Dear Friends

I wanted to share how you can harness the power of AI to level up your writing game. 🚀

So can you just hit a fancy button and magically summon the perfect answer for all your word wizardry needs? Well, my friend, the answer is a resounding YES!

But here's the kicker: AI is no wizardry. It's a genius, alright, but it follows a set of rules, a precise algorithm. And the response you get? Well, that's the average Joe of answers.

Do you really want your messaging to sound like everyone else's? Of course not!

You've got to get creative with your prompts to gather treasure trove of options. Then, you pick the gems that you like and work from there.

What’s your clarity line?

We'll be writing our clarity lines as an excuse to use AI.

Think elevator pitch, but instead of 15 seconds, it’s your 6 seconds to yes. Your clarity line is your lightning-fast intro, the sizzle before the steak. It’s a succinct statement that conveys who you are, what you do, and the benefits you bring.

And brief is important because you have to explain what you do in a second or two.

I help

(adjective) (your customer) (what your service or product offers)

so they can (long-term benefit).

Let’s get real, folks. When it comes to buying, people lead with their hearts, not their spreadsheets. They’ll whip out the credit card and then later craft a logical explanation for their purchase.

And guess what? We, the marvels of human existence, are hardwired for this emotional dance. Emotions are our superpowers—we feel them, we react to them.

Now, contrast that with your AI bot, which is about as emotionally nuanced as a calculator. Sometimes, human emotions are like a wild jazz improvisation, defying any algorithm’s tidy logic.

And we want to speak to the emotions people are feeling.

This is what we'll be doing in this email lesson:

• Review the power of emotions

• Use an AI prompt to help us identify customer problems and the emotions they feel about them

• Write multiple clarity lines addressing that one problem and that one emotion.

• Finese options produced with AI.

Review the questions you'd ask your customers about their problem.

The quest: what are your customers feeling?

So, what’s the big deal about emotions in buying, you ask? The emotions that fuel a purchase run deep. You have to keep peeling those layers, like an emotional archaeologist, and keep asking “why?”

Take those black pants, for instance. It’s not just about longevity; it’s about feeling like a gravity-defying superstar every time you strut your stuff.

Or that housekeeping service – it’s not merely about sparkly countertops; it’s about the sweet freedom to reclaim your Saturdays from toilet scrubbing and do something wild and wonderful.

And that potted plant? It’s not just some rare foliage; it’s a house-transforming miracle that banishes embarrassment and makes you a proud host.

Now, here’s the sage advice: when you’re out there talking about your products or services, remember this golden rule – stick to one emotion per communication piece. Dive deep into that emotion, stir it up, and watch your customers resonate like never before.

What AI to use.

Between the time I am writing this email and the time I send it out, something new will change about AI. Right now, I simply use . Feel free to use whatever AI platform you wish.

Let's pinpoint emotions.

So for this exercise we'll be writing a Clarity Line for a woman-owned accounting firm with a target audience of woman-owned businesses.

We’re diving into the AI game to suss out the feels your future customers might feeling about the problems they’re dealing with. We’re not stopping there. We’re going to predict the emotions that’ll be bubbling up once your top-notch product or service sweeps in like a hero to save the day.

Here is the prompt we'll work with. You can just copy and paste and fill in your own details.

PROJECT =

• Identify problems female entrepreneurs and business owners may have with their accounting

• Pinpoint the emotions they feel about this problem

• Identify how a woman-owned accounting firm can offer a solution to a problem

• Identify how the female business owner will feel with their accounting problem solved.]

PERSONA = You are a copywriter that understands the emotions that drive people’s actions. Your client is a woman-owned accounting firm.

EXAMPLE PROMPT =

Payroll

Overwhelmed

Streamlined Payroll Services

Relieved and Empowered

CONTEXT =

• The customers of this woman-owned accounting firm are women owners of small businesses or founders.

• Problems these female business owners and founders may face:

  • Payroll

  • Laws about employees/contractors

  • Embarrassed that accounting is a mess

  • Changing tax laws

  • Cash flow

CONSTRAINTS = Write in a professional, conversational manner.

DELIVERY =

• Deliver in a table.

• Column 1 Customer problem

• Column 2 Emotion customer feels about problem

• Column 3 Solution that accounting firm offers

• Column 4 Emotion that customer feels after problem is solved

• Number each row

Here's what AI delivered:

Customer problem

Emotion customer feels about problem

Solution accounting firm offers

Emotion customer feels after problem is solved

1. Payroll

Overwhelmed

Streamlined payroll services

Relieved and empowered

2. Employee/contractor laws

Confusion

Expert legal compliance guidance

Confident and secure

3. Messy accounting

Embarrassment

Organized financial cleanup

Rejuvenated and in control

4. Changing tax laws

Anxiety

Timely tax law updates and planning

Reassured and prepared

5. Cash flow

Stress

Cash flow optimization strategies

Peaceful and financially stable

6. Business growth

Uncertainty

Strategic financial planning

Optimistic and ready to expand

7. Budget management

Frustration

Effective expense control

In control and financially savvy

8. Audits and inspections

Fear

Audit preparedness and support

Confident and stress-free

9. Retirement planning

Apprehension

Personalized retirement planning

Secure and prepared for the future

10. Investment decisions

Doubt

Expert investment advisory

Informed and confident in financial choices

Now, one of the side effects of AI is that you can end up with too much information. It’s like going into an ice cream store where 59 flavors are available; it’s hard to pick one.

After all, we don’t want to talk about a million solutions and emotions all at once. Nope, we’re going to focus on one problem, deliver one knockout solution, and stir up one emotion that’ll leave them craving more. Trust me, this laser-focused approach is your golden ticket to keeping things sweet, not scattered.

We're going to select one problem/emotion sequence.

So in today's session:

We're going to select a single problem/emotion sequence from yesterday

So I’m going to select #6 from yesterday:

6. Customer problem:

Business growth

Emotion customer feels about problem

Uncertainty

Solution accounting firm offers

Strategic financial planning

Emotion customer feels after problem is solved

Optimistic and ready to expand

A prompt to write your clarity line:

PROJECT

We’re going to write an elevator pitch for a woman-owned accounting firm.

