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If I had a dollar for every time I was told I looked like Tina Fey (or, “that teacher from Mean Girls”)...

I’d probably have a few hundred bucks. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I heard this comment on a weekly basis when I took introductory improv classes at Second City, the famous Chicago improv theatre where Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and other comedy greats studied their craft.
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And while I wasn’t on track to become the next SNL cast member, my resemblance to Tina Fey certainly played in my favor, and I lapped it up. (Admittedly, I also got a bit delusional… but more on that later.)

In this week’s issue of The Real Deal Digest: 🎭 Copywriting 101: An easy rule to remember (that isn’t as easy to apply!) ​ 🎭 How one improv show temporarily sent me into delulu-land (but what it can teach you about writing better copy for your business) ​ 🎭 Why finding “your people” is the key to great success (even if success just means lots of laughs!)

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In 2017 and 2018, Wednesdays were my FAVORITE day of the week. I remember it clearly: I'd rush home from work, inhale dinner, and take the Brown line to Sedgwick, where 16ish more improv enthusiasts would gather to do one thing:

Play!

Some came straight from their day jobs, wearing suits and ties but showing up every week to work on getting out of their comfort zone.
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Others–like me, a music teacher at the time–were already used to unleashing their inner child. (I mean... I spent my days melting into the floor and flailing my arms around, as a good Kindergarten music teacher does. 😊)

Let me tell ya, it’s a sight to see a group of grown-ass adults moo-ing at each other, pretending to walk on the moon, and randomly shouting Zip! Zap! Zop! in a circle.

A few classmates–who became good friends–were like me. In their element. They weren’t theatre kids in high school, but they understood the value of play. We all got it: tapping into your inner child was pure magic.

It was one of the goofiest, most joy-filled seasons of my life. And I loved every second of it.
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Now, to set up some more context: This 10-month improv program included at least three performance opportunities on stage. The first one–a quick 10-minute show–is designed to help you wiggle out your stage jitters. Honestly, I don’t remember a single thing from that performance.

Ah, but the second show? I remember it well, my friend.

I remember it well.

I consider it my best performance to date. That night, I was absolutely drunk on the power of making people laugh with my antics.

I only cared about one laugh, though.

In fact, my entire performance had ONE laugh in mind…

The laugh of my best friend, who flew in from New York to see the show.

Hannah knows all of my quirks–the good, the bad, the dorky. We go waaaaaay way back, to the days of 1st and 2nd grade, when our families would go camping together and I’d recruit her and our siblings to perform a sparkling rendition of “Sally the Camel” on a random rock we’d find in the woods.

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I knew how to get a laugh out of Hannah. So I performed for Hannah, and only Hannah.
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The result? I made EVERYONE in that theatre laugh.

After the show, our instructor even pulled me aside as we grabbed drinks…
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​“You were on fire tonight."​
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And I’d be lying if I said I DIDN’T start making plans in my head to quit my job, pursue comedy full-time, and write & star in my own 30 Rock-like sitcom, but…
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I cooled off with that fantasy pretty quickly. 😂

The lesson here is that my strongest improv work happened when I focused on making ONE person laugh. Sure enough, that energy spread to everyone in Second City’s Skybox Theatre that night.

The same principle applies to copywriting. 😬

This copywriting rule is so ingrained in my brain that I forget it’s not second nature to most business owners.

So here it is! Here's the rule!

You ready??

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👉 Your copy must speak to one person. 👈

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Not a group of like-minded people. Not a variation of your “ideal client.” Just one person.

And lawdy I know–this is NOT easy to do, especially when you know that your email list or social media followers include people who don’t fit the mold of your “one person.”

You gotta push through, though. Focus on that one person when you write your emails, craft social media posts, or create lead magnets.

I promise you, you won’t push away dream clients when you do this. You’ll only weed out the ones who were never meant for you anyway.

If you keep this rule in mind as you write your own copy, you’ll quickly find “your people.” And soon, you’ll have your own room full of “Hannahs”, hanging on to your every word.

Don’t believe me?

Well… did you make it this far in this email?

Point proven. 😉

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Is everyone going to find this story interesting? Of course not.

Is every copywriter or marketer out there going to think I did a great job on this email? Nope.

What matters is that YOU are still here with me, Reader. I wrote this for your enjoyment (and to give you a bit o' education so you can write better copy that converts 😋).

So I'm flipping it back to you: Who's the one person you're speaking to when you're writing your emails or your website?
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Write to that person next time you sit down to write, and be consistent with it. You'll see your efforts come back tenfold, I promise.
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Lemon OUT.

-Rachael

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P.S. February is next week! To celebrate, uh... Groundhog's Day... (just kidding, I'm doing this because I feel like it), I'm offering 3 FREE 30-minute "Get Unstuck" sessions for business owners who start to hate their life every time they sit down to write ANYthing for their business.
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This live sesh has no strings attached, nothing to sell. I just want to help you get out of your own way. If interested, grab a time slot here. (I promise I won't make you pretend-melt into the floor or anything... unless you really want to.)

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​Three Marketing Resources That Have Helped Me This Week:

​Visibility and Marketing Yourself ← A 30-minute podcast by one of my faves to help get you out of your head.

​22 banned words for Instagram bios ← Does your Instagram bio sound like everyone else? Check here to find out.
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​30 Ways to Grow Your Email List for Free ← Leaving this one up from last week because it's just that good.

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What's your biggest copy struggle? My website doesn't bring in any leads (and I know that's a problem) I hate writing emails for my list (but I know I need to) I don't know, but nothing is converting. I don't know how to harness my brand voice.

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