A few months back I was interviewed by Danny Iny's team at Mirasee for their podcast Making It. On the show I talked about my journey into copywriting and some key lessons along the way.  Danny's team have kindly let me republish the interview here, so listen in and enjoy the show. The Making It show can be found at https://mirasee.com/podcast/making-it/. Strongly recommended.

A few months back I was interviewed by Danny Iny's team at Mirasee for their podcast Making It. On the show I talked about my journey into copywriting and some key lessons along the way.  Danny's team have kindly let me republish the interview here, so listen in and enjoy the show. The Making It show can be found at <a href="https://mirasee.com/podcast/making-it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://mirasee.com/podcast/making-it/</a>. Strongly recommended.

43 Making It!

In this episode, I explore how stories can help communicate your purpose and values. Listen now to learn:  What barefoot running taught me about storytelling How storytelling allows you to understand yourself better, and gain perspective on your own values How to leverage the fractal nature of storytelling to build trust How to select stories that illustrate your core values 

In this episode, I explore how stories can help communicate your purpose and values. Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>What barefoot running taught me about storytelling</li> <li>How storytelling allows you to understand yourself better, and gain perspective on your own values</li> <li>How to leverage the fractal nature of storytelling to build trust</li> <li>How to select stories that illustrate your core values</li> </ul>

42 How Story Connects to Purpose

Your effectiveness as a Story Copywriter is in part determined by your ability to produce quickly. Your 'writing speed' bears little relation to how many words per minute you can type.  So what matters? How can you increase your writing productivity? Listen now to learn:  The importance (and role) of ongoing research What skills you need to write quickly The number one problem that will sabotage your writing 

Your effectiveness as a Story Copywriter is in part determined by your ability to produce quickly. Your 'writing speed' bears little relation to how many words per minute you can type.  So what matters? How can you increase your writing productivity? Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>The importance (and role) of ongoing research</li> <li>What skills you need to write quickly</li> <li>The number one problem that will sabotage your writing</li> </ul>

41 Speed

What time of day is best to write for optimum production? The short answer of course is 'it depends on you'. However, after working as a copywriter for many years, and training many clients, I think the question of 'when to write' is more nuanced than it seems! In this episode I discuss:  My personal experience of writing at different times, and how to manage your energy How to minimise distractions WHERE to write, not just when Why drinking copious amounts of coffee may be hindering your writing 

What time of day is best to write for optimum production? The short answer of course is 'it depends on you'. However, after working as a copywriter for many years, and training many clients, I think the question of 'when to write' is more nuanced than it seems! In this episode I discuss: <ul> <li>My personal experience of writing at different times, and how to manage your energy</li> <li>How to minimise distractions</li> <li>WHERE to write, not just when</li> <li>Why drinking copious amounts of coffee may be hindering your writing</li> </ul>

40 When To Write

I invited Orson back onto the Story Copywriter Podcast to continue our discussion about storytelling in video. This wide-ranging conversation covers:  Can you use 'cliffhangers' in video to keep people watching? The 'bouncy start' vs the 'chronological start' Different use cases for short and long form video The role of white space in story planning The role of background music Why sound effects matter more than music The different roles of sympathy and empathy in good storytelling How to use pacing to keep people watching How to specialise and collaborate as a Story Copywriter  Orson's work can be found at mediable.com.au

I invited Orson back onto the Story Copywriter Podcast to continue our discussion about storytelling in video. This wide-ranging conversation covers: <ul> <li>Can you use 'cliffhangers' in video to keep people watching?</li> <li>The 'bouncy start' vs the 'chronological start'</li> <li>Different use cases for short and long form video</li> <li>The role of white space in story planning</li> <li>The role of background music</li> <li>Why sound effects matter more than music</li> <li>The different roles of sympathy and empathy in good storytelling</li> <li>How to use pacing to keep people watching</li> <li>How to specialise and collaborate as a Story Copywriter</li> </ul> Orson's work can be found at <a href="https://www.mediable.com.au/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">mediable.com.au</a>

39 Video Storytelling (feat. Orson Lord) - Part 2

Have you ever been through an extended period of struggle in your life or career, culminating in radical personal transformation? If so, you have a 'rebirth' story on your hands! Learn how to apply the lessons of Sleeping Beauty, Frozen and Scrooge to your business storytelling. Learn:  Why the rebirth plot is the close cousin of tragedy Why the plot is universally engaging and recognisable Who should use this plot to build trust with potential customers   

