TOC #236: Half off, so stop half-ass-ing
(July 1, 2025) SARA'S SUMMER OFF: all of the resources you could ever possibly need to improve your copywriting + marketing skills, plus my perfect half birthday itinerary
Do you have any idea how GYPPED December babies are?!
The Christmas-and-birthday situation is absolute B.S.
And, even worse: the holiday December babies are REALLY shit out of luck.
December 24, December 25, December 31… we're all fucked. No birthday-only presents for us.
😪
It's tragic, honestly.
So, a few years back, I decided that I was sick of not being special.
I want presents.
The same amount of presents Summer babies get, to be specific.
And the same amount of attention.
Not shared with another holiday.
(ILY Jesus, I'm glad you were born, but ur stealing my thunder a little bit here.)
…which is why, now, my half birthday has — at least in my opinion — become my “real” birthday, in terms of celebrating.
Usually, this is a party of one, because… well, who the hell is gonna celebrate some birthday brat who just decided their real birthday sucks?
(Definitely not my mom, I'll tell you that.)
But, last year, I started the tradition of celebrating with YOU!!! 😇
So…
Today only, in honor of my half birthday, you can get 50% off of EVERY SINGLE THING I SELL!
This includes…
And, for the first time ever, and for literally one day only, you can even get MY WEBSITE COPYWRITING COURSE for half off, too!
You can use the code “HALFBIRTHDAY” for to slice the price of every single thing I sell in HALF — on one condition…
You have to promise to IMPLEMENT WHAT YOU LEARN.
No more half-ass-ing your marketing.
No more “yeah, I'll get to that someday!” only for someday to actually mean never.
No more putting your website, or your email list, or your SEO, or your blog on the back burner.
No more half-in, half-out.
Go all in on your whole-ass-ing your marketing in honor of Website Girl's half birthday, okay?
Now let's party.
BEACH CHAIR FRIENDLY BACK END TASK
Scroll through your site while you're sitting in the sand! If you, like me, want to spend every possible second outside this summer, but feel bad about not making enough of a dent in “work stuff” — this is a great time to scroll through your site to make sure everything is still accurate / nothing is broken.
Bc let's be real: you were never gonna do that any other time, so you might as well do it at the beach.
& if you need help updating your site… 😏 I happen to be booking September & October for done-for-you website copywriting projects! ORRRR you can snag Site Series® Sprint — aka the Internet's fave web copy course — for 50% off today only!
SOARING THROUGH THE SLOW SEASON
One of the most successful marketing strategies I've used to grow my business has been THIS EMAIL RIGHT HERE.
My weekly newsletter — and also the lead magnets that got a lot of people here — has been the most consistent, valuable thing I've done for my business.
So, trust me when I tell you: even if it takes you a while, and even if it feels like a big commitment at first, it's worth starting.
(Plus, the longer you wait to start it, the scarier it'll feel…)
Try THIS if you don't know what to write about.
Try THIS if you think your emails are boring.
Try THIS if you're overwhelmed about planning your newsletter.
Try THIS if you want to learn about every single element of email marketing.
And listen to THIS if you want to learn about more technical email marketing stuff like open rates, click rates, deliverability, subject lines, etc.
UNDER THE COPYWRITING UMBRELLA
One of the easiest ways to make your copy actually work — aka do its job of getting your readers to take action — is to make your readers actually give a fuck about reading it.
Then, make sure they give a fuck enough to KEEP reading it.
& the easiest way to do that is through conversational copy that feels INTERESTING or ENGAGING to read.
Here's 1 way to do that:
Ditch (some of) the grammar rules you grew up on.
(Don't tell let the English teachers find out that I'm giving you this advice.)
(Mrs. Hagenbush, if you saw this, no you didn't.)
Forget what they told you, and start your sentences with things like “so” and “but” and “and" and “because.”
Because that's how we talk when we say things out loud.
And the best way to make your copy more conversational is to make it sound like you're actually having a conversation, in real life.
So, the best way to do that is this: think of how you'd tell them the information that you want to convey if they were standing in front of you, and then put those same words on your site.
We often overcomplicate things on our websites because we think we have to, for the sake of professionalism or something.
But we don't.
See what I did there?
→ Get 50% off my Copywriting Basics course!
Or, snag my website copywriting course (which is 50% off TODAY ONLY…) which also comes with the full Copywriting Basics module AND a comprehensive website copy and SEO education. 👀
SHELLING OUT MY BEST HALF BIRTHDAY ITINERARY
Wake up early, head straight for the under-eye patches from the freezer and an ice cold water. Put on your bathing suit immediately.
Drive to Lighthouse Keepers Pantry, pray there isn't an hour-long line of tourists trying to snag a Fluffy Seagull. Get an iced blueberry chai.
Online-order an Osterville sandwich from Dennis Public Market. Don't forget the salt-and-vin Nantucket Crisps and a kiwi guava Celsius.
Spend the next 10 hours at the beach.
Drive home, take the longest possible outdoor shower.
Trade actual dinner for chocolate soft serve with rainbow sprinkles in the flat-bottom cone.
…well, actually, that just sounds like a regular Tuesday on Cape Cod.
If I'm really celebrating, I'd probably throw in drinks at Pelham House or Chatham Bars Inn, a new outfit from All Points Beautiful, or a trip to the jewelry store for some new silver for my stack.
THE LOVE-YOU-BYE LOVE NOTE
Thank you for celebrating with me!!! LOVE U SM! HAVE THE BEST WEEK!
xo,
S
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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