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   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: 1. 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." 2. Review the suggestions provided by ChatGPT and select the ones that align with your style and tone. 3. 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: 1. Visit elevenlabs.io and paste your podcast script into the text box. 2. 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!) 3. Hit the generate button and listen to the preview.  4. Make any necessary tweaks to perfect the audio. Step 3: Downloading and Publishing.  Once your audio is ready, you will then: 1. Download the generated audio file 2. 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 forward slash 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!   Full shownotes for this episode here!

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. In this episode, 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 your blog posts. This (#220) is the first installment of a three-part series. - Check out episode 221 for more on how to use ChatGPT to write social media posts - And see episode 222 for how to use ChatGPT to write books Video of How to Use ChatGPT to Write Blog Posts: 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! 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 Nicks 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!

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.

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 full details 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] ACCELERATOR: Write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]

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, 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]   Click here to access full show notes.

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

UNPOPULAR OPINION: Hanging out with ACHIEVERS is actually HURTING you {psychologically}! Facebook Post where you can write and share your thoughts: We all know the whole 'you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with' saying -- I retell it all the time, myself! But, I realized recently how doing this can actually hurt us too. Now, before anyone jumps to write a scathing comment in rebuttal, hear me out... HOW IT HURTS You see your hardworking, successful business buddies start podcasts, write books, and speak on stage. So, you think and feel like "everyone is doing it." You then think and feel "it's too late for me," "I missed the boat," or "I'll never be as good as they are, plus they got such a head start, so I won't do it." SO, YOUR PERCEPTION IS SKEWED The truth actually is that you are just hanging out with go-getters. Most people do NOT start podcasts, write books, or speak on stage. Most people consume but do not create. Most people overthink but do not take action. And, more and more -- did I mention MORE? -- people are coming online every single day looking for the solutions you offer. Looking for YOUR style of speaking or writing. YOUR examples and lessons learned. YOUR wacky humor or calm speaking voice. HOW TO FIX So, I would never advise hanging out with losers to combat this misperception and get you back to reality. The side effects would be too negative. The recipe simply is to recognize where you are. You are in a GREAT place if this post resonates with you. You have a great crew around you. Keep it up. Just because your buds are rockin' it does NOT mean there isn't space and a huge -- and increasing -- demand for your unique twist and style. Audit your thoughts, audit your feelings...and reframe. Do the thing. You know what it is. Do it.   FEEDBACK Agree with me? Disagree? Did this help at all? Let's dialogue!   Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: Write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]  Click here to access full show notes.

Do you want to earn income working from home? (Whether you have a child or not...whether you are a mom or not).   This episode may also be SO TIMELY for millions of people social distancing at home because of COVID-19.   Then tune into this episode! Our guest today shares her story of how she replaced a full-time income in the financial industry (living in the expensive LA area) as a single mom...and how you can do it too.   A Few Highlights from This Podcast:   - Blog Outpost Group - Single Mommy Tribe Group - How MarketMuse Content Optimization Software Helped Neil Patel Double His Traffic and Rankings - Book: Stay at Home Single Mom: Writing Your Way to Your Happy Ending  - How Kimberlee went from the financial industry to writing screenplays, business plans, blogs, ghostwritten books, and more (and how you can too) - What is the rate you can charge for your writing (and should you do it by hour, by word, by project?) - Tips to get your priorities and strategy clear - The biggest mistake to avoid as a freelance writer - Kimberlee answers the question many have, "Should I do work for free or reduced price in the beginning as I build my writing samples, network, and client base?"   Our Guest     Kimberlee Leonard is the author of Stay At Home Single Mom: Writing Your Way to Your Happy Ending which takes readers on her journey behind establishing herself as a freelance writer so she could stay home with her toddler when faced with a divorce.    She is the founder of The Single Mommy Tribe where she helps mentor and support other moms faced with the decision of staying home with the kids or going back to the workforce and The Blog Out Post where she coaches bloggers and writers on how to create a second income to replace their first.   Great Quotes “It’s about setting your priorities so you meet your goals, otherwise you’re always struggling with mom guilt.” - Kimberlee Leonard “Don’t be afraid to have a little bit of an edge of who you are.” - Kimberlee Leonard “'I don’t know what we’re gonna write if I’m a plumber?' And I said, 'Well then you write about all the DIY things somebody in their house is gonna do because I guarantee they’re still gonna need a plumber after they do that.” - Kimberlee Leonard   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]     To access full show notes on making money as a writer from home, please click here.