Have you ever been through an extended period of struggle in your life or career, culminating in radical personal transformation? If so, you have a 'rebirth' story on your hands! Learn how to apply the lessons of Sleeping Beauty, Frozen and Scrooge to your business storytelling. Learn: <ul> <li>Why the rebirth plot is the close cousin of tragedy</li> <li>Why the plot is universally engaging and recognisable</li> <li>Who should use this plot to build trust with potential customers</li> <li> </li> </ul>

38 Rebirth

The 'tragedy' plot covers a wide range of stories that lack the 'happy ending' we are so used to seeing. From a business storytelling perspective, you might be wondering, "why would I tell a tragedy story?" Why would you tell a story without a happy ending? The answer is to draw your reader's attention to a potentially deadly problem they may have overlooked.  Listen now to learn:  Why the 'dark character' in a tragedy plot is never truly 'evil' Why tragedy stories have persisted in literature across milennia Why tragedy is relevant and pertinent to every one of us How and when to use it in business storytelling 

The 'tragedy' plot covers a wide range of stories that lack the 'happy ending' we are so used to seeing. From a business storytelling perspective, you might be wondering, "why would I tell a tragedy story?" Why would you tell a story without a happy ending? The answer is to draw your reader's attention to a potentially deadly problem they may have overlooked.  Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>Why the 'dark character' in a tragedy plot is never truly 'evil'</li> <li>Why tragedy stories have persisted in literature across milennia</li> <li>Why tragedy is relevant and pertinent to every one of us</li> <li>How and when to use it in business storytelling</li> </ul>

37 The Tragedy Plot

The comedy plot archetype first emerged in Ancient Greece, and has played an important role in literature over the last 2000 years. Can you use the comedy plot in business? Yes! Do you need to be funny to use it? NO! (Which for me at least, is just as well). Listen now to learn:  The key element at the heart of every successful comedy plot Where to use the comedy plot in your marketing (hint: probably NOT up front) How the comedy plot can help build trust with potential customers Why the comedy plot is a versatile hammer to have in your storytelling toolkit 

The comedy plot archetype first emerged in Ancient Greece, and has played an important role in literature over the last 2000 years. Can you use the comedy plot in business? Yes! Do you need to be funny to use it? NO! (Which for me at least, is just as well). Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>The key element at the heart of every successful comedy plot</li> <li>Where to use the comedy plot in your marketing (hint: probably NOT up front)</li> <li>How the comedy plot can help build trust with potential customers</li> <li>Why the comedy plot is a versatile hammer to have in your storytelling toolkit</li> </ul>

36 The Comedy Plot

This episode of the Story Copywriter Podcast looks at the second basic plot based on a journey: 'Voyage and Return'. Voyage and Return is a versatile plot, with wide ranging applications for business use. Listen now to learn:  Why the return matters MUCH more than the journey Why the voyage should remove or question your sense of self How to escalate drama and suspense throughout the story The key message behind the Voyage and Return plot, and why this is useful for business storytelling 

This episode of the Story Copywriter Podcast looks at the second basic plot based on a journey: 'Voyage and Return'. Voyage and Return is a versatile plot, with wide ranging applications for business use. Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>Why the return matters MUCH more than the journey</li> <li>Why the voyage should remove or question your sense of self</li> <li>How to escalate drama and suspense throughout the story</li> <li>The key message behind the Voyage and Return plot, and why this is useful for business storytelling</li> </ul>

35 Voyage and Return

Want to place a truly engaging story at the heart of your marketing? One of the oldest and most engaging plot archetypes is the quest… It’s tempting to think of the quest as a ‘journey’. And while there IS always a physical journey in every quest, the journey is only a part of the hero’s ordeal! Learn how the quest plot works in practice, what the main ingredients are, and how to use it in a business setting. In this episode Rob explains:  The role of companions and ‘helper characters’ in every good quest plot The key characteristics of a quest The number one ingredient of a successful quest plot How to apply to a business setting 

Want to place a truly engaging story at the heart of your marketing? One of the oldest and most engaging plot archetypes is the quest… It’s tempting to think of the quest as a ‘journey’. And while there IS always a physical journey in every quest, the journey is only a part of the hero’s ordeal! Learn how the quest plot works in practice, what the main ingredients are, and how to use it in a business setting. In this episode Rob explains: <ul> <li>The role of companions and ‘helper characters’ in every good quest plot</li> <li>The key characteristics of a quest</li> <li>The number one ingredient of a successful quest plot</li> <li>How to apply to a business setting</li> </ul>

34 The Quest

Learn how to write stories that sell and become the written voice of a business you love.

