Copy That Pops: Writing Tips and Psychology Hacks for Business

Lessons learned from co-authoring a workbook that is engaging and helps your audience achieve real results, join us today for a conversation with Jonathan Maki of MFI Works. First interview with Jonathan: Book Writing, Amazon Bestselling Book Launching, and Driving Tanks with Small Business Tax Pro --> CopyThatPops.com/212 Jonathan's new workbook: My Family's Income Works for the Life We Want to Live: A Workbook for Life  --> CopyThatPops.com/income  --- For the full shownotes for this episode, visit us here: Co-Writing a Workbook to Help Families Build the Life They Want - with Jonathan Maki  

Let's look for ways (live!) to improve Eric Piccione's blog: FinancialFreedomAndMe.com!  With special guest Signe Beck (with whom we are doing a live social media content creation consult very soon!). This is the first live stream I've done in a long while to help others with their writing for business online. Hope you enjoy! Head back to the Copy That Pops podcast page for more info on this episode and others!

Exactly How to Use ChatGPT and 11.ai to Create an Entire Podcast in 10 Minutes Without Speaking a Single Word Want to create more podcasts fast and with help? Maybe you want to create a show where you don't even have to speak? Maybe you want help writing your podcast scripts? If this is you, listen to this superfast episode that my AI bot "Aurora" recorded for me! STEP 1: Have ChatGPT Generate a Script Background info: The podcast is called Copy That Pops. The host is LaptopLaura. Laura always closes the podcast by saying, "And remember to keep finding ways to write copy that pops!" I want you to act like a professional script writer for podcasters where you write only word-for-word exactly what the host will speak out loud. Please write a short script for teaching someone how to use ChatGPT and 11.ai to: Step 1. write them a short podcast script about using ChatGPT for writing short podcast scripts Step 2. use https://elevenlabs.io, a text to speech and AI voice generator, to read their script for use in the podcast Step 3: download the audio files, add your intro and outro music, and publish to your favorite podcast host (I use Libsyn -- use the code LAURA for first two months free) Please do NOT include speakers' names, the word "Host:" before paragraphs, or any notes about when to play music or sounds like "[Intro Music]". Simply produce in your response a script that could be read word for word. Thank you! STEP 2: Clean Up the Script from ChatGPT Welcome to another episode of Copy That Pops, where we explore the art and science of great writing for business. I'm your host, LaptopLaura (in the voice of an AI assistant I’ll be teaching you how to create for free today too!).  This episode is all about using ChatGPT and 11.ai to craft compelling podcast scripts. Writing and producing has never been easier! Here’s how I created this exact podcast without speaking a single word. Step 1: Writing a Short Podcast Script using ChatGPT ChatGPT is a powerful language model that can help you generate creative and engaging content. Here's a simple guide to using it for your podcast scripts: Start by heading to chat.openai.com and enter your prompt. For example, you can say, "Generate a short and engaging podcast script about using ChatGPT for content creation." Review the suggestions provided by ChatGPT and select the ones that align with your style and tone. Edit and refine the content as needed to match your unique voice and message. Step 2: Using Elevenlabs.io to Bring Your Script to Life.  Elevenlabs.io is a fantastic text-to-speech and AI voice generator tool. Here's how to use it: Visit elevenlabs.io and paste your podcast script into the text box. Choose the voice that suits your style and adjust settings like pitch and speed. You can even create your own version of a voice and give it a name. Let’s name mine Aurora (which my husband laughs at me about and says it sounds like a stripper name - lolz – sorry, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty!) Hit the generate button and listen to the preview.  Make any necessary tweaks to perfect the audio. Step 3: Downloading and Publishing.  Once your audio is ready, you will then: Download the generated audio file Add your intro and outro music to give it a polished and branded touch. Note: If you're starting a new podcast hosted by Libsyn, use the code "LAURA" for your first two months free. --- And there you have it - a seamless process to leverage tech to create and deliver captivating podcast content.  Writing and producing has never been faster or easier! Laura made this whole episode without uttering a single word. Visit the shownotes at CopyThatPops.com/226 for links to all that we mentioned today as well as screenflows showing this episode's creation. I hope these tools make your writing and podcasting journey even more productive, efficient, and enjoyable. Until next time, keep finding ways to write copy that pops! STEP 3: GET AI TO SPEAK YOUR SHOW Go to 11.ai or elevenlabs.io and pick a voice you want to be your narrator. Visit 11.ai or elevenlabs.io and paste your podcast script into the text box. Choose the voice that suits your podcast style and adjust settings like pitch and speed. You can even create your own version of a voice and give it a name. I named mine Aurora (which my husband laughs at me about and says it sounds like a stripper name lolz – sorry Disney’s Sleeping Beauty) Hit the generate button and listen to the preview.  Make any necessary tweaks to perfect the audio. Download the file to your computer Add your intro and outro music and publish to your podcast host! : ) I use Libsyn (use code “LAURA” to get up to 2 months free, if you are brand new) Let me know how this works for you! : )  Laura ----- Full shownotes for this episode here: How to Make a Podcast in 5 Minutes Without Writing or Speaking [Use AI]