PERSONA

You are a copywriter that understands the emotions that drives people’s actions. Your client is a woman-owned accounting firm. Their clients are women-owned businesses.

EXAMPLE PROMPT

Use this format.

• We help (adjective) (your customer) (what your service or product offers) so they can (long-term benefit).

CONTEXT

We want to write a clarity line for a woman-owned accounting firm whose clients are women business owners or founders.

CONSTRAINTS

Write in a professional, conversational manner.

Can also include sassy options.

DELIVERY

Offer at least 10 options in a numbered list.

Use a professional voice mixed in tones of sassiness.

Add varieties for the adjective, which can be busy, overwhelmed, owners of growing businesses.

For the long-term benefit, options can include optimistic, ready to expand, rule their world, command their future.

The AI results for our clarity line.

1. We empower busy women business owners with expert financial guidance so they can confidently command their financial future.

2. At our woman-owned accounting firm, we support overwhelmed women entrepreneurs in managing their finances, helping them stay ready to expand their businesses.

3. We assist owners of growing women-led businesses in conquering their financial challenges, so they can rule their world with financial confidence.

4. Our woman-owned accounting firm partners with women entrepreneurs, offering expert financial solutions to busy business owners, enabling them to take control of their financial destiny.

5. We provide a lifeline to overwhelmed women business owners, ensuring they can confidently navigate their financial journey and optimize their future.

6. For women leading growing businesses, our accounting firm offers essential financial support, so they can thrive and embrace an optimistic financial future.

7. We understand the unique needs of women entrepreneurs and help them conquer financial hurdles, so they can confidently expand their businesses and rule their industries.

8. As a woman-owned accounting firm, we empower owners of growing businesses with expert financial advice, helping them command their financial future with sass and style.

9. We’re not just accountants; we’re financial allies for busy women business owners, ensuring they stay ready to expand and rule their financial world.

10. Our woman-owned accounting firm specializes in supporting women entrepreneurs, enabling them to conquer their financial challenges and write the next chapter in their success story with unwavering confidence.

So, as you can see, these are okay. But kind of boring.

So I am going to choose the phrase I like the best, edit it, and then create a new prompt.

We help growing women-led businesses in conquering their financial challenges, so they can rule their world with financial confidence.

… and do a quick edit

We help growing women-led businesses conquer their financial challenges, so they can rule their world with financial confidence.

The new prompt:

Please rewrite this clarity line, offering 10 versions using an empowered, sassy tone of voice.

AI results for a clarity line, an empowered sassy tone of voice:

1. We’re the financial powerhouses behind thriving women-led businesses, helping them crush their financial challenges and reign supreme in the financial world.

2. We’ve got the financial magic to make growing women-led businesses slay their financial hurdles and rule their financial kingdom with unapologetic confidence.

3. We’re the secret weapon in the arsenal of women-led businesses, arming them with the financial know-how to conquer any challenge and dominate their financial universe.

4. When it comes to women-led businesses, we’re the queens of conquering finances, ensuring they rise above and conquer the financial realm with fierce confidence.

5. Our mission? Empowering women-led businesses to obliterate financial obstacles, so they can confidently sit at the throne of their financial empire.

6. We’re not just accountants; we’re the financial warriors that women-led businesses need to slay their financial dragons and rule their financial domain.

7. With us by their side, growing women-led businesses don’t just survive; they thrive, they conquer, and they make their financial mark with audacious confidence.

8. We specialize in helping women-led businesses master their finances, turning them into unstoppable forces that dominate the financial landscape with flair.

9. When financial challenges try to stand in the way, we step up and help women-led businesses smash through, so they can strut their stuff as financial royalty.

10. We’re the financial mentors that women-led businesses deserve, arming them with the knowledge and sass to take control, conquer, and reign supreme in their financial universe.

Okay this tone sounds a little more human. I underlined the elements that I like from various selections and edited them into a new option:

We’re the secret weapon of growing female-led businesses, arming them with financial know-how so they can make their mark with audacious confidence.

So let’s take a look at our original problem and emotion; I selected #6:

6. Business growth

Uncertainty

Strategic financial planning

Optimistic and ready to expand

So we are transforming uncertainty into audacious confidence. Audacious confidence. Those are great tone words to use to guide your communications.

Playing around with a few more alternatives:

Now I am going to go to my favorite online thesaurus WordHippo.com to see if I can find some interesting alternatives to growing. I like emerging, rising, flourishing and thriving. But am going to go with rising to indicate growth in an upward swing without being too established yet. (I could probably do this with another round of AI, but at this point it will just be quicker to use my human intuition to pick out the words I want.)

We’re the secret weapon of emerging female-led businesses, arming them with financial know-how so they can make their mark with audacious confidence.

Now I am going to make the end stronger:

We’re the secret weapon of rising female-led businesses, arming them with financial know-how so they can lead with audacious confidence.

Let's transform the sentence to a you sentence, talking directly with our customers:

We’re your secret weapon, arming you with financial know-how so you can lead with audacious confidence.

Then let's go shorter:

We arm you with financial know-how so you can lead with audacious confidence.

So is this industry shattering language? Are we creating a new category here? No. But I like the phrase audacious confidence. If you hired a professional copywriter could they come up with something more original? Perhaps. But this is better than 90% of what you'll see your there.

Am I selling out my fellow creative copywriters and designer friends by teaching you how to use prompts? No. Like it or not, AI is here and if you're going to be using it, I don't want you to forget the human behind your messaging: YOU!

How many edits was that?

1. 1 AI prompt to get problem/emotion sequences

2. Select one problem/emotion sequence work work with

3. 1 AI prompt that was too formal

4. 1 AI prompt for more conversational language

5. Select favorite phrases from 10 sentences

6. Edit a sentence

7. Play around with WordHippo.com thesaurus for some word alternatives

8. Edit clarity line shorter

9. Edit clarity line shorter

So for right now, AI really needs a human touch to really work.

