TOC #118: This Isn't What You Asked For, But...
(Mar 28, 2023) How I Show Up Online As Unapologetically & Authentically As Possible (And Why It's Important!)
I know you're salivating for this story.
And if my Instagram poll results are any indication, so are at least several hundred of my other subscribers.
I even got direct messages that mirrored death threats over potentially not sharing it with you—so, trust me when I say: I'm going to deliver. (I'm low key afraid for my life if I don't.)
But today is not that day.
*dodges virtual tomatoes being thrown at me*
Side note: if you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, I went to Arizona last week to celebrate the beginning of the Eras tour and my best friend's birthday.
And somewhere between those two events, I…
Met a boy.
In a bar.
On one fateful Sunday night.
Then I convinced him to get matching tattoos with me on our first date (which was exactly one day after meeting for the first time).
And, next week, I promise I'm going to recount that very passionate love story for you—I'll even include photos 😏—but this week, we have more important things to discuss.
Namely: WHY I thought it was okay to post about all of that on my Instagram story in the first place, and how it has everything to do with the intersection of authenticity, confidence, and storytelling, for the benefit of better relationships with my audience & maintaining the type of person-first business I want to run.
How I Show Up Online As Unapologetically & Authentically As Possible (And Why It's Important!)
A few years ago, I had a very important realization:
People want to hire ME.
Sure, they're interested in the work I'm doing, and the results I'm promising them, and the deliverables I'm providing them, but at the end of the day, they're choosing me over someone else because they want to work, specifically, with ME.
And this is true even when I'm showing them exactly who I am, without filters, without apology, without my hair done (see “R" in the glossary) and without feigning some bizarrely agreed-upon, corporate-esque version of “professionalism” just for the sake of feeling like I “should” or “have to” act a certain way.
(Here's the story of the client that made me realize this.)
Shortly after that realization, I had another very important one:
SOME people want to hire ME.
And some people don't.
Some people don't like the unapologetically authentic version of the “real” me—they'd prefer someone more buttoned-up, who doesn't call themselves an ‘absolute hoe for italics’ on their About page, or bring light to the dead-fish-pic epidemic, or start off their course calls with comments like “send a complaint in the chat, let’s bitch about something together.”
& that is perfectly okay.
I am 100%, without a doubt, unequivocally okay with the fact that I am not for everyone.
Because I know that if you spend all of your time trying to please everyone, you might eventually be able to do it… but you'd probably forget who you were along the way, since you'd be so busy worrying about who everyone else wants you to be.
And what kind of life is that?
Instead, I recommend being yourself—in general, but also in your marketing.
It's okay to be casual and conversational and treat your community like friends, as long as you're still consistently providing them with valuable information and a great experience as your subscriber, follower, viewer, reader, or client.
(You just have to also be okay with fielding weekly calls from your dad asking “is anyone gonna hire you if you keep using the frickin F bomb online??? aren't you gonna be out of a job if you keep up with that trucker mouth????”)
Now, this conversation feels extra relevant this week—ICYMI, I posted about my literal ass tat on my business Instagram—and I'd love to talk about why I choose to let my community see who I actually am, instead of creating a “professional” persona for my brand.
Then, YES, I swear on my life, I will tell you the story of how / why I got matching flame tattoos with a boy I just met. You can stop DMing me and telling me you're gonna unsubscribe if I don't. I wouldn't let you down like that. Put your pitch forks down.
How I show up online in a way that feels true to me, without taking away from being a professional brand:
#1 - I approach my content creation as myself, because *I* am my brand.
This is not the case for everyone, but it is for me. I am Between The Lines Copywriting. When you work with BTL, you're working with me.
And I want you to know exactly who that person is before you work with her, for 2 reasons:
When we work together, you're putting your story in my hands—and in order for you to trust that I'm going to do a great job telling the world who you are, you need to know who I am.
One of the biggest reasons I wanted to freelance in the first place is so I could stop working with (and for) assholes.
(More details here about my experience working at Last Names, which explains the “working for assholes” comment.)
& in my experience, when I show up as myself, I attract amazing clients that become as cherished and as close as real-life friends.
And I interact with 0 assholes.
Probably because I repel them. And I love that for me.
#2 - What I say/share in my content is exactly what I'd say/share with any old stranger I met off the street.
(You already know that one of my biggest copywriting tips is to treat your copy like a conversation, not a billboard, so we'll skip that part for now. Read more about that here, if ya want.)
Whether you've been subscribed to this newsletter for 2 weeks or 118 weeks, I think it's safe to assume that you know I'm a very forward person, with no problem saying anything that comes to mind.
It's no secret that I have an over-sharing problem.
I also have a “tell me your life story!” kind of face, so I have LOTS of experience having ridiculously personal conversations with complete and total strangers on the regular, making me sometimes forget it isn't ~normal~ to share some of these things with people who aren't close to you.
I just love sharing stories, because stories effortlessly resonate with people.
They foster community, and increase intimacy, and help us form bonds with one another over silly little things we can all relate to.
We can really connect with people through stories—it peels back the curtain, strips the small-talk energy away, and lets us get straight to the real stuff. I love that. & I love people who love that.
That being said, though…
#3 - I typically only share details about small things, letting people into a specific story—not my entire life.
Because I'm willing to share the specifics of certain scenarios in great detail, it may seem as though I share everything about my life with my subscribers/followers, but that's not the case.