Listen free to my first children's book, now live on Amazon for Kindle, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook: CopyThatPops.com/duckbuddies I had so much fun with this project and learned a lot about the fiction book writing world and kids' book genre. It's a departure from 95% of the content on this show so far, but something more and more of my clients have been asking for help with. To learn more about children's book writing, publishing, and marketing check out the following past episodes: 1. CopyThatPops.com/156  Marketing Your Books to Parents AND Kids with Podcasts, Live Events, and Collaborations from Childrens’ Book Author and Podcaster Angela Ferrari 2. CopyThatPops.com/223 Unlocking the Secrets of Children’s Book Creation: Expert Tips on Writing, Illustrating, Publishing, and Marketing Kids’ Books 3. CopyThatPops.com/224 Writing Kids Books Inspired by NFT Art and Building Brands with Raj Khater (Plus: Duck Buddies Book 1 is Live!) -- Hope you enjoy! To see the great illustrations, grab a copy of the book in Kindle or print! If you enjoy it, I'd so appreciate a rating/review on Amazon.  xo Laura PS: Head back to the shownotes page for more writing resources and info about the Duck Buddies children's book.

Learn about the exciting world of NFTs and their potential for creative projects, including writing children's books, building brands, and growing business with Laura, the creator of the Duck Buddies book series, and Raj Khater, a former VP at the Royal Bank of Canada, entrepreneur, and prolific NFT collector. Laura wrote Duck Buddies: The Secret Clubhouse with gorgeous illustrations based off of artwork from well-know Ethereum blockchain projects including SupDucks and Bored Ape Yacht Club. Links to more: • Episode 223 with April Cox for more on how to write, illustrate, publish, and marketing a kids book: https://CopyThatPops.com/223 • Copyrigthing Your Copywriting with Jason Tucker, the Pirate Hunter: https://CopyThatPops.com/113 • Duck Buddies World: https://duckbuddiesworld.com • Duck Buddies: The Secret Clubhouse (Book 1 in a soon-to-be series): https://copythatpops.com/duckbuddies • Full shownotes: 224: Writing Kids Books Inspired by NFT Art, Web3, the Blockchain, and Impish Humor with Raj Khater (Plus: Duck Buddies Book 1 is Live!)  

Have a children’s book in you? Ever read a kid’s book and thought, “I could do better than this!”? Then this episode is one you should listen to 3x! In this podcast, Laura interviews April Cox to reveal tips and advice for self-publishing a children’s book. Step by step children’s book creation! Laura and April cover a range of topics, including the importance of having a clear concept, storyboard, and outline before starting to write, finding the right editor and illustrator, the benefits of joining a writing group, marketing strategies, and the role of graphic design and layout in producing a high-quality book. Throughout the conversation, you will hear practical advice and personal anecdotes and experiences  in self-publishing to help with your goals of becoming a children’s book author. A Few Children’s Book Creation Highlights: A Few Children’s Book Creation Highlights: April Cox was inspired to write her first children’s book when she had grandkids and spent time reading stories with them. Soon, they made up stories of their own. April’s passion for the project was driven by a desire to leave behind some values and virtues as a legacy for her future generations to read. April’s first children’s book creation, written for kids 4-8, was about her little labradoodle puppy and his journey to self-confidence Fiction books can lead to serendipitous events or opportunities that can touch, inspire or make a difference in someone’s life (her book resonated with a mother whose son is autistic and has a hard time with fine motor skills!) Writing your children’s book is very doable, but make sure you are aware of what different ages of kids you are writing for Laura wrote her first children’s book (called Duck Buddies) using a Google Sheet to keep track of the syllables on each line to ensure the rhyming was correct Write using the tool that makes you the most comfortable Aprile Cox created a self-publishing program that includes checklists, budget spreadsheets, and templates Pen names can be useful for authors who write in multiple genres, to keep their names and audiences separate. Using a pen name is a personal preference and some authors prefer to keep their personal information out of the public eye Authors can promote their work on social media, but it can be tricky when trying to promote a pen name Editing a kid’s book is important to turn a good story into a great story, especially if it has rhyming Bobby Hinman (fairybooklady@gmail.com) is recommended as a great editor for children’s books who specializes in rhyming Illustrating a children’s book is a very important part of the creation process Provide notes to the illustrator from the beginning to end of the book Before selecting an illustrator, send sample requests to three different illustrators Paying $50 for a full-color image is common It’s important to assess the illustrator’s communication style and ability to take direction Investing in quality illustrations for a 32-page children’s book can cost around $3,000, with $1,000 being the minimum for high-quality work Make sure to have a clear agreement in place with any illustrator you hire to avoid future misunderstandings or issues. There are resources available for authors to learn how to create illustrations themselves, but April recommends having a trusted coach or mentor provide honest feedback and help improve the quality of the work A client of Laura’s wrote a chapter book with black and white illustrations for each chapter to keep the cost of children’s book creation low Marketing is an important piece of the children’s book creation puzzle Getting the community involved in the illustration selection process can be a great marketing opportunity Building an email list and social media following is important for children’s book authors (social media platforms can change their algorithms or even ban authors, whereas an email list is under their control) Including a free bonus or read in exchange for an email address is a good way for authors to build their mailing list, which is their number one asset Teachers guides, children’s activity books, and coloring and activity books are great bonus items that can entice readers to join an author’s mailing list Publishing your children’s book should start with Amazon It is important to have the appropriate keywords and categories for your book on Amazon, including some less competitive categories to increase visibility High-quality covers, book blurbs, and descriptions are important for selling books, regardless of how much money is spent on them. Paid ads can help getting more sales and audience members for your kids’ book Amazon ads are preferred for most books, but there are some books that are better suited for Facebook or TikTok ads depending on the audience It’s important to go where the audience is, for example, if a book is perfect for crochet lovers, ads on Pinterest would be better than Amazon ads. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for advertising, and it’s a matter of trial and error to see what works. Amazon brand ads are really good and perform well. Video ads perform well, but you need an advantage account or a vendor account to run them. It’s important to monitor and dial in your ads each week, stop keywords that are spending money but not converting and foster ones that are working well. Searching through Amazon search terms will help to learn what is working and what needs to expand. It can take two to three months to dial in ads and get them clicking. Publishing on IngramSpark is recommended as a second step since Amazon ads can also drive sales for hardcover children’s books. Want More? Full shownotes for this episode and the video version of Laura and April's conversation about Children's Book Creation.

