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How a Conversion Copywriter Captures Your Authentic Brand Voice · Values-First Marketing

• 0:00
  Welcome to the Values First Marketing Podcast. I'm Megan Katchinggan, and I help business owners like you stay in your zone of genius without making marketing feel like a full-time job on top of serving your clients. I'm sharing what's working now with simple content systems, copy that elevates your thought leadership, and messaging that makes your audience feel seen, not sold to.
• 0:20
  I'm your trusted expert in turning your voice, values, and vision into a sustainable marketing system that attracts aligned clients and grows your business in a way that's sustainable, unmistakable, and irresistible, all without sacrificing your time, your voice, or your peace. You're in the right place. Let's do this.
• 0:43
  How can a conversion copywriter capture my authentic brand voice when they're not me? This is a question I hear a lot.
• 0:51
  Authentically, genuinely curious, when those health practitioners, podcasters, coaches, speakers, service writers, you're looking to hire a copywriter, but you just don't know how you can trust someone else, else with your voice who really gets you, and this is the thing that has connected you to your audience. It's what has built your success so far. So, I get that it is hard to say here, someone else do this, when obviously you do it so well, because it is you. But this is also the right question to ask, because it means you genuinely care about authenticity. So, you are my people. Many heart-centered entrepreneurs worry that hiring a conversion copywriter means outsourcing their voice. You don't want to trade your unique perspective, your actual way of speaking, your values for some generic, salesy version of yourself, and you don't have to. What most people don't realize is that a skilled conversion copywriter doesn't write just right for you. We write as you, and one of the best, and some of the best ones make it so seamless that your audience can't tell the difference between your words and theirs. Truly, one of the best compliments I get is when a client looks at the copy I've written and says, "Gosh, I can't. I look back and I'm like,"I can't tell if you wrote this or I did. Like, that is when I know that I've done my job. So, in this episode, we're going to talk about how we, as a me, as a conversion copywriter, how do I actually get to know your authentic voice? And, spoiler alert, you don't have to fill out like 50 ka billion pages of questionnaires for me to figure it out. We're going to talk about what's the real process for capturing who you are, who you genuinely truly are in writing, and how I actually do that in one hour per month of your time is literally all I need, and how I match your tone without losing your conversion power, so this is for those who refuse to settle for watered-down salesy copy. It's for business owners who know their voice is their unfair advantage, and they're ready to protect it while scaling their message. So, first I want to tell you a story about Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde.
• 3:00
  Yes, so years ago, right after the cultural moment of her iconic role as Elle Woods in the movie Legally Blonde, actress Reese Witherspoon got called in for jury duty, like legit real jury duty in Beverly Hills, and when the jury selection process began, the other members of the jury assumed that she was actually a lawyer, and there's a hilarious clip of Reese Witherspoon telling the story on the Graham Norton show. I've linked it in the blog in the show notes. It is a good laugh, but my point is the jury members didn't think she just played a lawyer convincingly on screen.
• 3:37
  They genuinely believed and acted like she had legal expertise. They voted her in as the foreman. They unanimously chose her, and Reese had to laugh and remind them, "I definitely did not go to law school. She didn't even finish college, and yet here they were convinced that she was a lawyer because of her role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, and so there is a lesson here about the power of authentic performance.
• 4:06
  When someone does their job really well, you cannot tell the difference between the person and the character they are portraying. And this is exactly how I see my job and my role as a copywriter. When I write in your voice, people cannot tell where you end and I begin, just like people cannot tell Reese Woods and Reese Woods. Oh my gosh, Elle Woods and Reese Witherspoon. Your voice is what connects you to your audience and sells your services. Your perspective is what attracts your ideal clients. I would never want you to lose that. I wouldn't be doing my job well if I did. My job as a copywriter is to become a little chameleon, translating what is already inside of you into language that feels so natural, so you that readers feel like they are hearing directly from you. Like I said, the best compliment is when client looks at the copy, or they have their. Spouse, or like their mom, look at the copy, and they're like, "Wow, you wrote this so well, and they're like, "No, no, no, that was my copywriter, that is what I'm going for. So, there are three primary ways that I capture your authentic brand voice. It requires a lot of intentionality, and I think a lot of copywriters, especially younger ones, or yeah, I think earlier on in your career tend to jump straight into writing without doing the behind the scenes research that actually matters. They're trying to like make the most of their hourly rate, I guess, get a higher hourly rate by doing it faster, but I approach this differently.