The ‘Rags to Riches’ plot is perhaps the easiest plot to use in business. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to get wrong, because most marketers only write about their riches! The secret to Rags to Riches is that neither the rags nor the riches actually matter much (and are subjective). What matters is the part in the middle. What is that part? Find out in this episode, and learn:  Why 'Rags to Riches' is potentially a good place to start using the plot archetype The key elements of a good Rags to Riches story How the plot can go wrong 

The ‘Rags to Riches’ plot is perhaps the easiest plot to use in business. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to get wrong, because most marketers only write about their riches! The secret to Rags to Riches is that neither the rags nor the riches actually matter much (and are subjective). What matters is the part in the middle. What is that part? Find out in this episode, and learn: <ul> <li>Why 'Rags to Riches' is potentially a good place to start using the plot archetype</li> <li>The key elements of a good Rags to Riches story</li> <li>How the plot can go wrong</li> </ul>

33 Rags to Riches

This episode reviews plot 1 of 7 from Christopher Booker's book 'The Seven Basic Plots', and examines potential use cases in business. Listen now to learn:  Why 'Overcoming The Monster' appears so often in literature The key elements of an 'Overcoming The Monster' plot Why I believe this plot likely isn't right for your 'signature story 

This episode reviews plot 1 of 7 from Christopher Booker's book 'The Seven Basic Plots', and examines potential use cases in business. Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>Why 'Overcoming The Monster' appears so often in literature</li> <li>The key elements of an 'Overcoming The Monster' plot</li> <li>Why I believe this plot likely isn't right for your 'signature story</li> </ul>

32 Overcoming The Monster

Anyone can tell stories. Stories are an everyday part of the human experience. But what allows a great story to stand the test of time? This episode takes a deep dive into the plot archetype structure. Rob reviews Christopher Booker's book The 7 Basic Plots, and examines whether we can apply the key lessons to business storytelling. Listen now to learn:  Why the plot archetype structure is a tool, not a requirement How to leverage deep principles to tell better stories How and where to use the plot archetype structure in your marketing 

Anyone can tell stories. Stories are an everyday part of the human experience. But what allows a great story to stand the test of time? This episode takes a deep dive into the plot archetype structure. Rob reviews Christopher Booker's book The 7 Basic Plots, and examines whether we can apply the key lessons to business storytelling. Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>Why the plot archetype structure is a tool, not a requirement</li> <li>How to leverage deep principles to tell better stories</li> <li>How and where to use the plot archetype structure in your marketing</li> </ul>

31 The Plot Archetype

It's prediction time for 2022! Where should you focus your storytelling efforts? Listen now to learn:  Why writing alone is a bad idea Different options for 'copywriting in community' The three best ways to tell your story in your marketing (for 2022 and beyond) 

It's prediction time for 2022! Where should you focus your storytelling efforts? Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>Why writing alone is a bad idea</li> <li>Different options for 'copywriting in community'</li> <li>The three best ways to tell your story in your marketing (for 2022 and beyond)</li> </ul>

30 Copywriting in Community

Podcasting allows you to create your own 'radio station' to nurture potential customers. In this episode I share my experience of three years of podcasting, including:  How to determine the scope of your podcast Whether to record monologue or dialogue How to repurpose your podcast episodes into other media How to structure your podcast to deliver your message The technology I use 

Podcasting allows you to create your own 'radio station' to nurture potential customers. In this episode I share my experience of three years of podcasting, including: <ul> <li>How to determine the scope of your podcast</li> <li>Whether to record monologue or dialogue</li> <li>How to repurpose your podcast episodes into other media</li> <li>How to structure your podcast to deliver your message</li> <li>The technology I use</li> </ul>

29 Storytelling in Podcasts

A book is an excellent way to promote your work and your business. Amazon has made book publishing easier than ever... in theory! The question is, what should you write about? Should you include part of your personal story? How long should the book be? What offer should you put in the book? How long should the whole process take? What kind of results should you expect? Get answers to all of the above - and more - in this episode of The Story Copywriter Podcast!