You know about one medium ugly guy at the airport, one instance I let Wesley drink a chai latte, one summer I worked as a carnie; not my day-to-day life.
But it doesn't feel like that to you, because I include so many specifics. You probably feel like you know every single thing about me, because of the way I infuse elements of my personality into otherwise mundane events, like drinking 8 ounces of straight vodka out of guilt.
We can talk about my storytelling tips another time, but one of my favorite ways to improve stories is by including lots of specific details that make the stories feel more personal; make the readers feel like they're right there, experiencing it along with you.
#4 - I always make sure my content is relevant; I'm not sharing something just for the sake of sharing it.
If I'm sharing something personal, it's because I'm using it for:
Marketing-related content (ex: literally any anecdote I've shared over the last 118 weeks of sending this newsletter)
A way to connect with my followers / help people relate to me (ex: sharing an unfortunate event on my IG story)
A vessel to help people better understand something (ex: including a compelling story in a sales email)
I consistently provide value to my audience, and I use the stories from my daily life to build deeper connections with them, because they're stories that anyone can resonate with.
I'm not just telling you that I went to the Taylor Swift concert, I'm giving you 11 unique website copywriting tips.
I'm not just telling you about the time I worked as a concierge at a 5-star hotel, I'm sharing the email that got me my first-ever paying client.
I'm not just telling you about a Hinge date, I'm telling you how to avoid giving your website's readers the ick before they even inquire.
There's always POINT to the stories. Beyond just being entertaining, they're educational—and as long as my audience keeps resonating with them, I'll keep telling 'em.
💁🏻♀️
IN CONCLUSION: I believe that you absolutely can be a respected, skilled professional full of expertise, knowledge, and ideas—AND be exactly yourself.
Even if that “self” may be more funny, forward, unapologetic, or out there than the traditional business owner. 😏
If you want to hear more of my thoughts about authenticity, confidence, storytelling, and showing up as your true self online, listen to my episode of the Astrocandy podcast, linked below in the post below!
TL;DR—here are the takeaways from today's monologue about authenticity:
You're not for everyone, and you're not supposed to be.
Just because someone else is running / marketing their business in a different way than you are does not mean that their way is “right” and yours is “wrong."
It's okay to use details about your personal life in your marketing content, especially if you're a freelancer & you feel like your brand is an extension of yourself.
It's also okay NOT to use your personal life in any of your marketing content, if you don't feel comfortable doing it / if that doesn't feel aligned with your goals.
Don't be afraid to be completely, unapologetically, authentically yourself; the right people will love you for it.
Anyways, remember that email marketing course I launched in January?
Were you hoping to join it, but missed the opportunity?!
Welp, this week only, you can—for 67% off. 🥳
When you purchase the recorded version of the course, you only pay $197 (compared to the full course price of $600).
This version of the course is discounted, because you don't have access to me via Slack like the live course students did, and you don't have the opportunity to join the calls in real time / ask questions about the content as I'm teaching it.
What this version of the course DOES grant you access to, though, is:
All call recordings and lesson slides, about:
Lead magnets
Opt-in copy
Welcome sequences
Newsletter strategy
Newsletter copywriting
All course bonuses:
Newsletter content planner
Sample lead magnet template
Email setup checklist
Target audience development workbook
Flodesk tutorial videos
Flodesk setup checklist
You'll also get an in-depth Loom video review of all of your course deliverables, if you send them to me within 6 weeks of purchasing the course.
So, if you've been wanting to prioritize your email marketing game, but haven't quite known what to do about it… consider this your sign. 👇
The recorded version of The Email Marketing Chapter is only available until Monday, April 3rd at midnight.
If you want access to all of the call recordings and lesson slides from the course, you've got one week to buy 'em!
>> GET ACCESS TO THE EMAIL COURSE FOR $197 <<
I will definitely be teaching this course live again eventually (maybe next January?!), so stay tuned for details on that if you were hoping for the 1:1 support / live element of it all. 👀
& that's all for today—thanks for sticking around and being the type of person who doesn't clutch their pearls whenever I swear or do something kinda weird.
I fucking love you!!!!!
—Sara
P.S. I wanted to let you know that my books are currently closed for Q2, and I'll be reopening them later this year. Your girl's all busy with website copy & email marketing projects 'til summer!
If you're hoping to work with me in 2023, you can click here to join the waitlist. 🤠
There are still a few ways I can help you with your website copy, though:
My Wicked Easy Website Copy Template. Use my exact website copywriting formula that has helped hundreds of BTL clients get amazing results—and learn at your own pace with this template-slash-guide-slash-video-training beast of a website copywriting education hybrid.
1:1 Website Copy Audits. While I don't currently have the capacity to take on any new website copywriting projects this quarter or next, I do still have time to audit yours and help you make sure it's perfect!
If you have any questions about the template or the audit service, please feel free to hit “reply” and let me know!
I've ‘paused' my inbox this week—aka I've put on an OOO message to basically say I don't exist to anyone except my clients, students, mentees, and toddler—but I'll get back to ya by next week. xo
Thanks for reading today's edition of the Tuesday Table of Contents newsletter!
& if you're new here—hi! I'm Sara, Copywriter & Marketing Mentor at Between The Lines Copywriting. I'd love for you to stick around and subscribe to keep reading one marketing tip, once a week. :)