• 5:35
  There are three primary ways I set myself up success before I even write a single word, first is that I binge - I binge all of your previous content. I use this as a guide. I literally consume everything you have
• 5:50
  already created: past emails, social posts, podcast episodes, YouTubes, whatever it is that you do, your website copy, DMs that you're proud of, that you send to me, testimonials, videos of where you're just being yourself in your content, and this is strategic because your existing content is a master class in your authentic voice.
• 6:14
  already created: I'm taking detailed notes on your messaging that's resonating. I'm seeing what is working and what is not working.
• 6:21
  already created: I'm looking at the data, as well as looking at how your voice is landing. I'm looking at angles that are landing, and also patterns in just how you naturally communicate. Once I binge all of your previous content, I'm also going to research into your industry and your niche culture. I immerse myself in your specific industry, not just surface level trends, but the language your audience uses when they're asking questions, the pain points they're experiencing, what matters most to them. I am studying also what your competitors are saying, and more importantly, what gaps exist in the conversation. This gives me context for why your particular voice matters so much, and then third way that I capture your voice is by actively listening in conversation, and this is foundational. I don't just ask surface level questions like, what's your business about? No, I already know, because I have done steps one and two, I have binged your content, and I've researched your industry, so by the time we even get to a call, I already have - I've spent hours, and I have all this context on you and your industry, so that when we are finally on a call together, I am listening for the words that you naturally use, the metaphors you reach for, the way you describe your client's transformation, the emotions underneath your messaging, and as you just like word vomit and brain dump to me, I am listening for those golden threads, those through lines that keep popping up, those themes that maybe you don't notice again because you are so close to it, but for me, from my objective third-party perspective, I'm just like, oh, so you're saying this, and it's so funny. A lot of times, my clients will just like go, go, go for 20 minutes talking, and I'm just like, oh, so you're saying this, and I say it in one sentence, and I'm like, yes, exactly, it's that. So that is active listening, and that is really my introvert superpower, and I love this. I just love hearing your unfiltered thoughts, because when you talk about your work that way, you're not performing, you're literally just telling me, you're talking to me, and that's where your real voice lives. It's not, you don't feel like I think when people write, it often comes off as like they have to be sound more professional or academic, because we have this like thing ingrained in us from school of how we're supposed to write, and copywriting is just so different than what we learned in English class. So, as I dig deeper into conversations and analyze past content and immerse myself in your niche, I am also compiling a master brand messaging guide that becomes the foundation for everything I write, so that is coherent and consistent across all platforms, and it is so in depth and so thorough. I would say on average it's probably like 60 to 70 pages long, all about your ideal client, your brand, your voice, and all of that fun psychology behind that, what makes your ideal client triggered to buy, and I don't mean triggered in a negative way, I feel like that could actually have a negative connotation, but like what actually moves them to action is what I mean by that, so this is all captured in your brand messaging guide, it's a description of your voice, in addition, and so it's like the voice, the messaging frameworks, the tone, what makes your brand distinctly yours, and what makes you different from your competitors. So this brand messaging guide is actually included for all of my done-for-you retainer clients, it's just. Automatically included, it's like I literally can't do this work without it.
• 10:03
  already created: It's so helpful for me. And then it's also just a great resource for you to have that you can use internally with other people on your team as well. Okay, so let's get into how this one hour per month system works, and I mean one hour per month of your time, not of my time. It definitely takes me a lot longer, but I'm only going to take one hour per month of your time to get all of your conversion copywriting and content management done. So, the question I hear most often, besides like this sounds too good to be true, like, how does this actually work? The question I actually hear most often is, how can you create all of this content based on just one hour of my time? Like, don't you need more to like to get more out of me, but truly it's in the system that I have created and have perfected over my seven plus years of doing this. By the time we get on that call together, I have already done the heavy lifting. You do not need to prepare or to rehearse. You don't need to outline what you're going to say. You don't have to come up with any bullet points, though, you like, you can totally feel free if you want to, but totally unnecessary. Literally, most of my clients, you just show up and talk to me from your heart, from what you're seeing in your business day to day, and from what's actually frustrating or exciting your clients right now.