Writers, ghostwriters, and business owners alike can use Open AI (aka ChatGPT) to write a book, ebook, kids book, memoir, how-to book, lead magnet, and more! Although you still need to edit and tweak the content to fully fit your tone and brand, using AI tools can give you a huge head start to book writing. For nonfiction books: You can use Open AI's ChatGPT in just seconds to conduct detailed research, write out a book outline, and craft the first draft of your book. For fiction books: You can use Open AI's ChatGPT to ideate on characters, research information for your book's setting, write a story outline, and craft the first draft of your fiction book. In this podcast episode, my biz bestie Melissa Tucker and I record our screens as we enter in prompts and show you exactly how to use ChatGPT step-by-step to write a book. This is the third installment of a three-part writing series. Want more? • Check out episode 220 for more on how to use ChatGPT to write blog posts • And see episode 221 for how to use ChatGPT to write social media posts Can't wait to hear about the book you write with the power of AI tools! Link Outs Mentioned: - Open AI's ChatGPT - Hemingway Editor - Zapier Guest Bio: Melissa Tucker is the CEO and Founder of Blue Butterfly Digital. She is aa full-time Facebook ad, sales funnel, and chatbot strategist. She started her company so she could help business owners grow their businesses, while getting to do what she loves to do! Today, she is helping businesses and entrepreneurs maximize their growth with the power of social media and online marketing. Her clientele is full of fun and exciting personalities, including wedding photographers, personal trainers, food bloggers, personal stylists, health coaches, business coaches, manufacturing companies, realtors, local businesses, and online marketing influencers. Learn more at Blue Butterfly Digital and Business Women Group -----------   For full shownotes on Episode 222, visit CopyThatPops.com/222

Can we use ChatGPT to write social media posts in seconds? Yep, we sure can! AI tools like ChatGPT are trending right now, so this is Part 2 of a series to help you use it as a writer or entrepreneur to create compelling written content that helps you make more money online. Melissa Tucker and I sit down to record our screens as we enter in prompts and show you exactly how to use ChatGPT step-by-step to write great social media posts. Using ChatGPT, we write social media posts for: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram (with hashtags), scripts for TikTok videos, Pinterest, and more! This is the second installment of a three-part series. Check out episode 220 for more on how to use ChatGPT to write blogs and episode 222 for how to use ChatGPT to write books! Link Outs Mentioned: AI Content Detector Business Women Group Social media posts created by ChatGPT (and then cleaned up my Laura and Melissa) to promote the blog on Making Money Writing Online: Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Your Earnings (link coming soon) Canva (free and paid versions) ChatGPT Dall-E2 (AI tool to generate images) Gary Vee TikTok video about how to use LinkedIn  Gary Vee TikTok video showing that posting on LinkedIn can be amazing Gary Vee TikTok video about ChatGPT being banned from schools SEO Chrome = Keywords Everywhere (free version or extra tools for $10/year) SEO Youtube = Tube Buddy (as little as $4.80/month) Co-Host Bio: Melissa Tucker is the CEO and Founder of Blue Butterfly Digital. She is a full-time Facebook ad, sales funnel, and chatbot strategist. She started her company so she could help business owners grow their businesses, while getting to do what she loves to do! Today, she is helping businesses and entrepreneurs maximize their growth with the power of social media and online marketing. Her clientele is full of fun and exciting personalities, including wedding photographers, personal trainers, food bloggers, personal stylists, health coaches, business coaches, manufacturing companies, realtors, local businesses, and online marketing influencers.   ------------------------------------ To access full show notes, please click here (ChatGPT for writing social posts).

