TOC #238: well I'm never doing THAT again...
(July 15, 2025) SARA'S SUMMER OFF: not enough villains, how to navigate your stories not being "juicy" enough, EXACTLY how to DIY your website copy for free, and my best mini Cape Cod itinerary
Lesson learned: I'm never doing that again.
It wasn't my intention to disappoint you — I genuinely wanted to see how you'd like a shorter newsletter with more actionable tips!
…instead, though, it came across as me coming into your inbox like this:
I got so many emails last week to the effect of:
“Umm, girl? I just settled in with my coffee, sat for a good story, and you sent me, like, five sentences. I prefer your long stories. They're part of my routine.”
And, honestly, thank God for that, because it goes against my very being to send anything short of my life story every single Tuesday morning.
Buuuuut now we have a different dilemma.
I really wanted to reward you with a fat juicy story this morning…
Except, I've got nothing.
And, sure, I famously talk about how easy it is to turn anything into a juicy story — I stand by that statement, by the way! — but this week, I was hoping for something EXTRA good after giving you ✨ nothing ✨ last week.
…turns out, lots of my “juicy” stories happen to be dating stories, and I happen to now be in the best relationship of my life, so0o0o I had to enlist the help of my Thriends.
I asked the girlies what constituted a ~juicy story~ in their eyes, and this is what they said:
“Drama and gossip.”
“I want at least two villiains.”
“I'm so spoiled by reality shows that juicy = tea = insider gossip.”
& unfortunately for you the only drama in my life is happening on Love Island, the only villains I know are the TikTokers who keep making my favorite coffee shop go viral so I can't get my blueberry chai, and the only gossip I have is about my neighbor who wants to divorce her husband.
But, in two weeks, I will have a massive life update that might make this month's lack of juice worth the wait… 👀
(Hit “reply” and guess what you think it is! Hint: it has nothing to do with BTL…)
BEACH CHAIR FRIENDLY BACK-END TASK
The best thing you can do while you're sitting your cute lil booty in your beach chair this week is GET UR MONEY MINDSET RIGHT by listening to my new podcast episode with a money manifestation coach all about how the frick manifestation even works, why your energy is so important, and how to *actually* get results from it!
→ Click here to listen on Spotify — but Point of the Story is available everywhere you listen to podcasts 🎧
SOARING THROUGH THE “WHAT IF IT'S NOT JUICY?”S
The #1 reason people tell me that they hesitate to get started with email marketing is because they feel like they either have nothing to share, or what they DO have to share isn't “good enough” or “interesting enough.”
& that is just NOT freaking true.
I know everyone loooves to hear the tea — the matching tattoo story, the first date icks, the 15,000 lost followers, the Hinge profile trauma — but not every email has to be such an intense, crazy, one-of-a-kind story.
The emails that I send about regular ass things are just as engaging for my readers, if not more so. Because they can actually relate to them.
Sure, it's entertaining to read a story about a girl going to a bar, meeting a boy, having an weird, freak-accident, 1-week-only connection, and getting tattoos together the next day, then becoming IG besties with his mom.
But that's not relatable.
What's relatable is all the weird jobs you had before freelancing, awkwardly drinking a drink you don't want because you feel bad that someone bought it for you, the irrelevant crush on the medium ugly guy your age at the airport, feeling uncomfortable about getting more clients during a slow season…
Those everyday experiences are ones that your readers have also gone through, which is WHY they're the best content for you to share.
More often than not, relatable content converts better than entertaining content, because people can feel what you felt, and it makes them feel so much more connected to you than simply reading about an event in your life.
Humans crave that connection piece. It's more important for relationship building than anything else.
→ How to tell the best stories in your newsletters!
UNDER THE COPYWRITING UMBRELLA
Earlier this week, an IG friend messaged me to let me know they're DIYing their website copy solely using my resources.
And ALL of them are FREE.
Obviously, I deeply loved this information — ur girl IS known for being The Queen Of Over-Delivering™ — so I had to ask them which resources they're using & they gave me the best list!
They told me that they started with THIS podcast episode, which step-by-step outlines exactly what I'd do if I were starting my business over from scratch.
→ LISTEN: how to start a business from scratch 🎧
Then, they said they used these blogs in chronological order 👇
1) The 5 Q’s Your Website Homepage Must Answer
2) How To Add Personality To Your About Page
4) How To Write Your Mini About
6) The Not About You Page Formula
7) How To Write Your Contact Page
8) How To Write A Minimal Services Page
& the last thing they told me was:
“The general layout of your blog page is ridiculously helpful. There’s a lot of info but not so much it’s overwhelming and it tells you a lot about what to put there.”
So I think this is your sign to boot scoot and boogie your way over to my blog if you're looking to update your site or write your website copy from scratch 😏
→ Click here to browse the blog!
SHELLING OUT MY SIDE CHARACTER'S CAPE ITINERARY
Can you believe Side Character has only been to the Cape THREE TIMES this summer?! Absolutely criminal.
(JK he's the best and it's 4 hours of driving round trip so bless his soul for coming down at all we love him sm and I'm just using him for content again. But still.)
So, next time he's down, I'm making sure we're having the most possible fun at all times. Here's what I've got up my sleeve…
→ Click here for the mini guide to my Cape Cod recs!
THE LOVE-YOU-BYE LOVE NOTE
I am in PEAKKKK “Sara's Summer Off” season right now because it's the dead middle of July and, as you may know, I absolutely do nawt exist in July.
That said, I do plan on existing in August, and in September, I'm going to be absolutely on FIRE work-wise — ur gurl has a LOT to implement, share, sell, and teach!
& given that I'll be moving and grooving throughout the rest of the year, I don't want to forget to mention:
I'm currently booking website copywriting projects for October + November!
If you've been wanting to work with me this year, now's your time to shine — I may “not exist” in July but I always exist for discovery calls. ESPECIALLY if they're with future clients who read this newsletter, bc that means we're 100% on the same vibe.
→ Click here to review my services + pricing
ILYSM!
—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:
Subscribe to my newsletter! I send one marketing tip, once a week - and, according to my subscribers, it's "the best marketing newsletter on the Internet" and "the only reason to wake up on Tuesday mornings." So... yeah. You'll love 'er. 😏 Click here to subscribe!
Check out my services. I write website copy, sales pages, email sequences, blog posts, and brand messaging guides for entrepreneurs of all kinds! Maybe you’re my next favorite client.
Read my blog. It’s home to everything from copywriting tips, to marketing education, to freelance advice, to portfolio-worthy projects… if you like this post, you’ll love the blog. Here’s a quick roundup of my most popular posts.
Sign up for my email marketing course. Learn how to grow your email list full of loyal, ready-to-buy readers with this self-paced course teaching you how to write the best lead magnets, opt-in copy, welcome sequences, and newsletters.
Enlist me as your mentor. I have an entire in-depth blog post about my one-on-one consulting process for new and aspiring copywriters, if you’re interested in having a big-sis-style mentor to help you grow your freelance copywriting business & get results.
To get in touch with me directly, send me a DM or email sara@betweenthelinescopy.com. Have a great day!