Feel like there's nothing special about you right now? Read this... (Or, The Bob’s Burger episode that hit a little close to home)

I cried this morning on my way to work. 

No, it wasn’t because I was sad or because I had to drag myself into the office on a grey Monday morning.

As I sat in the bus, people and cars wooshing by, my brain asked itself the usual million questions, and one stuck out: “What’s the point?”. Then it came to me. I watched an episode of Bob’s Burgers that I had definitely seen before but forgotten. 

Basically, Bob’s youngest child Louise is up late because she has to catch up on homework that she can’t figure out. The usual: “What do you want to be when you grow up”- question. As kids, most of us had amazing imaginations of what our adult lives would look like, but for the rest of us and 9-year-old Louise, it felt hard.

The whole family chime in and tell incredible stories about how they think she will use her rascality to her advantage to have an exciting adult life. However, this doesn’t cheer her up until her dad, Bob, speaks. He tells her that maybe she won’t be or do anything special at first, and that’s okay because this isn’t necessarily a permanent condition. Coined perfectly by him: “Just because you stop growing doesn't mean you stop growing.”

He tells her about the repetition and mundaneness of adult life: work, eat, sleep, repeat, and maybe have a few friends sprinkled in there sometimes. And then, he twists it with an adventure where she saves the cows and subsequently, the world. 

At first, it felt sad but then I realized: this is the reality of being an adult. It’s not always fun: there are bills to pay, responsibilities to step up to, and random back pains to nurse. Life can feel boring and not so special sometimes, but it can also be fun and exciting at other times. 

This episode brought back memories of all the wild dreams and big grown-up plans I had as a kid. I imagined owning a dress that could change colours with the push of a button. I dreamed of building a city of my own where less fortunate people could live freely on their own terms, complete with our own currency and society. I pictured myself as a famous, best-selling author and poet, who just wrote weird stuff. I was also convinced I could find the end of a rainbow. I even planned to turn a perpetual motion machine into a generator and invent a spray to replace CFCs and fix the ozone layer.

Today, I am nowhere near achieving most of these imaginations, not only because they weren’t realistic but because…life. 

Nobody told me about the boringness of being an adult and those little hard-to-come-by eureka moments that make life feel a little more awesome. You know the little wins when you finally get a break, your hard work pays off, you help change someone’s life or make a difference that actually matters. 

No, I don’t mean saving the bees, brokering world peace, or reversing climate change. I mean the small things: sharing your journey, your knowledge, your struggles and wins to make someone else’s path a little easier; being kind; complimenting a stranger; and just doing your best not to be an asshole on purpose.

So many hopes and dreams are crushed daily because people feel like they aren’t good enough, or they have failed so many times that trying again feels like complete madness. Some people don’t even start. Added to that is the constant noise of opinions you didn’t ask for, eyes that won’t leave you alone, and the judgy “I-told-you-so”s that want to have the last word. 

I think I cried because it felt nice to know that I don’t have to achieve all my dreams, and that’s okay. Even though I’m not 9 like Louise, what I do know is that I will have boring moments, Aha-moments, shitty moments, ups and downs, and a sprinkle of moments when life just feels like ‘Blech!’.

What I can do is try to make life a little easier for those around me and support as many people as possible as they try to make their dreams come true. Yes, I know that copywriting can’t change lives or save the world, but it can give a hardworking business owner the lucky break they’ve been searching for—or land that extra sale that means they can cover next month’s rent.

Many people would rather be doing anything other than what they’re doing right now. How about you? What dream did you have to put on hold because life got in the way? If you could go after it, what would it take? Would you give it a shot? Tell me in the comments below!

I hate writing blogs…but hear me out!

My childhood wasn’t special. 

Thanks to my parents’ shenanigans, I grew up like a ball being juggled between two households and it wasn’t always the best of times. 

I was surrounded by a lot: extra siblings, extra family members, extra wealth, extra pretentiousness, extra egos…but everything always felt out of reach. I always faded to the background like being stuck on a tiny island surrounded by water but occasionally called out to sea by the mirage of a lifeboat.

In these moments, I found joy in my words. I hid in the corner of a room with a pencil and paper and created endless worlds, real friends, fake enemies, toxic relationships, indescribable feelings…I always just let things flow. It felt easy.