ChatGPT is all the rage these days -- but how do you use it and other AI tools as a writer or entrepreneur to create compelling written content that helps you make more money online? This episode is all about how to use ChatGPT to write blogs that need just a bit of cleanup to be ready for sharing. My biz bestie Melissa Tucker and I sit down to record our screens as we enter in prompts and show you exactly how to use ChatGPT step-by-step to map out and write blog posts. This (#220) is the first installment of a three-part writing series. - Check out episode 221 for more on how to use Open AI's ChatGPT to write social media posts - And see episode 222 for how to use ChatGPT to write books Link Outs Mentioned: AI Content Detector Business Women Group Blog post created by ChatGPT (and then cleaned up my Laura and Melissa): Making Money Writing Online: Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Your Earnings (link coming soon) Canva (free and paid versions) ChatGPT Hemingway Editor SEO Chrome = Keywords Everywhere (free version or extra tools for $10/year) SEO Youtube = Tube Buddy (as little as $4.80/month) Guest Bio:  Melissa Tucker is the CEO and Founder of Blue Butterfly Digital. She is a full-time Facebook ad, sales funnel, and chatbot strategist. She started her company so she could help business owners grow their businesses, while getting to do what she loves to do! Today, she is helping businesses and entrepreneurs maximize their growth with the power of social media and online marketing. Her clientele is full of fun and exciting personalities, including wedding photographers, personal trainers, food bloggers, personal stylists, health coaches, business coaches, manufacturing companies, realtors, local businesses, and online marketing influencers. Melissa's Links: - Blue Butterfly Digital (website) - Business Women Group ------------ To access full show notes for Episode 220, please click here.

I have a confession to make. Even though I love listening to audiobooks and I’ve been in the podcasting world since 2015, I’ve never actually created an audiobook for myself or for a client! Did you know that: “In 2020, audiobook sales revenue in the United States reached 1.3 billion U.S. dollars, continuing the upward trend which began in 2018”? (according to Statista) So, in today’s episode, I thought it would be fun to take you along for a new journey into the world of audiobook creation. I have a client who has a series of 5 books for kids ages 8 to 12 and she just published them on Amazon as a Kindle boxset but wants to get the audiobook version up as well. I volunteered to jump in and help since I need to know the full process for myself too!   Here’s what we’ve done so far in the Audiobook making process: STEP 1:  We set up a free account at ACX.com  (Audiobook Creation Exchange) STEP 2:  On August 16, 2022, we uploaded a sample of the book and opened it up for voice actor auditions.  STEP 3:  As I prep for this podcast on September 1st, we have received a whooping 33 auditions! [Edit: now we have 37 as of Sept. 5, 2022]. Some are incredible. Others need to improve the sound quality around the set up they have. So, totally for free, we have received a range of what sounds like beginner voice actors to super professional. As a side note, you may be wondering how the voice actors get paid. You have two options: 1: You can pay upfront at a fixed price per finished audio hour (and no royalty sharing) 2: You can pay with a 50-50 royalty split on future sales (and no upfront cost for the work) STEP 4:  Review the auditions and pick someone to make an offer to. This is as far as we’ve gotten so far, and we need help choosing! We’ve starred 10 of our favorites, but that’s still too many to put forth when asking for feedback I think. So, I’m narrowing them down to our top 5 and will play a short sample of each coming up next in this episode!  It’d be so helpful if you’d share your favorite and feedback! Be a voice casting director with us! You can send your votes and feedback by: Emailing me Laura@CopyThatPops.com Pinging me on social media – I’m all over @ LaptopLaura And if you want to grab a copy of the full 5-book set of Kid Star Squad, check it out at CopyThatPops.com/KidStarSquad which will take you to it on Amazon (it’s free with Kindle Unlimited, by the way).   The 6 Auditions Okay, let’s take a listen to our top 6 auditions and then I’ll tell you what’s next on the list of to-do’s for audiobook creation. Audition 1 and 2 will be reading Chapter 1. Audition 3 and 4 will be reading Chapter 2. Audition 5 and 6 will be reading Chapter 3. Listen now to the 6 auditions above or go here for the audio file with only the auditions and the book sample to read along: CopyThatPops.com/auditions — Great voice actors, right? It’s so hard to pick! Part of me wants Emma to pick a female voice, but some of those male voiceover artists were fire. What should we do? Help! Email me Laura@CopyThatPops.com Ping me on social media – I’m all over @ LaptopLaura And I’ll collect and tabulate the feedback to help advise Emma on the final choice. Next up in the Audiobook process? After we pick our favorite voice actor, we’ll make an offer for payment – we are thinking about the upfront payment way. If he or she accepts, we have a deal and legally binding contract! Then, the voice actor, called “producer” in ACX will record and upload a 15-minute checkpoint of the audiobook for us to listen to, give feedback, and approve. Once that’s done, the productor will keep going and record the full project. We can ask for up to two rounds of corrections to the finished audiobook. Then, when we’re happy, we’ll approve it and pay the producer! From there, it’s time to make the book live to the world. ACX distributes it through Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.  More on these next steps in a future podcast episode. For now, we have to settle on a producer! No matter who we choose or if you want to share your vote, I hope this episode was helpful in inspiring and/or motivating you to take action by bringing your books to life in audiobook form! Talk to you next time. Keep finding ways to write copy that pops! :) Laura

