Hello copy poppers! Long time no talk...but we are back today with a quick writing tip for you inspired by two often-heard quotes:  French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal famously wrote: I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time Mark Twain once said, “I didn't have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.”  When I first heard these sayings, I thought they were wrong. In school, the hardest assignments seemed to be the long term papers 15 or more pages long. But as a former teacher, professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and all around writing nerd for internet copy, I’ve come to learn they are profoundly true. I admittedly have the habit of ‘over communicating in writing.’ I tend to add too many details in emails -- and try to keep in mind that if something can be said with fewer words, it should be. Let me give some concrete examples for you… COPY EDITING EXAMPLES  Bio  Say you are writing about yourself for an author bio, for an about page on your website, or for an email in a marketing campaign so that new subscribers can get to know you.  You may write something like this: “I did my undergraduate studies at UCLA and majored in Psychology, earning a bachelor’s degree with a minor in German in 2003.” (true story for yours truly!) This is a perfectly good sentence with 22 words. But can we tighten it up without losing any meaning or important information? How about… “I graduated in 2003 from UCLA with a degree in Psychology and a minor in German.” That’s shorter! With 16 words now. We shaved off 6 words...or 27%. Not bad and no meaning was lost.  Business Description  Say you are writing up some information about your company for your website or short social media bio. You could write something like this: “At XYZ Media Company, we know the importance of leveraging social media to grow your business in this increasingly online and global economy. This is the reason why we love helping businesses create and execute strategies that help them grow their businesses through attracting new leads, converting sales, and building brand loyalty.” This is a lovely description from a company who gets it! But at about 52 words, it looks like a big paragraph that most people may say ‘ain’t nobody got time for that’ and skip over reading it. How about… “Leveraging social media is essential to grow your business. We help you create and execute strategies to grow by attracting new leads, converting more sales, and building brand loyalty.” This version is 29 words, so 44% shorter. Plus, we changed 3rd person words like “their” and “them” to 1st person words like “you” and “your.” I also cut out things like “At XYZ Media Company” under the assumption that if someone is reading it on your website, they know what you are called -- you don’t have to restate it. And also “in this increasingly online and global economy” because if your audience doesn’t already know this is happening, I’d be shocked. &nbsp;  Example 3  Send me a piece of copy you’d like cleaned up to be shorter and more punchy. I may feature a quick edit of yours in a future episode! --- Hope these copy editing examples helped inspire you to look for words you could cut to improve your writing online.&nbsp; It takes more time to trim the fat, but it’s worth it!Until the next episode, keep finding ways to write copy that pops! xo Laura PS: To access full show notes, please .

215: Less is More Quick Copy Tip with 2 Copy Editing Examples

Sword fighting, Peace Corp serving, apple pie with cheddar cheese-loving business owner Ray Blakney stops by to share with us how he’s grown the largest language learning online school in the world that hasn’t raised venture capital.&nbsp; Whatever content you have -- a blog, a book, a podcast, a website, a YouTube channel, or a combination of them -- Ray’s 4 proven steps will get you from crickets to consistent growth of your brand, business relationships, and revenue. &nbsp; A Few Highlights from This Podcast: - Starts first business as a language school in Mexico with wife (who used to be his Spanish teacher)...but then swine flu hits…and it forces them to go online, which leads to huge growth (got over 4 million visits in 2019) - Shares a lot of personal information on your site and podcast questions...why? Psychologically what is the reason? - Tips for coming up with a name for your business - 4 steps (plus a bonus 5th step!) for his proven content amplification process 1) Research 2) Create great content 3) Amplify on social media 4) Ranking and linkbacks - Resources named:  and  - Advice on writing emails that get people to agree to link back to your content - What’s a realistic timeframe for all this to work and snowball? Answer may surprise you. - And be sure to book a free, no pressure call or jump on a live training to get help implementing what you learned. This is so valuable! &nbsp; Our Guest Ray Blakney is an award-winning Filipino-American entrepreneur who has over a decade of experience building (bootstrapping) and operating 6 and 7-figure online businesses. He and his businesses have been featured in magazines such as Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Boston Globe, and&nbsp;other top publications. In his free time, Ray is a part-time sword fighter. Learn More:    &nbsp; Great Quotes  “   Take Action Now!  &nbsp;[free]  [best option to get your book done, live, and #1!]  [get more speaking gigs]  &nbsp;

211: 4 Steps to Efficiently Create Content That Gets You Ranking at the Top in Google with Ray Blakney