• 11:15
  already created: What, what are you getting in your DMs? What are people asking? Those are the kinds of things that we talk about, and because I have so much in-depth background on you, your business, your brand, that I can ask you these strategic questions to pull out the relevant stories that we need to use, the angles that would be great to try, so it all ends up working out, so let me give you a visual of like before the call, during the call, after the call, so you know exactly what to expect. So, before the call, like I said, I binge all of your content, I create comprehensive research notes on your voice, your messaging patterns, the angles that have resonated with the most. I'm looking at your data to see like literally what has resonated, not just what I think sounds good, like it's not just my opinion, but what is the data actually telling us? And looking at, like, the reliable data and KPIs, not just the vanity metrics, and I know enough to, like, not just the secret vanity metrics too. It's like it looks like a real metric, but it's like, actually, like, is this really leading to conversion? Anyways, that's a whole nother podcast episode.
• 12:24
  already created: Okay, so as I'm doing this, I'm jotting down notes or questions specifically around gaps I've noticed or angles I want to explore. So these questions are data-informed and specific to your brand and your published content. I'm not putting you through anything cookie cutter.
• 12:42
  already created: It's literally all based on what you already have out there, carrying momentum from what's already working, or taking a pivot from what is not working.
• 12:49
  already created: And because I have already consumed your world, I'm not wasting your time asking you to repeat things that are literally already out there on the internet. You know, I know what you have said, and I am asking you to go deeper, and this is really why I can take so little of your time, one hour per month. I have already done a significant amount of work and research before we ever hop on a call together, and I know that part of the ROI of hiring a copywriter is to save you time, so that's why I take this so seriously, and really have dialed in my processes, because for many copywriters the standard process is to ask clients to prepare extensively, that can look like filling out a long questionnaire, thinking of ideas, listing talking points, and honestly, you shouldn't have to do this, that approach is exhausting, not only exhausting, but it's also not as effective from my experience, especially for business owners. You're already juggling so much, I don't need to put another thing on your plate, and like I said, it just doesn't work as well either, because when you're writing answers to a questionnaire, you're often editing yourself or subconsciously performing, you're not being vulnerable or honest in a way that actually captures your voice and resonates with your ideal client. So, full disclosure, yes, I do have you fill out a questionnaire, but it is no more than 10 questions long. It shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes. If you already have some semblance of a brand messaging or voice guide, you can send that to me, or just link to it. You might not even have to answer all the questions if you already have the resources for it, but like obviously I do need something to work off of, but I can work off of the bare minimum there and fill in the blanks again based on my extensive research, extensive research. So truly, for my process, all you have to do is show up, be yourself, brain dump your thoughts, give me all the word vomit, and I take that and turn it into conversion copywriting that brings in your most ideal clients who stay with you for years, because as we talked in a previous episode, conversion copywriting isn't enough anymore, like that's the bear.
• 15:00
  already created: Minimum standard copywriting should convert, but it's copywriting for retention too, that is really what I'm after, and I have a whole nother episode on that linked in the show notes. Okay, so all of that is before the call, that is like the bulk of my work. Then during the call it's 60 minutes, oftentimes we could maybe do it in 45 it's typically 45 to 60 minutes on our virtual call. We hop on Google Meet or Zoom, and I guide the conversation. I can lead the conversation again, because I already have all this background with what I need to know to write conversion copy and content for you. You talk about what's working, what clients are asking, what frustrations you're hearing, what breakthroughs you've witnessed. You're literally just verbal processing to me, and that is exactly how I want it. I want your unedited, you're not curating, you're not editing yourself, you are just thinking out loud with me. This is the most natural, conversational, relatable, most resonant way I can write in your voice, and while you're chatting, I am taking notes on language stories, the way you describe transformation, the underlying values underneath everything you say. I am looking at both the things that you're saying and also the things that you are not saying, but you're like kind of like you're saying without saying it, you know, that is what I'm listening for, and paying attention to, and that is, I think, a very unique skill, and a necessary one for a copywriter, and one that AI does not have. Okay, so that is the call, 60 minutes, and then after the call, based on the transcript of our call, the research I've already done, I am able to draft four plus weeks of blog posts, emails, social content, and more, like basically whatever deliverables we pre-decided upon that you want me to write for you. Those are done all in your voice, all informed by your data, and all based on like what you shared on the call. The content is so thorough, so that when you review it, there's really minimal editing needed, if any.