What is intrapreneurship? What psychological and practical skills can I develop to help me with any business, whether I’m in it or I own it? What did our guest, Dr. Mack Chapman, learn from working personally with legends like Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and Jim Rohn? What are his best tips for writing and publishing your own book? All this and more is covered in our conversation today with the incredible Mack Chapman who grew up on the South Side of Chicago before working as an investment banker on Wall Street, promoting speakers like Jim Rohn (and others mentioned above), rising in the ranks of academia, and hitting #1 bestseller in eight categories on Amazon with his new book. Mack has done it all, is a lifelong learner, shares openly, and is one of my favorite humans on this planet. You don’t want to miss this convo!   Video of Our Talk: See at shownotes: CopyThatPops.com/218 A Few Conversation Highlights: - What did you learn on Wall Street? - What did you learn about human psychology working so closely with Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and Jim Rohn? - What is an intrapreneur? - Why go the extra mile when you don’t own the company? - What skills are needed to be successful? - How did you write your book (even though you aren’t a writer and can’t type)? - Best tips for becoming a new author? Link Outs Mentioned: - ACX.com (for audiobook creation and publishing) - KDP.Amazon.com (for Kindle, paperback, and hardcover book publishing) - CopyThatPops.com/free (my full training course – 100% free) - CopyThatPops.com/mack (Mack’s book on Amazon) - mChapman@exsuitesolutions.com (Mack’s email) Guest Bio: Dr. Chapman is best known for his extensive work in personal development through intrapreneurship and its effects on attracting and retaining middle managers in the highly competitive American high-tech industry. His research included some of the world’s most recognized logos, such as Facebook, Microsoft, 3M, and IBM. Leveraging the discipline, tenacity, and resilience he learned as a United States Marine, Dr. Chapman has worked as an investment banker for a prestigious firm on Wall Street and presented to Fortune 500 companies on topics from coaching peak performance to effectively communicating your vision. He continues to further his formal and informal education as a passionate life-long learner. He attributes much of his success to his legendary late mentor, Jim Rohn, and the iconic cast of superstars he promoted two decades ago, including Tony Robbins, the late Zig Ziglar, and Brian Tracy. When not working in academia or conducting workshops on intrapreneurship, Dr. Chapman enjoys spending time with his family and friends and discussing germane topics of the day with a focus on solutions over finger-pointing. “Statues and monuments are erected for individuals who solve problems, not those who create them or pontificate about them.” -- Dr. Mack Chapman About the Book: Link: CopyThatPops.com/Mack NOTE: Mack's book hit #1 in 8 categories on launch What is intrapreneurship, and how do I become a successful intrapreneur? First, here are a few famous examples of innovative ideas that came from within: The personal computer was the derivative of an intrapreneurial idea from an IBM employee Frito-Lay's most successful product--Flamin' Hot Cheetos--was presented by a janitor at the company Amazon's "Prime membership," which generates over $19 billion in revenue each year, was an idea submitted to the employee suggestion box Fostering a culture of entrepreneurship from within is a growing priority for more and more of the world's leading companies. [Read more about the book on Amazon]   Mack's Links: - CopyThatPops.com/mack (Mack’s book on Amazon) - mChapman@exsuitesolutions.com (Mack’s email)   See more back on the podcast shownotes page! The Psychology of Intrapreneurship and Writing Books: CopyThatPops.com/218

Want to be a fly on the wall as a word nerd crafts concise, compelling copy? Then this episode is for you! : ) Live, no prep, and fully recorded (video in shownotes here below too), I talk with Lauren Fritts about her podcast, personal brand, and business. Under the umbrella of the name “That Mental Shit with Lauren Fritts” we brainstormed today on two main things: A tagline. “Can you say what you do in 10 words or fewer?” The “how” she accomplishes her “why.” Here are the notes showing what we came up with together: That Mental Shit with Lauren Fritts TAGLINE:I inspire women to embrace and work through their mental shit to cultivate the life they deserve. HOW: Embrace your inner 5-year-old Be curious, ask why to keep digging deeper, and don’t accept the status quo Be like Mike! Example: Michael Jordan story. Work hard to overcome ‘no.’ Prove them wrong. Feelings aren’t facts and they’re not forever. There is light at the end of this struggle you are in now. Really examine and question the feelings and thoughts from your mind. Share everything. Openness leads to empathy. Example: Those with the brightest lights have the darkest shadows. Example: 8-mile rap at end of the movie. You are not alone. Your flaws are actually your fire. “Feel your feelings, then let them fuel your fire!” Example: David and Goliath It’s all perception…you can be the victim or the victor…it’s your choice. You have the power. Everything starts in your mind. It’s scary to think that you have the control to change your life, but it’s true. Jim Carrey: Wrote himself a check for $2 million Confidence begins with courage Be 100% yourself Purpose emerges through pain After the episode, Lauren will definitely take more time to revise, edit, condense, and/or expand on these items above, but they are a great jumping off point for her to keep as foundations to her brand and what’s she’s all about.   I hope by listening to our conversation that you not only pick up some tips and tricks for working through your own copywriting creative session, but that you feel inspired into more courageous action. Lauren is living her truth and helping others to dare to do the same.   Prefer to watch the conversation? Here’s the video from our talk! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oixLX7Y4gwY      Want to be on the show doing a copy consultation like this?   Email me at Laura@CopyThatPops.com and you could be on a future episode!   Lauren Links: https://www.thelaurenfritts.com/ https://www.thelaurenfritts.com/that-mental-shit-podcast https://www.instagram.com/thelaurenfritts/ https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenfritts1 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/that-mental-shit-with-lauren/id1601884745 More Shownotes and Podcast Episodes Here: CopyThatPops.com/217

