When I think back to the beginning of my content creation journey…
Because believe it or not, there was a time not too long ago that content creation wasn’t even a glimmer of a hope of a thought in my mind. Heck, it wasn’t even a term that I knew.
It’s when I first started dabbling in writing to connect, writing to tell stories, writing with a purpose that I started to discover what was and wasn’t going to work for me.
You see, despite what you may have gathered from the endless amounts of blogs, youtube videos, podcast episodes, and masterclasses out there, there isn’t one way to write your story. There isn’t one “ideal” way to communicate with your audience.
The BEST thing you will ever do for yourself and your business (other than START) is be 210% your magical self.
It’s really easy in the beginning to want to sound “professional”, “authoritative”, and like that really successful coach you’re emulating, to compare your message, your voice, your words to those being used by others in your niche or field. But, that is not a sustainable way to create success, friend. More importantly, it’s not a fun way.
Your story, your experience, your authority are entirely your own, so why wouldn’t you want to convey them in a way that is your own as well?
I’m here to show you how to do just that!
Step 1: GET REALLY COMFY BEING YOU
Ok, this one is more of an ongoing and forever step, but do you often catch yourself backspacing as your writing because you’re afraid someone will judge what you’re saying or how you’re saying it? Hmmmm?
That is why confidence, getting really comfy being exactly who you are, should always be your #1 mission. You are a freaking magical specimen of a human being, but until you believe that, it’s going to feel really hard for you to show up with that Zeina warrior princess, wonder woman type vibes.
I am in no way saying that you need to wait until the day you wake up madly in love with every part of yourself to start your business or tell your story, heck no. What I am saying is that you need to see the parts of you that make you different as the parts that will break the mould – In your industry, in your niche, with your audience. If ya wanna stand out from the crowd, you’ve gotta be different from the crowd, right?
Now, that doesn’t mean you have to go out and die your hair green (although, I’m all for that), it just means you feeling fully empowered and at peace with being yourself in your writing.
That’s where it has to start! That’s how the rest of it really gets to be fun!
I created an extra special something to help you get there: Own your youness toolkit.
Step 2: Detox the Digital
Hey, I get it, when we start a business, all we want to be doing is learning, learning, learning. And growing, growing, growing. But, when we spend more time-consuming content than creating it, those that may or may not be leaving us feeling subconsciously shitty about where we’re at in our journey, while simultaneously inspiring us to improve, cause us to end up losing sight of what thoughts or ideas are our own, and what thoughts or ideas might belong to someone else.
You already have everything you need inside you, dudette. Refer back to step 1 and trust yourself enough to take a step back from the podcasts, courses, youtube videos, Instagram content for a day or two.
Give yourself space to come back with a fresh and entirely YOU perspective.
STEP 3: GET UBER CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY, WHO YOU WANT TO SAY IT TO, AND WHY YOU WANT TO SAY IT
Now that you’ve had some space away from other peoples visions and messages, it’s time to make sure that we’re all kinds of clear on the foundations of our own.
When we first start our businesses and as they start to grow, it can be really easy to get lost in ALL the ways we want to support our clients, connect with our audience, or impact the world. And all the ways we feel like we SHOULD want to do all those things.
But, in order to really connect with our dreamiest peoples as a brand and business, we need to be super clear on why we opted onto the rollercoaster of an entrepreneurial ride, who we want to support, and how we want to support them.
No one’s story or motivations are going to be the exact same so, this is your first step in standing out as the unicorn that you are. Not to mention, there is a lot of peace of mind that comes along with reconnecting with these foundational elements.
I want you to open up a google doc or a journal (if you’re cool like that) and copy-paste these questions:
YOUR WHY:
- WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU TO START YOUR BUSINESS?
- WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?
- WHY DOES IT MAKE YOU HAPPY?
- WHY DO YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING TO DO IT?
- WHY DOES IT SUCK SOMETIMES?
- YOU HAVE 1 MINUTE TO TALK TO THE WHOLE WORLD…WHAT DO YOU SAY?
THE WHO:
- WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?
- WHAT KEEPS THEM UP AT NIGHT?
- WHAT MAKES THEM FEEL PROUD?
- WHAT MAKES THEM FEEL ANGRY?
- WHAT MAKES THEM FEEL SELF-CONSCIOUS?
- WHAT PROBLEM ARE YOU GOING TO SOLVE FOR THEM?
- HOW DO THEY FEEL AFTER CONNECTING WITH YOU/YOUR BRAND?
There are NO right or wrong answers. There are only YOUR answers.
THE HOW:
- WHAT’S THE TRANSFORMATION?
- HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GO ABOUT PROVIDING IT?
STEP 4: THINK OF YOUR BRAND AS A HUMAN PERSON, WHAT DO THEY CARE ABOUT?
Your values, beliefs and principles are a big-time point of differentiation + connection.
Your dreamy peoples are looking for someone with the values to match theirs, but if it isn’t clear what yours are…well…they’ll find someone’s who’s does.
