experiencing the difference in the way I write this exact blog post! Clients come to me specifically because of my “vibe” –I literally hear it ALL the time!
And yes, I love CfC SO MUCH –& still refer back to it often– that I’m now a proud affiliate and I don’t take that relationship lightly! But don’t just take MY word for it, go check it out for yourself!
Join the waitlist for Copywriting for Creatives* to nail your messaging, boost your revenue, and become the very best copywriter your business needs you to be.