On August 27th, 2021 at 5pm EST (that’s 1pm my time in Cali), Gary Vaynerchuk went live on YouTube and Instagram (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlcsdCsBR3U) to announce a 24-hour only opportunity to his millions of fans and followers...involving NFTs in exchange for book purchases.   By the following day, his new book Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success was the #1 bestselling book across all of Amazon around the world (while on presale). It sold so many that Barnes & Noble broke for a lot of us trying to buy.   As I record this in mid-September, the book is no longer #1 in all of Amazon, that’s how the rankings work -- they change almost hourly -- but there is a lot we authors can learn from what Gary did to write and promote his book.   But let me backup and define a few things for you…   Who is Gary Vee? Gary Vaynerchuk is a Belarusian-American entrepreneur, author, speaker, and Internet personality. He is a co-founder of the restaurant reservation software company Resy and Empathy Wines. First known as a wine critic who expanded his family's wine business, Vaynerchuk is now more known for his work in digital marketing and social media as the chairman of New York-based communications company VaynerX, and as CEO of VaynerX subsidiary VaynerMedia. NFT: Non-fungible token You may have heard this term floated around a lot lately. It’s all the rage in the cryptosphere. Skeptics call it “buying jpegs. My in-laws call it a ponzi scheme.   But what it really is is a digital collectible tied to a smart contract that cannot be destroyed. Who created it?Who bought it first (called minting)?Who sold it and when?What price did the 3rd owner pay? All this and more is recorded on the blockchain, which is a digital ledger of transactions recorded on multiple computers around the world so that no one person or entity can alter the records. Oh, and non-fungible is just a confusing way of saying unique. If you trade 1 US dollar for another 1 US dollar, you have not changed anything. Dollars are fungible. If you trade 1 cryptopunk for 1 curiocard, you have very much changed things. These are non-fungible...they are unique. It’s all a big deal. It’s the wave of the future, if you ask me. If this is your first time hearing about it, I really think you should put in some hours to research and learn more. It will (and already is) affecting everything we do in life. Don’t be an old fuddy duddy and say it’s all just a silly trend kids these days are into. It’s not.   NFT examples To help, for this convo, to make what an NFT is more clear, let’s look at a few examples.    Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC):  Are pieces of digital art of apes with different facial expressions, backgrounds, and accessories. The cheapest one as I record this is 33.5 ETH, or about $117,000. There is no utility -- or ability to use the token -- that I am aware of. However, owners of BAYC tokens get ‘airdropped’ (aka rewarded with) additional tokens that also have value because they are in demand by the market. NFT.NYC The leading conference on the topic of NFTs is held each year in New York City, and, as we would expect, the ticket to get in is an NFT. Using NFTs as tickets into an event in real life is an easy example to wrap our heads around potential ‘utility’ of a token. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, recently said on a podcast interview that tickets to all games would soon be tokenized.  VeeFriends Gary Vee jumped into the NFT space in May as well. His project is called VeeFriends and it comes with access to his new VeeCon conference in 2022, 2023, and 2024, which gives it real utility. Some tokens also have direct access to him in groups or in one-on-one sessions like courtside Nick's games. But where the big promise from Gary lies is in the I.P. of the characters. He plans to turn the drawings for the tokens into the next “disney.”Imagine if you owned the original drawing of Mickey Mouse...think that would be worth something today? -------   So, back to our story about Gary selling over 1 million books in 24 hours.  Starting in early 2021, Gary told his followers to buy up ETH when it was about $1400 to $1800. Then, for months before launch, Gary educated his audience on NFTs, the blockchain, what wallets like MetaMask were and how to set them up to be ready to buy NFTs, and more. Then Gary launched his VeeFriends in May of 2021. For the majority of the 10,255 tokens that he sold, you could buy them for 0.5 to 3 ETH (that’s about $1750 to $10,500 in today’s value with ETH around $3500). As I record this 4 months later, the cheapest VeeFriend is 18ETH (or about $63,000). That’s a 36x return...and Gary swears he’s just getting started… Flash forward to the book offer.Gary went live on a Friday afternoon in the summer to say that for ever 12 books someone purchased in the following 24 hours, she or he would receive 1 surprise NFT after the books ship in November.The exact details are unknown.However, after seeing what he did with VeeFriends in just 4 months, true fans jumped at the chance to buy up lots of books and be eligible for multiple surprises in November. Hence, selling over 1 million copies in 24 hours.   ------- TAKEAWAYS I personally don’t have as big an audience as Gary. Likely you listening don’t either.  So maybe selling 1 million books in 24 hours is something unattainable for us right now. Nevertheless, we can employ his tactics to a scale that works for us. Give true value to your audience (not just sales promos)...Gary taught people all about the crypto and NFT world....Gary shared tips on other projects he thought looked solid like World of Women and Curio Cards...his fans made tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars off his tips in just weeks or months Let true fans in on things before the general public ...Gary created a Discord (like a giant chat room) where he shared these special tips and info completely for free, but only with true fans who took the time to join it Follow through on what you promise you will do ...Gary went out of his way to make sure true fans got first crack at his NFT drop (before whales with big bank accounts could swoop in and buy everything up) ...And he’s been working to make VF grow in value already  Stay connected real-time ...Gary doesn’t just promote and ghost, he stays actively involved...this builds that know, like, and trust factor Build reputation and know it takes time ...Gary has been building rapport and trust for yearrrsssss...he didn’t just emerge out of nowhere and expect people to trust him. ...You have to have patience and build.  Use cutting edge technology and trends ...Gary is jumping on the wave of crypto and NFTs early. How can we make our books themselves NFTs?  Could someone buy our book as an NFT and be able to sell it later?Could you offer “gold ticket” NFTs with special access to you...say a yearly coffee meeting or bowling trip?  ---- There is so much to be learned by watching Gary and following in his footsteps when it comes to books, business, and NFTs. If you want to learn and see more, I’m attaching links to all that I mentioned in here about Gary’s incredible book frenzy. And if you're wondering...I will have a crap ton of books in my garage come November.When Gary speaks, I believe. When you speak, I hope your audience believes too. Share with me your thoughts on this episode or any probek you are working on! I’m at LaptopLaura on the socials. Or shoot me an email at Laura@CopyThatPops.com!Also, I’ll be speaking at ShePodcasts Live next month in Scottsdale, Arizona!   My talk is called:How to Easily Turn Your Podcast Into a Bestselling Book [And Truly Position Yourself As a Leader]   Hope to see you there, if you are a fellow podcaster! :)In the meantime, keep finding ways to write copy that pops! Learn more about copywriting, book writing, psychology, and more here!

