Angela Raines

(And no, you don’t need a new thesaurus.)

Creative entrepreneur riddle du jour:

If your About Page is about YOU — why’s it so impossible to write?

Seriously: how many times have you started writing your website, only to wake up in a pile of ice cream sandwich wrappers? 

Worst of all: not only do you have your shame-trash to take out, you’re still stuck with that outdated, lackluster copy you KNOW doesn’t convey the magic of what you do. (Let alone convert readers into fans — and buyers.)

Lemme spill the pinto beans on why writing your own website is so hard. 

• It’s NOT because you’re a bad writer. (I don’t believe in that. #Growthmindset, baby.)
• It’s NOT that you need a new thesaurus or playlist or rainclap of inspiration so you find juuuuust the right words.
• And it’s NOT that you need yet another template or marketing course or how-to blog.

After 8 years of working with tons of amazing, creative, purpose-driven entrepreneurs on their web copy, here’s what I’ve learned:

Writing your own web copy is dang-near impossible because you don’t know yourself as well as you think.

Hard to believe, I know! Because if you’re in my orbit, chances are you HIGHLY value self-reflection, self-awareness, and knowing thyself. You’ve probably even dream journaled in a desert or two.

But writing your web copy requires you know yourself in very specific ways, at a very deep level.

Because when YOU are the face of your business — not some skateboarding tiger or fictional pigtailed girl — you have to tell the world:

This is who I am. This is what I stand for. This is what I care about so effing much, I abandoned the security of regular paychecks to share. Because my soul wouldn’t have it any other way. And here’s my heart, on my virtual sleeve.

Done well? This kind of web copy will give your readers shivers.

But it’s exceptionally difficult to write about yourself in this way … because first, you have to SEE yourself with this kind of clarity.

And you can’t see yourself … without a trustworthy mirror.

That’s why — cure the trumpet fanfare —I created The Vox Sessions.

This brand-new way to work with me combines sharp copywriting skills AND deep personal reflection. So you can:

• Do the self-awareness work you actually need to write your own killer copy 
• Know what the heck to put on your About page and beyond
• Hear personalized recommendations for what direction your voice + branding need to go 
• Learn what’s working on your current copy, what’s missing, and what’s meh
• Milk this entrepreneurial journey for all the self-reflection and personal growth it’s worth.

You’ll get my copywriting expertise PLUS deep inner growth work through the Enneagram: a powerful personality typology system that’s used in Fortune 500 companies and sacred awareness practices, alike.

I know people’s budgets and timelines vary, so can choose your adventure:

1. The Vox Fling: A 3-week initiation into the Enneagram and your brand.

2. The Vox Attune: A 3-month journey of self-reflection and resonant copy.

I’m closing my Spring availability soon, but I have a few spots left. And the next couple to get snatched up get a sweet discount, so hop on it!

Click here to snag your very own Vox Session.

Because let’s face it: when you stay stuck with your copy, you’re leaving buckets of money on the table. Not to mention depriving yourself of deeply enriching personal growth.

You CAN write magnetic copy that sells with authenticity. But it’s an inside job, first and foremost. 

I’d lurve to show you how.

Book your Vox Session now.

Xoxo

Angela

P.S. Not sure if it’s right for you? Drop me a line here and let me know the questions on your mind-grapes. (Bonus points if you catch that reference.) I’ll get right back atchu!

You’ll never shine by someone else’s light.
You’ll never magnetize others by trying to please them.
You can’t sound authentic the way she does.
The only path to extraordinary … is your own.

Clients cry in my copywriting consults.

Not all of them. But significantly more than you might imagine if you think all copywriting is, is smart words.

See, creative entrepreneurship packs a transformative wallop. And welcoming someone else into that crucible with you? Is an incredibly intimate proposition.

I get this. Tears don’t faze me. I cry often enough, I exclusively buy waterproof mascara. No joke. (Current fave: this Dior matte black is killer-diller, especially when combined with the primer. #swoonworthy.)

But why does branding bring up so much? Aren’t we just talking about effective sales pages and well-placed calls to action and finely honed elevator pitches?

Uh. No.

Branding is building a bridge between you and your Right People.

This requires, at minimum, three things:

1. Understanding yourself.
2. Understanding your Right People.
3. Understanding what connects you.

That’s it.
But that’s a helluva lot.

1. Understanding yourself is the journey of a lifetime. Getting out of your own way. Recognizing your beauty and superpowers — and all the ways you deceive yourself and get in your own way, dimming your magic.

2. Understanding your Right People isn’t just about customer avatars and demographics. It’s about honing in on what really makes your folks tick. This takes agile perspective leaping and deep empathy. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone. But it is essential.