And since I was always under constant supervision, I hid my true emotions in my poems, in my stories, and in my musings. I couldn’t afford the luxury of a draft wind ‘mistakenly’ opening my clearly labelled personal journal or a diary, so I disguised my secrets openly in a boring but typical school notebook. 

Thankfully, my secret world became a way for me to earn a living. I remember writing every single day and loving it. My first job was at a finishing school as a wannabe writer/PR person in a very junior position with very senior KPIs. 

Day in, and day out, I always looked like a harassed chicken who was about to lose its head because I could never keep up. However, I enjoyed the part of the job when I could write fictional case study stories for the programs. Another highlight of my day was composing introduction letters to prospective clients, acceptance or rejection letters to potential students, or the occasional strongly-worded letters to media houses. 

Then 2012 happened.

I came across a blog that I really cared about called Urban Bush Babes (I was looking for solutions to my unruly, rebellious hair back then. Yes, my hair is still unruly and rebellious). I found a few more about art and lifestyle (for the young adult living in a huge city) and became obsessed but after a while, it started to feel like once you’ve read one blog, you’ve probably read all the other blogs. 

They always felt so unnecessarily long, winded, and similar. As a fellow casual thesaurus reader, I could detect fluff from a mile away and would immediately lose interest. The worst was when blogs would rip each other off and I would think: Wait! Didn’t I just see this paragraph three websites ago? 

I wondered why it was so hard so I tried writing a few blogs but immediately sucked at it. This moment revealed something to me: I knew that I would never ever offer to write a blog. Luckily, I have never had the horror of officially writing any blogs…yet. 

So naturally, my easily bored and distracted mind slowly stopped caring about blogs after a while. However, I did what any self-respecting writer would do: silently judge every other blog I see. 

Fast forward over 10 years later, I have a career in copywriting which I still enjoy. However, the industry has slowly sucked the life out of my passion for my first love: fictional writing. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I wrote a story that warmed the hidden cockles of my heart. 

Don’t get me wrong, my mind and dreams still bombard me with ideas but I always do myself a favour to write them down and then mentally pencil them in for the expected long-ass procrastination. I also do this so that I can make space in my small head for the madness of everyday life. 

Last week, I tried to get back into my pre-adulthood creative writing flow and my pencil literally laughed at me. Well, I deserved it too because what I wrote was just…just…

There were so many cobwebs tangled in my words that I couldn’t find my voice. 

So, I have decided to do something drastic and unthinkable: write a blog. 

As much as I hate blogging, this might be the only way to unwrap the linen off my mummified skills and get back to the art of writing stories and pieces that I enjoy. 

I tried to make a few rules for myself but then I laughed and remembered the kind of pointless rebel I can be…

Sometimes, I break rules for fun. Especially when there are no stakes, I break them even harder. 

I guess the only thing I’m going to really try sticking to is infusing my personality. 

This means whether I write about “5 Reasons You Need A Copywriter” or about “Why Pesto is so Overrated (until you try to make your own)”, I promise to make it mine. 

No boring lists. 

No usual expert language. 

Maybe a cuss word every blue moon. 

Some of it will be good and some of it will definitely be terrible. But you will get to see my growth. We’ll see. 

People who say “The only way out, is through”, have never seen me read or write a blog. It will feel like gently ripping out my fingernails bit by bit, but I know it will be worth it. 

And since you’re reading this, you’re unofficially consenting to be my witness to this tall promise, whether you like it or not. Upside: There might be a little schadenfreude in it for you. 

At the end of the day, I’m a copywriter who hates writing blogs. What could go wrong?

A Manifesto About Why You Need a Manifesto

Nobody cares about you

Until you care about who you are

Nobody even knows you until you take the time to know who you are

You can string together a bunch of cliches about why you matter

But it won’t really matter

Because you will blend in with the rest of the unknown.

Instead,

Polish your wins, warts and all for people to see

Don’t be scared to show it all

Give the people something original that they can identify with.

Because how else will people know you

If you don’t even trust or know or believe in who you are.

Do I Need a Small Business Copywriter?

Does your small business really need a copywriter?

Maybe. 

Maybe not. 

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

First of all, who is a copywriter and what do they do?

It depends on who you ask; but basically, copywriters…write. Copywriters write about almost everything and anything; can create worlds out of words, and even influence human behavior with the right words. The last part is what we want to focus on. 