Writing about a boring or complicated topic (at least as seen by others)? Well, our guest today shows how to make even things like taxes and avoiding an IRS tax audit interesting, easy-to-understand, and immediately applicable to his audience. &nbsp; Listen in to see how Jonathan Maki went from driving tanks in the Army to helping businesses be prepared for an IRS audit, whether it happens or not. His #1 Amazon bestselling book will help you understand what the IRS will want to see and how they want to see it -- in simple, clear, plain English. Our conversation also covers... A Few Highlights from This Podcast: - A story about driving tanks in the Army- What did the Army teach Jonathan about business?- Why did Jonathan go into helping small businesses with taxes?- What are his best quick tips around taxes for entrepreneurs and business owners?- The $1,000,000 tax bill story. Eek!- Story about a guy who hid from IRS for 20 years -  (grab Jonathan's book!)- Why did Jonathan want to write a book?- Did Jonathan ever feel the imposter syndrome monster breathing down his neck? How did he combat it?- Honest thoughts working with Lulu for publishing? [Hint: Neither of us loved the experience and we tell why]- Best tips for sitting down to write?- Why and how to use  for an incredible book cover contest (and how it's a secret weapon for marketing your book even before it's live!)- Best tips for writing with “less is more” in mind - Laura's ...now enrolling for August 2020 start! &nbsp; Our Guest Jonathan Maki drove tanks in the United States Army. Then, shortly after receiving an MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2008, he started helping other small business owners understand their own finances and navigate the complicated US tax system. He is a dedicated husband and father of two young girls, and he loves surfing with his wife in his free time. Learn More: -  -  -  &nbsp; Great Quotes  "I wanted to write a book that was to outline sequential, cohesive steps of action so that it would make it easier for my clients and for me too." - Jonathan Maki "I’m so glad that I worked with you because I had the content but it’s the same as comparing the steak vs the sizzle." - Jonathan Maki "My waves of inspiration don’t come in the form of an outline." - Jonathan Maki   Take Action Now!  &nbsp;[free] , co-run with Allison Melody [starting August 2020]

212: Book Writing, Amazon Bestselling Book Launching, and Driving Tanks with Small Business Tax Pro Jonathan Maki

Success, obstacles, goals, strategy, advice, imposter syndrome, writing tips, and more -- this episode is all about having the guts to become an author and ways to use your book to help grow your brand and business while also truly helping others out there in the world. Podcasting Business School's founder Adam Schaeuble takes the lead role asking questions of Laura as well as 3 of her recent success story clients participating in the Bestselling Book Mastermind program (a new round starts Monday, August 24th! -- use the code "CTP" to save $50 and claim your spot at  now). A Few Highlights from This Podcast: 4 bestselling authors answer the following questions: - "What held you back from writing your book in the past?"- "What strategy blew your mind that you learned working with Laura in the Bestselling Book Mastermind group?" - "How have you and/or how are you planning to leverage your book?" - "Advice for others doing a book launch? Or what would you do differently for your next book launch?" Ready to be the next author success story? - Laura's ...now enrolling for August 2020 start! Use code "CTP" for $50 off for podcast listeners! Prefer to watch instead?  Our Guests Guest Host: Adam Schaeuble of &nbsp; Bestselling Author Panelists: • Aimee Carlson, #1 Bestselling Author of  • Kelsey Henry, #1 Bestselling Author of  • Tamar Medford, #1 Bestselling Author of   Take Action Now! , co-run with Allison Melody [starting August 24, 2020 - use code "CTP" to save $50]

213: Author Panel: 4 Bestselling Book Authors Answer Questions About Self-Publishing, Amazon Book Launching, and How You Can Write a Book Quickly Too (Featuring Adam Schaeuble, Tamar Medford, Aimee Carlson, and Kelsey Henry)

214: Narrative Arc Framework to Help You Write Better Stories

Psychology instructor and serial entrepreneur Laura Petersen, M.A.E.D. takes a tantalizing dive into the #psychology behind increasing the effectiveness of your online business efforts through compelling #copywriting and beyond.

Through scientific findings, real case studies, and engaging interviews with entrepreneurs getting results in their businesses, listeners learn tips and tactics to improve their opt-ins, sales, and profits leveraging the psychology behind great copy, visual layouts, and converting leads into customers without sleazy hard sales. 

Laura is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs (especially the ladies #girlpower) get more out of their businesses so they can design the life of their dreams and maybe join her for a cup of coffee wherever in the world she may be with laptop in hand.

Copy That Pops (online business podcast)