You could probably guess that one of Steph Laffy Copywriting’s brand values is confidence. Why? Because it plays a big role in everything I share and the way I communicate with my peoples. I believe that being 210% confidence in who you are should be Step 1, always. Because it matters to me that my audience understands that their love for themselves is where the rest of the magic will flow from.
So, head on back to that google doc and write down your brand’s top 3-5 values. Then take it a step further and define each one for yourself.
You and I could both have confidence as one of our brand values, but I can guarantee that the minutia of what it represents to you in your brand is going to be different than what it means in mine. Own that shit!
STEP 5: AUDIT YOUR YOUNESS
I know it’s easy for me to say. “Just be more you, dudette! That’s where all the magic happens!” I mean, that’s factual, but what the in the flipping heckenbob does that look like?
Well, here are 3 places to start:
The Words + Sayings you…well…Say
Ok, so I want you to ask 3 of your closest friends or family members to think of 3 words they hear you say a lot in “real life”…Are you seeing those words in your content?
If I’m madly consuming all your content and then jump on a call to chat with you or get an email from you, and it doesn’t match up with the person I’ve connected with online, I’m probably going to feel a little duped, right? A little perplexed?
That is why it is so important that you write and express yourself in your business in a way that feels natural and authentic to you. No ones got the energy or brain space to constantly be running everything they say through a filter, dudette.
So do yourself a favour and just eliminate that barrier.
I use words like Dude, Rad, Badass, and Magical throughout all of my content. And I use sayings like Flow with the Go and Just Do You, Dude. Why?
Because these are things that I say regularly in my day to day life.
QUICK TIP: A quick way to get into the habit of changing up your writing style to match the way you naturally speak is to start recording yourself speak on a topic. So the next time you sit down to write a blog post or caption, take a moment to record yourself talking about the topic (alone or with someone else) and make note of the terms you use, the jokes you make, the words you say.
The Stories Your Telling
When we are trying to uplift and empower through our writing, it’s easy to feel like the “happy” parts, the “winning” moments are the ones that need to be shared.
Ummmm, no.
We want to see you win, we want to see you thrive, but we also want to learn how you got there.
We want to know about the hurdles you’ve overcome.
The mistakes that you’ve made.
The everyday moments that make you who you are!
So, make sure you’re not curating your stories through the lens of the “perfect” image, but rather with a realness factor.
Your audience just wants to relate to you dude, your stories are THE place to do that. So COLLECT them!
Pick a time of day and commit to writing down 3 things that happened to you that day, every day. And watch your storytime collection grow!
Your Quirks
Those cheezy romance novels you love? That coffee you can’t get enough of?
Those are the things that make you undeniably and unapologetically you. Don’t hide them, don’t underestimate their power to connect you with your audience.
They love that you’re quirky. Heck, they love watching Bones as much as you do.
BONUS STEP: FIND SOMEWHERE FUN TO STORE SAID YOUNESS
Creating a space to house all of your youness, ideas, lessons, and inspirations gives you the freedom to know that when the magic just isn’t flowing, you have a space you can turn to that is full of your authentic thoughts and feelings.
For me, my inspiration bank system is two-fold.
A) My Commonplace Book (WHICH I HOUSE IN NOTION).
For those that don’t know, a Commonplace Book is ultimately a place (physical or digital) where you put all your favourite quotes, the lessons you learn from the books you read, and the inspirations you gather from life in general.
Before I had a Commonplace Book, I often read to finish a book, rather than sit back and really reflect on what I had learned. Now, I highlight what inspires me and take notes on what I think of the book as I’m reading it. Then I set aside time after finishing a book to reflect and look back on the notes I took.
Not only has this changed the way I read, but it has created a space for all the inspiration and ideas I glean from what I’ve read and what I consume in general. Whether it’s an inspiring YouTube video, a particularly interesting fact from a podcast episode, or an anecdote from my own life…
You’ll find it all in my Commonplace Book. So, whenever I am creating content or am in need of some extra inspiration, I know where to go.
Giving a safe space for your ideas also allows your brain to move on to creating more of them. You literally create more space for creativity.
B) My Copy Bank
This will look different for everyone but, a copy bank is an amazing place to house all those quirks, sayings, words, and stories that make you who you are! So when you find yourself getting lost in the noise of the online space, you have somewhere to go where you can be reminded of all that makes you, you. It can be as simple as a google doc or something entirely of your own making.
Now, Just Go Do You Dude
The power of your voice starts with owning your youness as a superpower.
There are people who are looking for exactly what you’ve got going on. So, shine a light on all that makes you, YOU!
I 210% believe you can create ANYTHING once you own who you are, who you want to be, and own your voice as that badass human.
And, remember…
Life is yours to create, so write the story of your damn dreams!
Want to learn more about creativity, storytelling, and developing a writer’s mindset?
Goodie! It might not be an A-List, but the Laffy Email Squad is a pretty cool thing to be a part of if you’re looking to learn some things about how to be more you in your brand and copy.
So. Are ya? Yeah? Awesome! Sign on up!