P.S. Next month I am going to be teaching a 4 week class: Shamelessly Human: Write Your Brand Story with a Load of Human Help and a Dash of AI. You can find out more here!

Let mw know your thoughts about AI!

How to Write Business Values That Actually Mean Something

The last few weeks my social media feed has been filled with lists of brands to avoid. People are renewing their commitment to spending their hard-earned dollars with brands that align with their values.

That got me thinking. As a San Diego freelance copywriter, I haven’t updated my values on my website for a while. So for my first draft I am going with these that cover a lot on how to communicate:

• Be intentional.

• Inject your humanity.

• Listen, then speak.

If you haven’t revisited your business values in a while, maybe it’s time. I'll admit, it's easy to list 10 values because, well, a lot of things matter. The challenge? Narrowing it down to 3 to 5 values that actually guide how you show up and make decisions. Because the fewer you have, the more weight each one carries.

Your values shouldn’t just be a feel-good exercise. They should be the backbone of your business—shaping decisions, interactions, and how people experience your brand. If you’re feeling stuck, here are three simple frameworks to help you define your values in a way that’s real, actionable, and actually useful.

1. The "If-Then" Framework

Your values should help you guide your actions. This framework forces you to spell out how your values impact daily choices by turning them into an "If-Then" statement.

Value: Be Intentional

If we say yes to something, then it means saying no to something else—so we choose wisely.

Value: Inject Your Humanity

If the message doesn’t make us feel something, then we go back and make it bolder, clearer, and more human.

Value: Listen. Then Speak.

If we are faced with a barrage of information and opinions, then we take time to evaluate before deciding.

See how this makes the values useful? They’re no longer just feel-good phrases; they’re decision-making tools.

2. The "Hell Yes or Hard Pass" Framework

Because your values are a filter, not a feel-good exercise.

A strong value helps you say yes to the right things and walk away from the wrong ones. For each value, define what’s a HELL YES and what’s a HARD PASS for your business.

Value: Be Intentional

• Hell yes to making decisions about time and resources that align with our well-being.

• Hard pass on continuous yessing, that ultimately end up in burnout.

Value: Inject Your Humanity

• Hell yes to writing like a human, showing personality, and letting people see the real us.

• Hard pass on robotic corporate jargon, generic messaging, and being so polished we lose authenticity.

Value: Listen. Then Speak.

• Hell yes to gathering input from clients and team members before making decisions.

• Hard pass on assuming we know what someone needs before they tell us.

This approach makes it painfully clear when something aligns—or when it’s a no-go.

3. The "Tell a Story" Framework

Because people don’t remember bullet points. They remember moments.

Stories breathe life into your values. Instead of listing your values like a corporate manual, tell a story about a time when your business (or you) lived that value.

Value: Be Intentional
How we practice it: A client once came to us in a rush, wanting a full rebrand in just a few weeks. Instead of jumping in blindly, we took a step back and asked the tough questions. Was this the right time? Was a full rebrand even necessary? After some deep strategy work, we realized a few small but powerful adjustments would have a bigger impact than an overhaul.

Value: Inject Your Humanity
How we practice it: We once worked with a company that had amazing products but sounded like a soulless corporate entity in their messaging. No one could relate to them. So, we scrapped the jargon and reworked their tone to sound like an actual human talking to another human. Almost immediately, engagement skyrocketed. People don’t connect with businesses—they connect with other people.

Value: Listen. Then Speak.
How we practice it: A business owner came to us convinced they needed a flashy marketing campaign. But instead of selling them what they thought they needed, we took the time to listen. We dug into their audience, their past efforts, and their goals. Turns out, their real problem wasn’t marketing—it was audience alignment. So, we shifted strategies, focusing on building stronger connections before amplifying the message. The result? More meaningful engagement, not just more noise.

I hope this helps. I will work on reworking the verbiage on my values in the next few weeks. I would love to see yours.

My favorite Black Friday ads ever. (It's not about selling stuff.)

Don’t come to our store.

As a freelance copywriter, I dig Black Friday for all of the great ads. Just imagine, it’s Black Friday madness circa early 2000s. People camping outside Best Buy like it’s Coachella, freezing their butts off for the chance to score a TV at 70% off. The doors open, the stampede begins, and humanity collectively loses its mind over a flat screen.

Every retailer out there was playing the same game: bigger deals, flashier ads, more chaos. But then, in 2015, REI—an outdoor retailer with actual guts—did something no one saw coming. They closed their doors on Black Friday. Shut down. Lights off. And they gave all 15,000 employees the day off and told the rest of us to, wait for it… #OptOutside.

Instead of encouraging you to buy more stuff you probably don’t need, REI suggested you take a hikeOr go skiing. Or just hang out in a park. It was bold, it was brilliant, and it flipped Black Friday on its head. Now, every year, they double down on this move, closing their doors and giving their employees a paid day to enjoy the outdoors. Turns out, people love a company with a backbone.

**** From a creative perspective: #OptOutside is a pun on opt in or opt out. Our brain appreciates a twist on the familiar.

Don’t buy our stuff.

But wait, REI wasn’t the only brand shaking things up. In 2011, Patagoniaran an ad in The New York Times that basically said, “Don’t buy this jacket.” The ad showed one of their jackets front and center, but instead of a shiny list of features, it outlined the environmental cost of making it: water wasted, carbon emitted, all the not-so-fun stuff we tend to ignore.

The kicker? That ad made their sales go up 30%. Why? Because it wasn’t just an ad; it was a manifesto. Patagonia wasn’t just selling jackets—they were selling values.

And they didn’t stop there. Patagonia has built an entire ecosystem around sustainability:

• They partnered with eBay to create a marketplace for people to buy and sell used Patagonia gear, giving it a second life. Now, they’ve got a “Worn Wear” section on their site for buying pre-loved items.

• Since 1985, they’ve pledged 1% of sales to environmental causes. They even co-founded a nonprofit to encourage other businesses to do the same.