• 17:06
  already created: Usually, honestly, it's just a quick stamp of approval before I schedule it for you. One of my clients, Gail, said it perfectly after her first batch of content arrived. I have the screenshot in the blog post. I love it so much, but I will read it for you. Here it says, "Thank you for the first drafts. The first bunch of content is so rich and so robust, and it felt so much like me. I can't believe you drew all of that from our first conversation, because I feel like I was all over the place. I just can't thank you enough for that. I am so happy with it, which is amusing to my ears. But honestly, of all of that, I love that she said she felt like she was all over the place. I didn't necessarily feel like she was, but it's funny to hear that from her perspective. But I actually love that, because literally she did not need to prepare. She literally just showed up, shared what was true, and because I had done the work to understand her voice, and her people, and her industry, and her brand and her ideal client, the content reflected exactly who she is and what her ideal client avatar needed to hear. So, as a reminder, you already know this, but truly your authentic brand voice is your competitive advantage, one of them, one of the strongest, I would say, and in a market where everyone has access to the same tools, the same AI, the same templates.
• 18:23
  already created: Your unique perspective based on your values and your experience is truly what makes you unforgettable. Clients don't just hire you because they, you have a solution that they need.
• 18:33
  already created: Yes, obviously that's part of it, but that's not the full story, especially in this day and age. They hire you also because they trust you, and they trust you because you're a real human to them in your in their content and when your copy sounds like a robot or a sales page written at 2008 trust evaporates right like but when it sounds like you conversational and honest specific and story driven that is when people lean in, and this is especially true for the coaches, the consultants, the service providers. Your voice is part of how you're selling, and both of these things happened because I invested time in understanding voice before writing a single word, the copy is more effective because it's more authentic, and I actually interviewed 11 brand strategists about authentic brand voice and messaging, and their perspective from a brand strategy side of things. I've linked that blog and episode in the show notes as well. Super interesting, if you want to dive deeper into it, and then also in the blog, if you want to go deeper, as I have a ton of frequently asked questions about, like, well, what if nuanced type stuff of what if I don't have a lot of content created, how do you know what tone will resonate with my audience, what if my voice changes over time, or I'm evolving my. Brand, how do I deal with that? What happens if you don't like the first draft?
• 20:04
  already created: How do I handle feedback? How to write for multiple audiences while keeping my voice consistent? Or maybe your VA or AI is writing your content right now, and it doesn't sound like you. What is the best course of action to take from there? All of those things are addressed more in depth in the blog. I, it's linked in the show notes. I encourage you to go check that out. To go a little bit deeper, so to wrap up, capturing your authentic voice brand voice takes more than just hiring just any copywriter. Truly, not all copywriters are created equal, and your voice is your unfair advantage. It's what makes you memorable. It's what makes you trustworthy and irresistible to your ideal clients, like literally your most ideal clients, who are going to love you and your offer and stay with you for years. But it takes someone who is willing to do the research to listen deeply and to understand that your words are an extension of who you actually are. So, if you are ready to have content that sounds so much like you that people can't tell the difference, I want to share with you my done for you system.
• 21:09
  already created: You can go to Megan Catch again.com/d F Y, and that will lead you to a short video that briefly goes a little bit more in depth about what to expect and how to take the next step from there. I'd love to show you more about what it looks like when a copywriter truly becomes fluent in your voice on your team, knows you and your business inside and out, and how much easier and more profitable it makes life and business.
• 21:35
  already created: Thank you for tuning in to the Values First Marketing Podcast.
• 21:38
  already created: If you've been enjoying these episodes, I'd love it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts.
• 21:40
  already created: It helps more purpose-driven business owners like you find this show, and reminds me that this work is making a difference. And if you're ready to market your business in a way that feels aligned, sustainable, and true to you, say hello on Instagram at MeganCatchigan.
• 21:57
  already created: Then head over to my website, megancachtchigan.com for free resources and next steps to simplify your marketing and copywriting without sacrificing your authentic voice or too much of your time. I'll see you in the next episode.