A book is an excellent way to promote your work and your business. Amazon has made book publishing easier than ever... in theory! The question is, what should you write about? Should you include part of your personal story? How long should the book be? What offer should you put in the book? How long should the whole process take? What kind of results should you expect? Get answers to all of the above - and more - in this episode of The Story Copywriter Podcast!

28 How To Write a Great Business Book

"Which email marketing system should I use?" is perhaps the most frequently asked marketing question. It's also the wrong question to ask! Listen now to learn how to identify the right email marketing tool for your needs.

"Which email marketing system should I use?" is perhaps the most frequently asked marketing question. It's also the wrong question to ask! Listen now to learn how to identify the right email marketing tool for your needs.

27 Email Marketing System Selection

How often do you lose time trying to find an email you sent in the past? How often do you spend time trying to diagnose why an email sequence isn't working? At some point things can and will go wrong in your email follow-up systems. When things go wrong it's the quality (and existence) of your documentation that will save your sanity. No more digging around in Gmail trying to find an email you created three years ago. No more digging around in old email campaigns. Listen to this episode to eliminate the confusion for good... Listen now to learn:  The three types of copy documentation you need in your business Which documentation platform I recommend (and why) What to include in your documentation 

How often do you lose time trying to find an email you sent in the past? How often do you spend time trying to diagnose why an email sequence isn't working? At some point things can and will go wrong in your email follow-up systems. When things go wrong it's the quality (and existence) of your documentation that will save your sanity. No more digging around in Gmail trying to find an email you created three years ago. No more digging around in old email campaigns. Listen to this episode to eliminate the confusion for good... Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>The three types of copy documentation you need in your business</li> <li>Which documentation platform I recommend (and why)</li> <li>What to include in your documentation</li> </ul>

26 How Documentation Will Save Your Sanity

Many email marketers are trying to automate every email a potential customer is sent across the entire customer journey. But is this 'hands free' really attainable... or desirable? I believe you need a balance in your marketing between automated emails, and live 'out of the pan' broadcasts. Listen now to learn:  Why automated emails suffer from entropy Where to place automated email sequences How long your automated email sequences should be How to repurpose your best emails into other formats 

Many email marketers are trying to automate every email a potential customer is sent across the entire customer journey. But is this 'hands free' really attainable... or desirable? I believe you need a balance in your marketing between automated emails, and live 'out of the pan' broadcasts. Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>Why automated emails suffer from entropy</li> <li>Where to place automated email sequences</li> <li>How long your automated email sequences should be</li> <li>How to repurpose your best emails into other formats</li> </ul>

25 Automated vs Broadcast Emails

When you're a 'Story Copywriter' you're the written voice of a business you love. Maybe even your own business. But can you - and should you - tell your personal stories in video? If so, how should you go about it? Do you need to become a professional videographer?  The answer is, no! In this episode, I interview videographer and storyteller Orson Lord. Listen now to learn:  Who should tell their personal story in video How long your video should be How to promote with ads - and where How telling your story can improve lead quality Why you shouldn't attempt to tell your own story by yourself What kit you need to get started (and why you might already own it) Lighting tips for an engaging video The $20 app that will save your sanity while recording A framework to help tell your story 

When you're a 'Story Copywriter' you're the written voice of a business you love. Maybe even your own business. But can you - and should you - tell your personal stories in video? If so, how should you go about it? Do you need to become a professional videographer?  The answer is, no! In this episode, I interview videographer and storyteller Orson Lord. Listen now to learn: <ul> <li>Who should tell their personal story in video</li> <li>How long your video should be</li> <li>How to promote with ads - and where</li> <li>How telling your story can improve lead quality</li> <li>Why you shouldn't attempt to tell your own story by yourself</li> <li>What kit you need to get started (and why you might already own it)</li> <li>Lighting tips for an engaging video</li> <li>The $20 app that will save your sanity while recording</li> <li>A framework to help tell your story</li> </ul>

24 Storytelling in Video (feat. Orson Lord)

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