• In 1996, they switched to 100% organic cotton, ditching the pesticides and showing the world how it’s done.

**** From a creative perspective: An ad that says don’t buy this is completely unexpected and is a scroll stopper.

These moves aren’t just marketing stunts—they’re proof that a brand can make money and make a difference. And that’s the magic here: brands like REI and Patagonia don’t just slap their values on a poster. They weave them into every decision they make. It’s values at the core, not the crust.

How to Put Your Values at the Core of Your Small Biz

You might not be REI or Patagonia (yet), but that doesn’t mean you can’t bake your values into everything you do. Here are five ways to start:

• Maybe you’re an interior designer, and you donate furniture to Humble Design, an organization that helps people recovering from homelessness furnish their first homes.

• Maybe you’re an analytics company, and you give your employees time off to volunteer.

• Maybe you’re a graphic designer, and you support the marketing efforts of a nonprofit.

• Maybe you’re an accountant, and you donate to the Audubon Society—just because you love birds.

With much gratitude for you,

Diving into a brainstorm: ClubMed

It’s summertime. And though I took some trips earlier in the summer, this freelance San Diego copywriter never wants to leave in August because the ocean water is finally warm.

But in honor of our favorite time of year to go on vacation, I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite campaigns with you: Club Med’s "The Antidote for Civilization." It’s an oldie, but it’s a classic! Before this campaign, Club Med was all about showing off the fun you could have at their resorts. But then, they took it to the next level by positioning Club Med as a getaway from the everyday grind.

This approach is a great example of brainstorming by focusing on what your product isn’t—essentially, looking at the opposite. So, here’s how I’d brainstorm for Club Med:

 Imagine Club Med at the center of a mind map with these branches extending from it:

•  No worries

• Excitement

• Custom activities/menu

• Escaping your daily routine

For this brainstorm, we’re going to dive into that last idea: escaping your regular life.

1. Club Med is all about stepping away from your everyday routine.

2. We’ll play around with the concept of escape and change.

3. We’re leaning towards contrasting “civilization” with “modern life” for our final statements.

 Of course, to get here would include dozens of versions of headlines. (Can AI help generate these? You might get a few choice phrases but you are not going to get the “big idea.”

Hope this helps spark some creative ideas!

I need to venti about coffee and branding.

Imagine a café that decided to give laptops the boot because they want people to actually sit at tables, order coffee, and enjoy food, rather than babysit a coffee cup for hours.

So, they slapped up this sign.

So as a freelance copywriter, I naturally thought, there’s a way to put a more positive spin on this so people don't walk away feeling icky.

What’s the opposite of staring at a screen all morning? Yep, talking to someone. Let’s brainstorm ideas that focus on real, human connection.

Connect IRL, Not URL.

Order coffee, eat food, make friends. But please keep your table clear of laptops.

or

Conversations Over Clicks.

We’re big proponents of human interaction. Drink coffee, eat food, share a laugh. But please keep your laptop in your bag.

This is a coffee shop, is there a way to bring a coffee reference into this?

Real Conversations Brewed Here.

During our morning rush hour, 7-9 am, please leave your laptop in your bag.

Screens can be an addiction. Let’s play off of that.

Digital Detox Zone.

Let’s drink coffee, eat cake, and keep our laptops closed 7-10 am.

Do you have any ideas for better messaging for this?

What happened to the third space?

Starbucks grew on the promise of being that third space. Not work, not home, but a special place. Customers could enjoy all the comforts of home: sit in a comfy chair, stare out the window, talk with a friend, and drink coffee. It was about connections and community, not just the coffee.

Then CEO Howard Schultz nailed it, saying, “I’ve never thought of the third place just as a physical environment. For me, the third place has always been a feeling. An emotion. An aspiration that all people can come together and be uplifted as a result of a sense of belonging.”

The concept of being a third space was Starbuck’s differentiator. It was their thought-provoking POV.

But then they grew, cut costs, and it just became about the coffee.

Starbucks leasing agents are the best in the business. They know how to maximize every dollar per square foot. So, at the height of COVID, Starbucks closed their local shop that had sofas inside and tables outside and no drive-through and built a new Starbucks from scratch. To their credit, they laid out the drive-through lane first and then built the store. Now there’s only outside seating (which you can use almost year-round in San Diego). And probably 95% of their business is now drive-through rather than walk-in.

Starbucks now sells coffee, not community. And so does McDonald’s, which is cheaper.

Starbucks lost their differentiator. So if you want to have a cup of coffee with this San Diego freelance copywriter, this is the neighborhood cafe that I’ll take you too. (It appeals to my love of sketch art.)

What makes your business different? What’s your thought-provoking POV?

Mesmerizing ad or dystopic harbinger?

The latest Apple commercial is making waves, boasting the thinnest iPad ever. They showcase all our beloved creative tools—art supplies, spray paint, cameras, pianos, guitars, even emojis—getting crushed to the tunes of Sonny & Cher.

It's a spectacle, really. A nod to those mesmerizing videos of things being crushed, like the Hydraulic Press channel on YouTube. Apple's message? All that creativity now fits in this sleek little device.

As a freelance San Diego copywriter and a creative professional, I have to ask: is Apple missing the mark here?

Apple always positioned themselves as the champion of the creative class, the makers, the thinkers, the challengers. This approach has created a legion of dedicated customers who resonate with Apple's vision.

Is Apple being completely tone-deaf to the reality that developers and designers, two of Apple's core audiences, are losing jobs to automation and AI? Here we see a machine crushing centuries of human achievement and creativity.

What do you think: mesmerizing ad or dystopic harbinger of things to come?

Either way, we’re talking about it.

#branding #shamelesslyhuman

DIYFamilyFilms Nails It

Alright, buckle up, because DIYFamilyFilms just dropped an ad campaign that's the equivalent of a marketing mic drop. I'm scrolling through my feed, and bam! An iPhone video course that hits differently. (I haven’t bought it yet but I’m going to! And no, this is not an affiliate venture.)