3. Understanding what connects you and your Right People ~ No, I’m not talking about poking their “pain points.” I’m talking about truly understanding: how do you serve? What Truth (capital “T”) do you unlock in people? What head-and-heart-space should they be in to best receive your work?

When your branding falls flat, it’s often because one of these three things — your self-awareness, your understanding of your Right People, or the bridge between them is weak, undefined, or obscured.

Figuring all of this out — especially as it changes over time — adds up to the ever-unfolding pursuit of self-awareness, empathy, and effective, authentic self-expression.

Some days, this takes everything we’ve got. (Hence that waterproof mascara.) It can make creative entrepreneurship feel like boiling in a crone’s cauldron of challenges.

Money shit. (Ooof.)
Being visible. (Holy shit.)
Assessing your own value.
Speaking truth.
Rejecting the deeply grooved, socially acceptable paths of cubicle nation and what Cosmo says is sexy and doing what others tell us because “that’s just the way it is.”
Saying “fuck off” to the structures … and then instead of succumbing to chaos, creating our own.

This isn’t just self-expression. It’s self-creation.

I work with creative entrepreneurs in pain and pleasure every single day.
I watch their cycles of self-deception, self-realization, self-expression, and renewed self-limitation.

Sure: sometimes, they simply need a gifted wordsmith to write for them.

But often enough, they think they have a branding problem … when really it’s something entirely different.

It’s a being visible problem.
It’s a holding-onto-grief-because-they-can’t-feel-it-enough-to-let-it-go problem.
It’s a being-fuzzy-on-their-own-perspective-because-that-wasn’t-ever-allowed problem.
It’s a placing-their-authority-out-there-instead-of-inside-themselves problem.

These are beautiful problems.

Because they lead us right back to ourselves.
Back to the real reason we started this business, in the first place.
Back to our wholeness.
Back to What We’re Here To Do.

What’s limiting you, today?
What beliefs — that’s just how it is-es — have you bought into?
I have to do that icky telesummit because I have to build my list because that’s just what you do.
What limiting self-talk have you drunk and become sloppy on?
I can’t launch this until it’s perfect.

Is it possible all of this feels icky … because it’s simply untrue?

Take a moment.

Feel the angst.
(No, I mean really feel it.)
Mix it with space.
Give it the gift of your steady presence.
Stop scrambling for the answer.
Just listen.
Let it come.
Receive it.
Trust it.
Then act.

I believe in you.

xo
angela

P.S. If you *get* that business is a self-awareness crucible …
If you *dig* the transformational path your branding can become …
If you’re on the verge of some breakthroughs and need a loving nudge …
I’d be honored to help.

For the first time ever, I’m offering unabashedly transformational coaching.

Our portal: branding and all things online biz.
Our tools: The Enneagram, somatics, deep listening, irreverence, and sexy self-expression.
Our goal: Your authenticity, unshackled.

After years of personal study, professional workshops, and quietly harnessing this powerful system in every aspect of my writing and biz, I’m a few steps away from being a certified Enneagram Practitioner in the Narrative Tradition.

As part of my internship process, I’m offering 2-3 deeeeeeply discounted Enneagram coaching packages (including a Typing Interview, if you’re not sure about your Enneagram type).

If you want to connect more deeply with your audience, yourself, and the whole Divine Enchilada … I’d be thrilled to offer you my intuitive listening, compassionate confusion-unravelling, and heartfelt beckoning ever deeper into yourself and your path.

Reach out right here and we’ll chat details.

Photo by niseag03 /CC BY-ND 2.0

I knew this day would come, as an online entrepreneur.  I fantasized about it.  I dreaded it.  I journaled and doodled and dreamt up names for it.

My First Interview.  Even as a writer, I couldn’t hide behind my pen (or Google Docs) forever.  (And why would I want to?!)

Here it is, friends!  In all its imperfect, heartfelt, sexy, savvy glory: my first interview!

Bridging Authenticity and Persuasion.  Click here to hear the interview.  Hear, hear! 

Listen to the full interview to hear me discuss copywriting for soulful ‘preneurs with my dear friend (and go-to expert on all things entrepreneurial, techno-babble, and Tibetan), Ryan Oelke.

We get serious, smart, and a tad silly about stuff very close to my heart.  Namely: the importance of keeping your web copy authentic. 

I’m convinced that being 100% you is the only way to write truly persuasive web copy.  Hear my professional whys and practical hows — all clarified and guided by the entrepreneurial epicure himself, Mr. Ryan Oelke.

And like salmon with Oregon pinot noir … like Chopin with a rose-petaled bubble bath … a perfect pairing to accompany my interview debut …

9 Interview Tips from My First Time.

1. Do it with someone you love.  I wouldn’t have my first time with anyone else. Read More…