Copywriters mostly write clear and concise copy (fancy name for ‘words’) for advertising, marketing materials, websites, content, and more for virtually any audience, any industry, and on any topic. Depending on the subject of your business, a copywriter creates written content that helps you reach out to new customers, communicate better with them, and even build long-lasting relationships for your business. 

So, as a budding entrepreneur, why should you care?

Remember all the essays, letters, research papers, and endless writing you had to do in school? Unfortunately, none of it prepared you for how to write to get customers into your doors, buy your products, and hang around a little longer. You know your product better than anyone else on the planet, your mum thinks they’re the best thing ever, and your friends support you till the end of time (or till when you stop giving them discounts); and yet, perfect strangers don’t care who you are or what you’re selling. Why should they?

This is where a copywriter can help your small business. 

Being an entrepreneur is tough enough, but realizing you need a copywriter is even tougher. You’ve worked very hard to get to where you are and it can be unmotivating when things aren’t moving as they should. Adding ‘Marketing Manager’ to your Entrepreneur title makes the crown you wear a little heavier. Making your products visually appealing is one-half of the battle; but you can win with words that communicate your products and services effectively to your consumers: potential and existing. 

When you work with a copywriter, you can create a variety of content, communication materials, and brand assets to reach your customers at any and every touchpoint whenever they come in contact with your product, service, or brand. These creations can include, for instance, brochures, taglines, blog posts, social media content, email templates, brand tone-of-voice, fact sheets, brand or product guides, website content, and more. As you work closely with your copywriter, you slowly develop a relationship where they understand your brand’s voice, know the best way to use it with your customers, and bonus points if they work with you for a long time and even grow with you!

Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels

As you grow your business, acquire contacts, make sales, and celebrate every little step of the way, don’t forget that your voice matters. Over time, you will appreciate the value of having a professional copywriter craft and amplify your voice in a busy world that never tends to shut up!

So, instead of asking yourself if your business ‘really’ needs a copywriter, how about asking why you don’t have one already?!

Is the Art of the Newsletter Dead?

When was the last time you got a newsletter and you were genuinely interested or excited? 

Every day, I get e-newsletters from brands and services that I have willingly subscribed to; and every day, I delete up to 90% of them, mostly because they don’t interest me at the moment, don’t meet a certain need, or aren’t relevant to me. I can imagine an email marketer reading this and feeling like I just slowly pushed a knife through their chest while whispering “Shhh…it’s going to be alright…”. However, the reality is that most people don’t read newsletters or emails from brands unless they’re relevant or sporadically interesting. 

So, what does this mean for your business?

Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

Out of the hundreds of newsletters I receive daily, there is a tiny amount that makes it through and I call them ‘The Peculiars’. For me, it’s not hard to understand why these emails don’t quickly end up in my bin. I realized these newsletters have visually appealing and engaging content that makes me think: “Hmmm…tell me more!”. Even though the news may be unusual or can’t meet any of my current needs, the point is…I clicked on it and engaged with the newsletter. 

So, what can spare a newsletter from the dreaded ‘Delete’ button, before it is even opened?

First of all, you should realize that if a person subscribes to you at all, that means they probably have a genuine interest in your brand, product, or service; and they want to hear from you (as less annoyingly often as possible). But there’s a catch: you have to make your news about your customers, not about what you’re offering. 

As humans, most of us love being at the center of attention, and we should apply this thinking to creating newsletters too. A lot of brands send out emails about their latest releases, brand updates, new upgrades, improved services, etc., but fail to show the consumer what it means to them. This means when the customer receives your email, they may think: ‘Oh, that’s nice! But what’s in it for me?’. The point is: make your offering revolve around your consumer; for instance, if you have a new collection of clothes, how will this impact their next get-together? Or imagine you have a new restaurant location, what does that mean for the customers close to that neighborhood? Depending on what you’re offering your consumer, you can make every email an opportunity to connect with them on not just an emotional, but also a rational level. 

Photo by Ivan Samkov from Pexels

Email marketing doesn’t have to stop at just newsletters. It could also be welcome emails, loyalty-rewarding emails, case study emails, informational emails, and more. Remember, it’s a nice way to stay in touch with your consumers; but don’t forget to give your customer some space after every communication because too much contact can be seen as annoying or worse: an excuse to click the unsubscribe button. So, try to keep it cool, and don’t forget to make your next newsletter about your consumer.