Let's dissect the brilliance:

The Head-turning Hook

Lead Message:

"Why I stopped taking pics/videos of my son every day."

Hold up, did a photography/video course just lead with not taking photos? Genius. It's unexpected, it's attention-grabbing and head-turning.

Opening Text

"When you take out your phone for every cute moment because you don't want to miss it but you end up with a ton of digital clutter."

And just like that, we're all nodding in agreement. Founder Tenille is in our heads, she gets it. Digital clutter? Guilty as charged.

Understanding Parents

"Time with your child is so precious and you don't want to forget the special moments. I get it."

Yes, you get it, and now we're hooked. Speak our language, sister!

The Sell - Benefit First

"Reduce digital clutter and screen time by learning how to use your phone properly to create home videos that you actually want to watch."

Not diving into course features but hitting us with the benefits. Unexpected benefits, mind you. Reduce digital clutter? Sign me up. Reduce screen time? Double yes.

The Pitch

"Learn the DIY family films method once and have a skill for life. Get 70% off our easy way to follow course built for busy parents! Works with iPhones and Androids."

A skill for life? Check. Discount for busy parents? Check. Works with both iPhones and Androids? Check and mate. This is a pitch with a punch.

Website Check

Clarity Line

Boom, instant clarity on what the course is about. No beating around the bush.

Overcoming Objections

She's a parent like us, low-tech on the phone, reduce screen time, stuff you won’t find on YouTube. Objections crushed, moving on.

Before and After

Instead of the cliché before and after, she labels it "Digital clutter to home movies." It's not just clever; it's a visual punch in the face.

DIYFamilyFilms isn't just selling a course; they're selling a solution to a problem we didn't even realize we had.

Bravo, bravo!

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Shamelessly Human Brand Story is here!

After a design event, some friends and I went out for a beer (me: hard cider cuz I’m a wimp), and we were chatting about the latest AI news.

If you were a stalker, this is what you may have heard:

“I’m raising my glass to being on the brink of retirement.”

“Creative work is drying up.”

“How in h*** do we even stand a chance against those smarty-pants AI thingamajigs?”

So what do we do?

We tell better stories. We tell better stories about our businesses. We tell better stories about ourselves.

AI is just a fancy data aggregator; the results can be average. So now is the time to embrace who you and be Shamelessly Human.

Introducing

Shamelessly Human Brand Story:

Write Your Brand Story with Heaps of Human Help and a Dash of AI.

November 9 to December 13.

In this class, we're not just scratching the surface; we're going to dig deep, really deep, into uncovering your Thought-Provoking Point of View (POV). You're not just a designer; you're a designer with a unique perspective that sets you apart. In this age of automation and algorithms, it's your human creativity and insight that bring real value to the table.

Real live human help 3 hours a week.

There are videos, worksheets, and prompts to help you. For 4 weeks, there will be 3 hours of live video office hours to get feedback on your work. (And I’m not internet famous or anything so you can get lots of face time with me.)

And we’ll make friends with AI.

We’ll touch on AI to help. But the real magic comes from your thinking. So, this is a human writing class with a dash of AI. This is a brand story writing class with a dash of AI. If you’re seeking AI as the main course, this course won’t be your jam.

Get ready to unleash your new brand story before the New Year rolls in.

Picture yourself radiating unshakable confidence in your message. You'll have the confidence to unveil that slick website, new course, or new service. Imagine your customers exclaiming, "Hell yes, this is exactly what I've been craving!" 🚀🔥💥

Shamelessly Human is open!

Three waters. Three different brands

You know, I've noticed a fascinating trend over the past few years – the rise of water, with sparkling waters, and flavored waters in aluminum cans. I must say, I'm a big fan of this movement. (Although, I did have a minor mishap when I hurriedly grabbed a variety box of canned flavored sparkling waters for a kids' camping trip, only to discover it was canned cocktails! Lesson learned: Always read those labels carefully.)

Now as a freelance copywriter in San Diego, the biggest lesson I can teach is how a brand can differentiate themselves. So let's dive into the intriguing world of water in cans and see how three different players position themselves in a similar category and see what lessons we can learn.

Liquid Death

 The very mention of Liquid Death and a glance at its branding had me initially thinking it was some hip craft beer. (Oh, those misleading labels!)

The inspiration for Liquid Death struck when Mike Cessario attended an alternative music event sponsored by Monster Energy in the 2000s. Surprisingly, the thirsty bands craved water, not energy drinks. So they poured water into empty Monster Energy bottles to please the sponsor. That got Mike pondering: why can't water be cool and branded differently?

Fast forward to the late 2010s, and Mike found himself at a music festival surrounded by an ocean of plastic waste, much of it crushed water bottles. "The beverage industry has a problem," he thought. (Okay, I admit, I made up that quote.)

Mike, a former advertising guru from agencies like Crispin Porter & Bogusky and VaynerMedia, created Liquid Death – water that rocks the aesthetics of craft beer, housed in an aluminum bottle, complete with craft beer-like branding.

The rallying cry: Death to plastic.

"We're just a quirky beverage company that despises corporate marketing as much as you do. Our diabolical mission is to tickle people's funny bones while persuading them to sip on healthier beverages more frequently, all while aiding the fight against plastic pollution."

Questions to ask: Can you draw inspiration from a different industry, be it in marketing or product delivery, to attract a fresh demographic? Maybe a bit of cross-pollination is what your brand needs to flourish.

Liquid Death may have hit the jackpot with its branding, but by taking a stand against plastic and championing the recyclable aluminum can (which oddly resembles a craft beer can), it's made a real splash in the water market.

 Mountain Valley Spring Water

 Mountain Valley Spring Water has been quenching thirsts since 1871, drawing water from the heart of the Ouachita Mountains at its source.

The signature move has always been delivering water in glass containers, steering clear of the plastic debacle. However, the brand recently decided to venture into the realm of aluminum bottles, offering a more portable, recyclable option. (After all, lugging a glass bottle on a day of fishing isn't ideal.)

The rallying cry: From the source.

