TOC #227: Congrats! You've unlocked a new side character...
(April 29, 2025) This is literally just me writing a love letter to my boyfriend so
Congratulations, you've unlocked a new side character.
And I'm sorry to tell you this, but I've actually been holding out on you for quite some time.
…to the point where this man has literally NOTICED that I'm depriving my subscribers of some serious updates, and has inquired on more than one occasion about why he hasn't received his own dedicated newsletter yet.
Homeboy's got a point — there's no boy that you don't know about, so it's only fair that I properly, formerly introduce you to…
✨ Side Character ✨
A Puerto Rican short king with a leg sleeve that the Threads girlies won't stop thirsting over, the ability to make me laugh more than anyone else on the planet, and the reason I haven't slept in weeks, because I simply cannot go to bed when the option of hanging out with him exists.
But we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves here…
I have to come clean about something before we can move on.
I lied to you.
I've famously told you, on every relevant occasion, that I'm able to turn anything into a newsletter.
I even schedule my “Boring Stories Game” into my newsletter workshops — where people say shit like “I bought mustard last week” and “I want to promote astrology readings services” — because I'm THAT confident I can take any two pieces of information and fit them together, resulting in a beautifully written, witty story that seamlessly combines any random lived experience with exactly what you need to say to sell something.
But THIS? HIM???
I don't know that I can do it.
I thought about telling you how I bagged my man with my newsletter, because it's true — Exhibit A below, proof that he was hooked on my stories (and likely also me) from the second he read his first TOC — and then teaching you about how to make your newsletters engaging.
I thought about telling you how the second time we ever hung out he came thrifting with me so I could find a purse bowl and then when he asked to see me a third time, I curbed him by sending him a picture of a tentacle bowl (again, see below…) because I thought he could have been more direct — and teaching you about calls to action.
(I do unfortunately have to report, though, that we revisited the aforementioned Tentacle Bowl Convo and I concede that he was in the right and I was in the wrong; his text was actually quite direct and appropriate and I was just being weird.)
I thought about telling you how I posted on Threads requesting opinions about dating short kings (just so I could laugh with you about this comment, which has been making me cackle on and off for weeks every time I think about it) — then teaching you about “true wants” in copywriting.
I thought about telling you so many stories about this man. You should see my Screenshots folder. I'm actually sitting on so much good content.
But… I wanted to do him justice.
Everyone else I've introduced to you has been a classically good story — there was one qualifying event that happened, or one specific thing about their personality, or one funny moment that occurred…
This time, though? I like everything about this man. I couldn't possibly choose one story or one specific personality trait or one moment in time.
I've been putting this dating “tea” in my newsletter for so long that I'm used to a story like this being a STORY… so what's a girl to do when all she has is hearts for eyes and no tea to spill?
Naturally, I filled him in on my dilemma, telling him that I care about how this newsletter comes out because this is basically my diary (and how his presence in my life will be memorialized forever), and he told me the pressure was on.
I said no fucking shit — but he meant the pressure was on for HIM.
He wants you to like him. He wants you to have a positive opinion of him. He wants to make a good impression.
(Not my new mans giving a fuck about my subscribers' feelings??? ok king)
(Also I'm pretty sure all I'd have to do to ensure he wins you over is tell you he's reading Fourth Wing right now)
So, of course, I told him that I don't have a single negative thing to say, and that that was my issue.
I texted him back and said “it sounds like you just want me to write you a love letter.”
And when he responded with “yeah who wouldn't want that?” I realized that THAT feels like my only option here — that's the way this man gets to go down in Newsletter History.
I may not have juicy gossip to share about him, but I will absolutely admit to the 5,203 of you that my crush is FAT.
Like, THIS is the shit I'm posting about him:
For as long as I can remember, to me, THE most important thing in dating has been to build something with someone who TRULY gets me.
Bestie you should know better than anyone just how ✨ me ✨ I am, so of course it's a main priority for me to be with someone who celebrates that; someone who really gets me, AND chooses me because of me being exactly who I am.
I think everyone wants to be deeply known, and appreciated for who they are. Like he said: who wouldn't want that?
That's how this man makes me feel.
I don't have to be anyone else but myself.
I don't have to mask anything.
I don't fear being judged or misunderstood.
I don't have to worry about him thinking the bizarre shit that comes out of my mouth is weird.
(And that's saying something, bc if you think I'm like this on the Internet, imagine the shit I'm saying to that man in the comfort of my own home… lmao)
I just feel me.
So yeah, there's no tea — there's just a genuinely good, thoughtful, intelligent, kind, caring, calm, fun, rom-com-loving, hilarious man who has the same humor as me, some fucking hot tattoo sleeves (yes, multiple), all the time in the world to spend making me feel important, a sexy amount of effort to put in, and a weird talent for knowing exactly when I'm gonna need a Reese's.
& he's actively trying to remove me from my hard-shell, hyper-independent, don't-need-no-man, “strong because she has to be” phase and safely place me back into my Soft Girl Era, so…
I have to give it to him: he's doing a pretty damn good job.
(Tthis newsletter was soft as fuck.)
How's that for fridge-worthy, babe?
How To Make Your Readers Feel Like You Get Them
When your dream clients land on your site, they want to feel like YOU are writing a love letter to THEM.
Not a generic “hey there, business owner 👋” or a jargon-heavy paragraph about optimizing their ROI or a one-size-fits-all info dump about your services.
A love letter.
The kind that makes them feel like you’ve been reading their group chat, peeking into their browser history, and casually narrating their inner monologue — and you're loving what you're seeing.
Here’s how to write that kind of copy:
#1 — GET PAINFULLY SPECIFIC
Vague = forgettable.
Specific = “omg were you in my house??”
Example: Instead of “you’re overwhelmed with your to-do list,” try “you keep writing ‘launch new offer’ in your planner, then ignoring it like it’s an email from your HOA.”
#2 — USE THEIR EXACT WORDS
Not industry buzzwords.
Not what you think they should care about.
Their actual phrasing.
My ideal clients aren't out there talking about conversion rates, they're saying shit like “I just want it to feel cohesive, everything is just randomly everywhere” and “why does my website low key feel like a Craigslist ad.”
So, naturally, when I hear that, I'm gonna steal it and say things like that in my copy.
#3 — MAKE THEM THE MAIN CHARACTER
I know I'm out here calling my mans Side Character — and on the side he will remain, because this is the BTL show — but I'm not treating my future clients like that.
I legit have multiple sentences on my Services page about how I specialize in the Main Character treatment, and I mean it:
You’re not the star of your site. They are.
Your job is to reflect what they want, what they’re stuck on, and what life could feel like after working with you.
#4 — LET YOUR VOICE BE THE BRIDGE
You don’t have to be fancy. You just have to sound like you.
That’s what builds trust.
That’s what makes them think “ok I don’t just need this offer… I need it from YOU.”
Give your site a little more love letter energy, and watch your conversions skyrocket.
Bookmarked by BTL
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Side Note…
If you're hoping to see a picture of Side Character, make sure you're following me on Instagram. I soft launch the fuck out of that man on the regular.
If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:
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