…and what to do to deal with them…
You don’t give people your business URL:
If you’re not giving out your information because you’re afraid someone will actually visit your site, then you might be hiding behind bad copy.
It’s possible you might not be happy with the way you talk about what you do. Or, the way you talk about yourself might feel trite, like you couldn’t possibly convey the whole story of your experience, even if you tried. You’re not comfortable with the way you — or the person you hired — has written your site.
The Fix
Two of the most-likely cuprits of your copy shame…your homepage and your about page. Here’s what to do about them:
Homepage: Tighten up your homepage with a great little value-proposition. It consists of a mission statement and 3-5 bullet points that speak to the unique value your business brings to your market.
About Page: Here’s a very boiled-down formula for your About page. You can get a full tutorial over here. Write about what you believe (your big-bold-I-believe statement). Write about what your prospect is struggling with. Write about why you can help them. Write about the work you can do together.
A little TLC can polish up your web content so you no longer have to hide.
You aren’t sending newsletters:
There are a couple reasons you might not be sending newsletters. Maybe you aren’t putting yourself out there via newsletter because you’re little self-conscious sending people back to your site (see above).
Or maybe you aren’t really clear on what you should be putting in your newsletter. And, I know for myself, when there’s a lack of clarity on that “what do I do now” question, it’s damn-near impossible to take action.
Here’s the thing, if you’re blogging, you have content for a newsletter right there. In fact, you shouldn’t be publishing a blog without pushing it out there in some way, and your newsletter is the perfect way.
The Fix:
I’ve written before on what to write in your newsletter. Here’s the brief: Write a little piece of original content, maybe it’s about what inspired you to write the blog you’re linking to in your newsletter. Then, link to your blog within the content. Create a section break and a box that reminds people that you’re a business and how they can work with you. Make a request that they share with friends who might find the content useful.
The most important point: Short emails get read. The long ones don’t. As much as you don’t want to hide behind bad copy, you don’t want to hide behind lots of bad copy. (Reminded me of this — because I think in movie quotes: The food was terrible! And such small portions!)
You don’t pitch yourself
If you’re not pitching yourself, you might be hiding behind the bad content of your pitch, or maybe it’s your fear of putting yourself out there and not really knowing if you’re presenting yourself and your information “correctly.”
Let’s spend this time talking about your pitch.
Writing a good pitch is one thing. Writing a good pitch for the right outlet with a great story idea that only you can deliver is the golden ticket.
Pitching yourself is not enough. You have to pitch an idea. Those ideas are hard to come up with, it’s true. But if you do the groundwork I’ll describe here, the ideas will come more easily.
The Fix:
Find your dream outlet (Bypass all the tiny shoe-in outlets. Summon your courage and pitch your dream. Let’s get serious here.)
Consume as much of their content as you can.
Listen for clues about their audience.
Think about what kind of information you could communicate to this audience based on your unique position in your market.
Write your idea like this, within the context of your pitch:
Dear [Podcaster],
[Intro Content Here…]
Let’s have a conversation about [my idea]. I think your audience would find value in some of these ideas. We could talk about:
- Bullet points
- That speak to
- Your ideas
- And talking points
If you want to know more about pitching, sign up for The Pitching Power Hour.
If you implement any of these quick fixes, let me know. Send me a link. Or let me know how it goes.
Stop hoping no one visits your blog. Stop feeling gross when you put yourself out there. Polish up your copy so you can stop hiding.