Mountain Valley presents its award-winning premium spring water in bottles that tag along wherever you roam. These 100% recyclable aluminum bottles are your go-to for the pool, beach, hiking trails, and all the adventures in between. It's the latest innovation from a brand that's been bottling from the same spring source since way back in 1871.

Questions to ask: Is there a product or service you could provide to meet shifting customer preferences? Is expanding your offerings worth it, even if it complicates things a tad? What's the cost of not evolving?

This is a classic example of an existing brand in a new category broadening its product line to keep pace with industry innovations.

 Path Water

 In 2014, three friends decided to embark on a mission to save the environment by tackling the problem of single-use water bottles. Thus, Path Water was born, blazing a trail as the first bottled water packaged in a certified refillable, 100% recyclable, BPA-free aluminum bottle.

These pioneers literally knocked on doors to secure their first store placements (high-five, 7-11!). After a rebranding effort, several investors, including the ever-flamboyant chef Guy Fieri, jumped on board, and they forged collaborations with iconic brands such as the National Parks, Oliver Peoples, and The Tonight Shoes. Not to mention they scored exclusive licensing deals with Nickelodeon and Hasbro; as of 2023, they're even teaming up with Barbie. Their customizable bottles open up doors for all kinds of small brands to join the party.

The rallying cry: We're forging the path to end single-use plastic bottles.

 "We're on a mission to make the future sustainable by being the go-to bottled water that helps everyone kick the habit of single-use plastic bottled water. Every day, we fuel this revolution as global consumer demand skyrockets for sustainable and reusable choices in bottled water packaging."

 Questions to ask: Can you reimagine how business is conducted? Path wasn't content with creating just another single-use container. Can you offer customization in your product? (Of course, if you're in the service industry, you might already be customizing your offerings.)

In the grand tapestry of water brands, Path Water stands out as a beacon of sustainability, innovation, and collaboration.

So there you have it, three distinct perspectives from the world of water brands. Each one has found its unique path to success, and perhaps there are lessons we can all draw from their journeys. And remember, always read those labels!

On the hunt for creative ideas.

I was in the midst of doing my favorite thing as a freelance copywriter: naming a new product. So there I was, scouring the digital savannah for that one elusive word that would make my product sing. I dove headfirst into the realm of WordHippo's thesaurus, then embarked on an adventure through the lists of WordsThatStartWith.com. But, alas, I came up empty. 

Then, like a plot twist in the making, I was sitting in church and the pastor used the perfect word as one of the subtitles in his three-point sermon. I chuckled and wrote the word in capital letters in my sermon notes so I wouldn’t forget it.

Divine intervention?

Now, was this a stroke of divine intervention? Who’s to say? We’ve all been fed the romanticized myth that creativity strikes like a bolt of lightning, illuminating our minds in a flash of brilliance. Just like how Paul McCartney claimed that the song "Let It Be" descended upon him in a dream about his deceased mother. But let’s be real, us mere mortals don't always get to ride that lightning bolt. No, for most of us, creativity is more like coaxing a campfire into existence using nothing but a handful of dry twigs. ​Creativity is not some elusive unicorn that only the chosen few can ride; it’s a skill, plain and simple. A skill that can be honed, nurtured, and mastered over time. 

Ideas are work!

It’s all about the frameworks. When I’m in the idea-hunting game, I like to play with opposites, mash ideas together like a mad scientist, and toss around a hearty dose of "What Ifs." 

Now, don’t get me wrong; ideas don’t always saunter into my brain while I’m laboring at my desk. But once my brain is tuned in, sometimes stray notions ambush me in the most unexpected places. Like that time I was wandering the mall during the holiday frenzy and a simple wreath had me envisioning an ad with a headline in a round shape. Or the mundane moment at the drive-thru that inspired my very first radio spot. And let’s not forget the time I swiped a sentence right off a Christmas card from my mother-in-law and used it as foundation for a life insurance commercial.  

But here’s the kicker, the pièce de résistance: time. You can’t rush this creative stew; you have to let it simmer.

So let this San Diego freelance copywriter spill the beans: keep your mind wide open and your pencil poised because inspiration doesn’t always come with a bolt; it often slips in through the backdoor.

Bears Be Aware: Edit a sign, save a life.

I was on a trip to Montana with childhood friends on their annual trek to their grandparents’ ancestral home.

At a trailhead, I spotted this mini-guide for bear survival that is a great lesson in information hierarchy. I love it: It has a cute attention-grabbing headline that rhymes: BE BEAR AWARE followed by a clarifying subhead. The information is broken down into three sections:

• Avoid Confrontation

• Secure Food Items

• Carry Bear Spray

I would suggest they change the third subhead, though. While carrying bear spray may be helpful, for any visiting city slickers, it’s probably more important to know not to run.

Here's how I would revise the third subhead and copy:

DO NOT RUN.

• Carry bear spray. Move cautiously out of the area.

I would also switch the 2nd and 3rd blocks of copy as I think it’s more important to tell people not to run than to secure their food. (Though if they don’t secure their food, the bears will come, so it is all important.) The edited sign looks like this:

Now for the final edit. I would cut copy length because the shorter the copy, the greater the chance more people will read it.

BE BEAR AWARE

• Grizzly & Black Bears May Be Encountered.

AVOID CONFRONTATION

• Make noise while walking. Hike in groups if possible. Control your pets.

DO NOT RUN

• Carry bear spray. Move cautiously out of the area.

SECURE FOOD ITEMS

• Store food & garbage in vehicle or hang in a tree. Keep a clean camp. Pack out garbage.

Rick Rubin and the Creative Act

I was impatient and ordered the kindle edition of Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being. It’s a book of short self-contained  chapters so you can pick it up and read a blurb for a dose of inspiration.  (And really, I could create a graphic this long for each chapter, it really is a quotable volume.)

Considering all the recording artists that Rubin has worked with, he doesn’t name drop. A couple of times he gives a specific example of how he has coached an artist but you are left to guess who. 

