so things are pretty weird right now
Photo by Daniel Tuttle on Unsplash
This was originally published as an email to my list. If you want to join (and get a free email copywriting ebook in the process)…
Let’s get this out of the way:
Shit is weird right now. Like real weird.
Everyone is talking about the corona virus. People are about to start trading sexual favors for toilet paper. And I’m indulging in a lifelong fantasy of staying home all week and drinking Lysol by the gallon.
Okay maybe those last two things are an exaggeration, but you get the point.
It feels like we’re living in a damn zombie apocalypse. And I’ll be honest:
It’s not as cool as I expected. It’s actually pretty f*cking scary.
I’m freaking out a little bit, but mainly trying to play it cool…
And I’m using this forced isolation as an excuse to make some progress in my business.
One important part of my business is sharing helpful marketing/copywriting lessons with lovely people like you.
So if you’re willing to take a break from the hysteria and indulge me for a minute…
I’m gonna do a little bit of that now.
Last week, I attended TCCIRL. If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s a copywriting conference put on by Kira Hug and Rob Marsh of The Copywriter Club podcast.
(TCCIRL stands for The Copywriter Club in Real Life btw.)
Anyway, over the next few days I’ll be sharing some of my big takeaways from the event.
One of the things you notice when you go to copywriting events is that the same themes show up in multiple talks throughout the conference.
Early on the second day, I wrote this note in my notebook:
“Themes of the event:
Momentum
Consistency
DO THE THING
Help people
Publish content, damnit!
Authenticity”
You’ll notice that none of those have anything to do with the COOLEST NEW COPY TRICKS IN 2020 or anything like that.
Instead, they fall into three main categories:
Do the work
Help people
Be yourself
And, interestingly enough, I think those are the foundation of nearly any business/brand.
If you show up consistently and do the work…
If you provide something that improves people’s lives…
And if you do it in a unique way…
You’re probably setting your business up for success.
But these things are often where most people struggle, too. Because it’s hard to show up consistently and create valuable content.
It can be hard to determine what will actually be helpful for people. (This is something I need help with right now, and I’ll be emailing you about it tomorrow!)
And even if you get those first two things down, it can be hard AF to lean into your identity and just be who you are without apology.
So here two things to help solve those problems:
First, talk to your customers.
This is always going to be one of the best things you can do for your business. It will help you make sure you’re providing something that’s actually helpful for them.
Second, saddle up.
(This is the Kentucky Boy in me coming out.)
Showing up consistently and owning your identity are hard. They’re scary. They get easier, but it doesn’t happen magically and it doesn’t happen overnight.
In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield mentions that:
“Henry Fonda was still throwing up before each stage performance, even when he was seventy-five. In other words, fear doesn’t go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.”
And Jerry Jenkins, who has written nearly 200 books, stares down these thoughts every time he starts writing a new book:
“What if I can’t do it this time?
Will readers decide I’m a fraud?
Can I still possibly compete in a colossally crowded field?”
And you might still get nervous to put yourself out there long after you’ve become “successful.”
If it were easy, it wouldn’t be fun.
I’ll have some more stuff for you in the next few days, but for now — enjoy the extra time at home. :)
Robert