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.   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.  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 click here: Podcast Shownotes for "Less is More Quick Copy Tip".

Researching for ways to improve my writing, I came across a "Masterclass" on the Narrative Story Arc. In this episode, I share an overview of what the Masterclass goes over with the hopes of inspiring you to apply it to your writing for... ...books ...emails ...social media posts ..."about me" pages even! The human brain is drawn into stories. But sometimes it's hard to know how to 'craft' them. Follow this breakdown written below and shared in audio in this podcast episode. Even though it is for fiction, we can learn a lot from it and apply it to our nonfiction writing as well. Can't wait to hear what stories you cook up! Source for this episode and to learn even more on the topic: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-the-elements-of-a-narrative-arc-and-how-do-you-create-one-in-writing#what-is-the-difference-between-a-narrative-arc-and-a-character-arc   See more on the Narrative Arc Framework to Help You Write Better Stories at: CopyThatPops.com/214   Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free]

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 CopyThatPops.com/10weeks 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 10-Week Bestselling Book Mastermind...now enrolling for August 2020 start! Use code "CTP" for $50 off for podcast listeners! Prefer to watch instead? Watch the Author Panel video back at the shownotes here. Our Guests Guest Host: Adam Schaeuble of Podcasting Business School  Bestselling Author Panelists: • Aimee Carlson, #1 Bestselling Author of The Toxin Terminator: Finding Focus, Energy and Renewed Health by Removing Hidden Toxins • Kelsey Henry, #1 Bestselling Author of Positively Delighted: Create a Positive Mindset & a Life of Delight, Laughter, & Fun! • Tamar Medford, #1 Bestselling Author of Hope Elevated: How to accept your past, gain clarity, and develop a healthy mindset Take Action Now! 10-Week Bestselling Book Mastermind, co-run with Allison Melody [starting August 24, 2020 - use code "CTP" to save $50] Please click here to access full show notes, including the bestselling author video.

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. 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 - Audit Armor Basic Training Manual: Protect Your Growing Business from the IRS (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 99 Designs 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 10-Week Bestselling Book Mastermind...now enrolling for August 2020 start!   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: - Depository Analysis - IRS Audit letter redacted - 7 Practices to Help Protect Your Growing Business from an IRS Audit   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! Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free] 10-Week Bestselling Book Mastermind, co-run with Allison Melody [starting August 2020] To access full show notes on Book Writing and Amazon Launching with Jonathan Maki, click here.