In making art, the audience comes last. - Rick Rubin

This quote hit me because it reflects the difference between art as self-expression and using creative art to sell a product. As a creative professional, sometimes my copywriting or graphic recording can approach art, but it still has a purpose to sell, clarify or inform. 

Yesterday I was in a session with a team and we were selecting what campaign ideas to refine. There was one campaign that was clever and everyone loved. But it was a longer read and wasn’t as clear, it wouldn’t serve the client as well. We had other campaign directions that could delight a customer and sell the product that we chose instead. 

5-minute Homepage Makeover for a Restaurant

Does your website pass the 5-second rule?

Can a viewer find out what you do within that period of time? (And, preferably, fall in love with your services or products?)

I came across a site that needed help with the falling in love part.

Some members of my extended family were in town, and we were to go to a restaurant to dine with some even more extended family. I checked the restaurant’s website for the address before setting out, and noticed that the site looked like it was from 2008.

The website didn’t make me excited to go visit any of these waterfront restaurants.

Yawnsville.

There are two things I would immediately do to improve it.

• Write a big, beautiful, benefit-driven headline to sell the stunning waterfront locations.

• Use big photos to showcase those locations.

(Because dinner is always more fun when you can watch sea lions sunbathe on a dock and witness standup paddleboarders fall in the water.)

 Watch this video  to see a quick makeover.

Your homepage is such valuable real estate. Make sure you make the most of it.

I hope this helps you!

Write on! :)

Brave the Woods: Navigating a creative business.

Every month The One Club for Creativity hosts Creative Space at the Mingei Museum in San Diego. This month we heard the tall tales and epiphanies of illustrator Brad Woodard of Brave the Woods. Brad shared insights behind the business of his illustration studio. Much of this can be applied to running other creative businesses.

Make friends – People like to work with people they know. Keep in touch with colleagues. They all move on to other jobs, clients, and agencies and will still hire you. Brad mentioned that he emails colleagues from time to time just to see how they are doing, never a request for work. Top of mind = more assignments.

Cultivate an opinion – Share your thoughts about the industry. Brad got his start early during the golden days of blogging and this really built up his readership These days you might share on TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn. (LinkedIn is severely underused by most creatives.)

Curate your portfolio – Show the work you want to do more of. Brad got his start in infographics but got tired of doing them. His next job was design-centric with a focus on illustration.

Create the opportunity ­– If you don’t have a paid opportunity for a new type of project you want to try, initiate the work yourself: video, a book, or animation. Brad self-published a children’s book and since then has worked with every major publisher.

Have multiple streams of income – How else can you make money beyond client work? Store. Classes. Making brushes and presets. Social media monetization. Brad makes how to digital art videos. This elevated his presence and drew the attention of larger, big-budget clients.

License – Participate in client success. This can be a big source of income for illustrators and photographers.

Learn about the business side.

Brad mentioned that in art school he didn’t learn a thing about business. I find this true with many recent grads that I talk too. But luckily business can be learned without getting an MBA in the arts. (I can’t think of a better waste of money.) Knowing how to conduct business is what separates successful creative business owners. (Not necessarily their skill at their craft.)

And look at the cute print everyone went home with. Thanks Neyenesch Printers, Inc. Another great idea: always leave your audience with something to take home. It’s how you keep top of mind.

Creative Space happens the first Wednesday evening of every month. I hope to see you there sometime if you live in the San Diego area. As a San Diego copywriter my number one tip for propelling your creative career is to get out and meet people. If you have a network of fellow creatives that you can rely on and refer work to and get feedback from, your practice will soar.

I  #sandiegocreatives #sandiegodesign #illustration #theoneclubsandiego

What is your one thing?

YES/LESS is an exercise I went through a few months ago that helped me focus on what I needed for a little more balance. Have I moved the needle on any of the things I listed? No!

So I’m going to focus on one thing that can make it happen: less doomscrolling. I figure if I decrease random social media usage I will decrease procrastination.

And I’m going to take three steps to jumpstart progress:

1. Taking Facebook and Twitter off my phone and iPad = more Kindle book reading.

2. Don’t begin the day with Twitter = beginning it with prayer

3. Visiting Twitter and Facebook once a day on my desktop and then physically signing out so it is not just a simple click away = less procrastination.

Simplicity can be powerful.

Let me know what your one thing is!

If you want to download plain versions of these templates:

One Thing

YES/LESS Plain

YES/LESS Surf

Big love for small biz.

As a San Diego freelance copywriter, many of the businesses I work with are small businesses. I’m a small business too and I know how challenging the past two years have been. So, if you’re still here, standing tall or if you’re barely making it and ready to throw it all in, I salute you.

There are ways you can support a friend’s business without spending a dime. (Though of course, spending money helps too!)

Write a review.

Some businesses live and die by the reviews they receive. If you have a hairdresser you love, a boutique that you always find that special gift at, or a coach who helps you grow your business, write review. Yelp, Angie’s List, Google, ask them where a review would help them.

Tell your friends and family.

If you found a new place for dinner, tell your friends and family. If your friend bakes cupcakes, tell all of your party-giving friends. 

Follow the business on social media.

That algorithm makes it hard for small businesses to show up. So, follow them to help them boost their numbers.

 Engage the business on social media.

The more engagement a page receives, the more it will show up in people’s feeds. Comment on photos, share posts!

Feel free to take these images and post on your social media!

Revenge of the purple fluffy bunny slippers.

How do you want to show up?

I was working a tradeshow and I was flabbergasted that a woman working the booth across the aisle wore towering heels all day long. I was wearing my comfort sport runners with orthotics and was still had super sore feed at the end of the day.

Then a funning thing happened, at the end of the day the woman pulled out a pair of fuzzy purple bunny slippers. Now that looked comfortable.

I was amused by her footwear but thought this also seems to be a metaphor for how people show up.

They show up wearing the towering stilettos because that is “professional”—meanwhile they think that is what is expected. And buried inside is the longing for fluffy purple bunny slippers.

You don’t to choose one or the other: painfully professional or glittery-unicorn-smiley-face-dotting-your-i. There’s a professional, personable in-between. Think maybe purple ballet flats or furry leopard slingbacks.

