S4 Ep 9: What a consultant can teach you about copywriting, and how to be kind to yourself while launching

Cutting Chai Stories: Write copy that feels good

In today's episode, I speak with Catherine Stagg-Macey, an executive coach and mojo wing woman for mid-career professionals ready to reclaim their spark in their career. She’s spent 20 years in a corporate career wondering if there was a more fulfilling chapter. Her own journey to find work that was meaningful has formed the basis for the work she now does with others.

Here are a few choice quotes from our conversation:

I have a principle of never outsourcing stuff I don’t know. And this goes back to my consulting—we would tell our clients the same thing. Don’t outsource a problem, don’t outsource something that you don’t understand how it works. Because then you’re never gonna know, whether what you get back, is of any good, or have any value, right?

I’m still learning how I think when I write. I’m still finding my own voice, and I find, having to write the weekly email letter, having to write the sales page, forces me, in a good way, to kind of go, well, what ARE the pain points I’m trying to address, who IS the person I’m trying to talk to, who IS the ideal client that I have in mind.

You know, you’ve asked me some great questions that I couldn’t answer, around my ideal client. But it’s only through copy, I think you can create content and create a program without being that clear, but I think doing your own copy helps you, forces you to be VERY clear on that, which I think is GREAT.

Whatever kind of copywriting support you get, I think you need someone else to look at the copy. Because there is so much, and after a while you’re like, I can’t think of another email to write, I can’t think of another story. Do I have to say the benefits again, or the outcomes AGAIN. And your copywriter or freelancing buddy is going to say YES, or NO.

If you’re going to embrace your copywriter side, as an entrepreneur or a small business owner, I think you have to face your stories and assumptions you have about yourself as a storyteller. Like…who’s going to be interested in my story? Does it matter? How do I make a story about learning to do pottery link to my career rut course? How do I make that bridge? And not sound totally naf.

Copywriting is not about being “correct,” it’s an invitation into a relationship, it’s an invitation into connecting through a story, to be human with each other.

Connect with Catherine:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staggmacey/

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staggmacey/

Visit her website: https://www.conversationsattheedge.co.uk

Find out your leadership style: https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/6011b3a9b2b16d001691e67d

Read her blog post about writing Out of Office emails: https://www.conversationsattheedge.co.uk/blog/out-of-office