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.  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.   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: UberSuggest and Ahrefs.com - 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!   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 other top publications. In his free time, Ray is a part-time sword fighter. Learn More: LiveLingua.com InfiniteUpcycle.com Anomalous Educator Podcast   Great Quotes “The advantage of us not needing to grow is one that a lot of people overlook. They look at it as a business. You grow, grow, grow, just for the sake of growth, and sometimes if you're happy where you are, I don't know if you're making a hundred thousand dollars a year, were you really that much happier making 120.” -Ray Blakney “Bookstores are making a comeback in the United States. Those like little niche corner shops where you used to go and read books, Barnes and Nobles, you know the big ones are going bankrupt, people want that personalized thing where you can go in and you know the seller or the seller knows you. It's like: -You know, a new book just came in that I know you would love because you, this is the kind of book that you read.” -Ray Blakney “I think a lot about names and people ask me a lot about names cause it was all about like copywriting and words and it can be really tough, but it's great to know, one you can change it, two its kind of like no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care that sort of phrase, it's like no one cares about the name of your business, they care about the results they're going to get for them or how you're going to make them feel in doing the interaction. So focusing more on that and less on the names.” Laura Petersen “So you really need to know yourself first and then write some content that is around that, we find that that's the base for creating any great piece of content is that there is a point to it, your personality is included and you know what you're trying to say in that content.” -Ray Blakney “Even if you sell 20 copies to 20 people who really need it, you did something good and you never know where those relationships could go, it can just completely snowball in a way you can't anticipate. But let's not worry about trying to please everyone and be this massive overnight success.” - Laura Petersen Take Action Now! Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free] Bestselling Book Accelerator [best option to get your book done, live, and #1!] Speaker's Secret Gig List [get more speaking gigs]   For full show notes click: Create Content That Gets You Ranking

Do you struggle with imposter syndrome and overwhelm on what book topic to pick to write about? You are not alone! This is a replay of a really terrific group Zoom call that my biz bestie Allison Melody of the Food Heals empire did last Saturday. Six entrepreneurs joined us to ask questions, brainstorm, and work through mental blocks. I hope this helps you wherever you are in your journey! And jump into our 14-week Bestselling Book Group Program starting on May 25th, if you catch this in time!   A Few Highlights from This Podcast: [05:45] - [5:00] : Alli kicks off call + Laura intro and why books matter   [12:22] : Tamar intro about the book she's work on …vulnerable stories …4 chapters so far …afraid bc of ego to dig into …wants the word “hope” in there Finding Hope Acceptance   [15:54] : Larry Roberts …1+1=Podcast …wrote it in 20 days …got emotional …Scrivener …bringing wife on the journey …how to start a VA business …Readily Random podcast …recovered alcoholic   ]23:47] : Nancy Foote…¾ done about classroom management (33 years teaching)…how to get kids on your side …struggling bc had another book calling at her! …started on second book too …works at literary conferences part-time …"when I teach, I tell stories about my life" …Coca-Cola Hot Pants …Paul Harvey …Zero G with Mark Kelly astronaut …Parkinson’s, two kinds of breast cancer, …"how can you be so positive and upbeat?" …baseball with Nolan Ryan …Writing 6-word sentences…loving writing it…like poetry …shoulder surgery …Imposter Syndrome Monster   [37:06] : Christopher Centri…astronomy and space science …struggling with things online …in another part of New York state …Mars + search for extraterrestrial life …Lunar Mysteries …Thinkific, Teachable, …wants courses …near Lake Erie + wine + science presentations   [48:37] : Hazel Englander…loves wine too …listens to CTP! …model all over the world …famous boyfriend…backstage rock and roll parties …not sure about sharing bc of kids, husband, and haters …Queen, Sir Elton John, etc — should I name names? …should I have a publisher or self-publish? ...Tim Ferriss and Nick Kokonas podcast: https://tim.blog/2018/10/18/nick-kokonas They compare notes about the somewhat slimy similarities between the music and publishing industries. [timestamp: 2:26:02] On the Hembergers and The Alinea Project, and the upcoming Aviary Book being released independently. [timestamp: 2:41:23]   Free Facebook Group for Authors CopyThatPops.com/facebook   More Info On the 14-Week Group Program starting on Monday, May 25th CopyThatPops.com/14weeks *Past clients of Laura’s, ping her for super discount if you want to join us too (Laura@CopyThatPops.com)     Take Action Now! 14 Week Group Bestselling Book Program with LaptopLaura and Allison Melody To access full show notes click here.

Be a #1 Bestselling Published Author with your book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble...before quarantine is over! On Saturday, May 15th at 12pm PST, Allison Melody and I will meet you online for a fun mimosa brunch (BYOBB = Bring Your Own Booze & Brunch) to discuss how YOU can become a bestselling author in as little as 14 weeks! Join us to get support, accountability, and step-by-step direction from brainstorming...to writing...to editing...to formatting...to book cover design...to pre-marketing...to launching...to hitting #1 on Amazon...and more! You deserve to be an author. Let's do this together. If you are ready to say goodbye to overwhelming analysis paralysis and achieve your authorship goals with a fun, small group of like-minded entrepreneurs...this is your shot. So join us for a FREE brunch to hear ALL THE DETAILS! More info and zoom link in this Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/720142385464799