Have fun. Be you. And experiment with the language you use to explain who you are and what you do. I’ll be holding a 6-week brand story workshop in early 2022 that helps you nail down your language. Email me back so I can put you on the interest list.

P.S. I used to only use my heart signatures for my emails. I sign off on my business proposals like this too now. And Linkedin articles. I win more clients.

But darling, I'm an artist.

“But, darling, I’m an artist,” he drawled while inhaling on the ever-present cigarette that dangled from his fingers.

I watched Halston, the Netflix series that explores the rise and fall of the designer who created Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat for her husband’s inauguration, grew a fashion empire, then crashed and burned after partying too much at Studio 54.

There’s a constant tension between creativity and commerce in the show.

“I must be a real artist because I’m a terrible businessman,” Halston complains.

“Do you have to choose?” a mentor asks.

“Yes, I probably do.”

“Why not both?” his mentor answers.

For 15 years, I have followed a former ad industry creative giant who is now an author and speaker. During quarantine, this individual developed a quick course to sell since there were no speaking gigs to be had. The copy was not engaging, and several versions of the ad appeared, all with forgettable stock photos. It was evident that there was zero creative direction from the former ad professional in the ad campaign for this product. I wonder if sales of this course would have been higher if the campaign had been a little more alluring.

For Halston, details were everything. He had to fight with the manufacturer because they didn’t want to use a special bottle stopper for his debut fragrance, which went on to make hundreds of millions of dollars. Were the details worth it? Yes.

In the end, Halston’s business faltered because he was spread too thin and inhaled too many chemicals. When he began collaborating to produce costumes for Martha Graham’s dance troupe for the sheer creative joy of it, an assistant asked him: “How do you want to make the audience feel?”

And Halston, being the artist, knew how to articulate it: “When the dancers move, I want the audience to feel something pulling back against them. I want to feel the membrane that separates our world from the heavens that we can never quite touch, if we could just stretch a little further, we could be immortal.”

And that’s where art collides with business. How can you reflect what people want to feel in a product that you create? That’s where the magic happens.

DIY Branding Workshop Templates!

Over the past six months, I have been experimenting with a new DIY brand voice workshop that I have been using with clients and in the copywriting classes I teach. It's free and I thought you might want to give it a try.

It's based on the 3-Hour Branding Sprint developed by the folks at Google Ventures. I've adjusted it a bit. It's perfect for solo buisness owners and small groups. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Can you explain your brand?

If not, use these simple exercises to make the idea of your brand into something concrete. If It’s just you, just print out this handbook and doodle away. If you’re part of a team, draw these diagrams on large sticky note posters. After you’re done, you (and your team) should have some common language to describe you’re your brand is all about.

Note and VoteBranding is one of those things where you can talk for hours and hours and still note make a decision. Note and vote limits your discussion time and allows quieter people to be heard.

How to make decisions quickly.

• Time to generate ideas: Everyone gets a Sharpie, a pad of sticky notes and the permission to go crazy for two minutes. One idea per sticky note. No self-editing. The idea is to generate a lot of ideas.

• Narrow down: Then, the timer is set for two more minutes, while each person selects their favorite idea or two.

• Share: Now it’s time to share. Everyone shares their ideas while one person records them. Next, another five minutes passes while everyone individually picks out a favorite idea from the whiteboard and writes their vote down.

• Ta-da: The votes are revealed and noted on the whiteboard. One person, the “decider,” (who is chosen in advance) makes the final call on which idea to go with. (The decider is the CEO of your company.)

Your Mission

Where are you going to be in one, five, and ten years? Taking a long term approach helps you focus on the big picture.

Guiding Principles

List your guiding principles. It’s easy to list 20. But it’s hard to narrow them down to three. This is your point of difference.

Audience

Who is your audience. You might have many. But focus on the top two or three. Ask yourself, what do they care about? What’s their problem that we can solve?

Draw an audience pie chart and label what their top need is.

What, How, and Why

When you know why you’re in business and have a unified way to talk about it all of your marketing and communications fall into place.

The What – Please write a phrase or sentence describing your primary business for the next five years. Examples: We make tacos. I am a financial coach.

The How – What’s our secret sauce? What technology or approach sets us apart from the competition? Examples: We make our tacos with fresh ingredients. I help people gain finyancial literacy.

The Why – You can think of the "why" as the reason you get out of bed in the morning and go to work. The "why" should reflect the core reason your company exists, and it won’t change much over time. Examples: We sell food with integrity. If you don’t plan your future, who will.

This is adapted from Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle.

Brand Personality

Where does your brand voice fall? You can fall to the left in some ranges and fall to the right in others. That’s okay. What you don’t want is your brand voice landing in the middle of everything. That’s bland and boring.

Landscape

Take a sticky note and place where your company is in comparison to the competition. You might want to change the labels to fit your industry. For example, you might use high tech/no tech. Or business/inspiration. Corporate/casual.

Ta-da!

Here you have it, simple beginnings of a brand guide. Use it to help drive your messaging. Or bring it when you engage a social media person, web developer, designer, or copywriter.

Get your copy here.

Clarity Wins! Branding Workshops

If you would like me to lead you or your team through a Clarity Wins! Branding Workshop, just hit me up at stories@annemccoll.com!

Happy writing! :)

"Hosting an Effective Brainstorm on Zoom" at San Diego Design Week.

San Diego Design Week is here, September 9 -13! I will be offering a pre-recoreded workshop:: Hosting an Effective Brainstorm on Zoom.

Learn how to structure and facilitate an effective brainstorm session on Zoom. As designers, finding creative solutions to problems is what we do! Just because you’re working remotely, you don’t have to lose that magic that a face-to-face session can generate. We’ll talk about how to bridge the communication gap that can occur with digital meetings and the importance of visualizing participant input. You will learn how to structure a brainstorm, how to work visually in a virtual world, and low tech ways to make Zoom more engaging.

This prerecorded workshop is available all week. You can access it here.