What's a short-form way to both gain insights on your audience (to improve your copywriting) AND clarify your offers to psychologically attract more clients? A quiz! Brand Impact Strategist Annmarie Rose stops by to break it all down so you can quickly start using quizzes to improve your business and copy. A Few Highlights from This Podcast: - how to attract, engage, and provide incredible value for your ideal audience members using quizzes  - how making a quiz is way easier than writing a book or other long-form content, but provides valuable insights for you while also helping your audience clarify what they want and need - the psychology behind using a quiz to build your brand and grow your business  - how you can use your audience’s quiz results to craft more impactful copy - platforms to use to make a quiz (Annmarie uses TypeForm and Interact) - where in the customer journey to use a quiz and why   Our Guest AnnMarie Rose is a Brand Impact Strategist who has spent more than 5 years helping hundreds of coaches, consultants, and course creators clarify their visions, align their online brands and take their businesses to the next level while experiencing freedom and fulfillment in the process.  Through her supportive 1-on-1 consulting experiences and actionable online training programs, AnnMarie empowers purpose-driven entrepreneurs to achieve sustainable business success with a clear, compelling message, a streamlined brand strategy, and engaging marketing efforts.  AnnMarie is also the creator of Quizness, a framework, and training program that makes it easy for purpose-driving business owners to build their online brands with compelling quizzes that attract, engage and truly serve their ideal audience members. Learn More: AnnmarieRose.comBrandMessageQuiz.com   Video of our Interview Look at cute Baby E. So naughty sometimes!   Great Quotes “From a psychological standpoint from the business owner in terms of creating something that is going to build your brand, there is a lower barrier to entry with quizzes if you have the steps to set up one correctly.” -  Annmarie Rose “[…] people say: how long should my book be? And my answer that I want say is:  -As long and you want it to be. But people don’t want that, they want just like: -Tell me the pages numbers.[…]” - Laura Petersen “[..]  I have a specific question that says: “-Which one do you tend to struggle more on your brand building journey, shiny object syndrome or perfectionism?”, and then based on that answer I am able to identify which type brand that you have.” - Annmarie Rose 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] To access full show notes, please click here.

This show is all about applying psychology and improving our writing for online business success, so let’s look at TikTok with that lense.   In this solo episode with just me -- no interview today -- we’ll cover: 1. What is TikTok and just how crazy big is it already?2. My personal experience with it and how I got a video to over 47,000 views at the time of recording this (about 3 weeks...nearly 25,000 views within 48 hours)3. 5 TikTok Tips ...plus 1 bonus advanced tip if you stick until the end! ...and a bonus custom resource to help in your video planning!     So...   1. WHAT IS TIKTOK?   According to TikTok’s website:“TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.”   What do they mean by “short-form video”?60 seconds or less (often just 12 to 15 seconds). How do they “inspire creativity and bring joy”? Here are just a few of the things you can do, at the time of this writing, inside the TikTok app: - overlay a huge selection of songs - add visual effects before or after shooting - save a draft (to finish and post later)- turn on a countdown before filming starts- create a “duet” with or “reaction” to another user (play your videos side-by-side)- select a video cover (so you decide the short preview that others see)- upload images to play as a slideshow- and more!   A few stats:• TikTok has over 500 million active users, behind only Whatsapp, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and Instagram (according to Datareportal, 2019)• TikTok is 2nd most downloaded app in the world (as of early 2020)     2. MY EXPERIENCE WITH IT + MINI-VIRAL VIDEO I first downloaded the app, then called Musically, sometime in 2019 and posted my first video on November 1, 2019 -- it’s a video of 6-week-old Baby Evren in a Superman onesie that we had gotten for Halloween with the Wonder Woman theme song playing in the background. I played with some special effects like slow motion and adding some hears on the screen, even black and white video change up for a few seconds.   I had no idea what I was doing but just wanted to play with the tools a bit and see. As I record this, that first video has 100 views. Definitely not going viral.   Flash forward to January of 2020 and I started to play with the app more, but this time not only as a creator but also as a consumer. I wanted to see what was working and what caught my attention.   I put in some hours while the baby napped or I was waiting for the coffee to brew and took notice of the videos I wanted to scroll and see more of.   That's when I made a video on January 28th, 2020 based on a "Get to Know Me" video trend. It's only aout 12 seconds long. You put up three things on the screen that are false, slap them off, and reveal the truth. I did this with the theme of what it costs to publish your book on Amazon, revealing that it costs $0 and Amazon only makes money when you make money. This video has over 47,000 views as I publish this podcast just 3 weeks later.   3. BEST 5 TIKTOK TIPS 1. Hashtags matter but don’t bother with the #foryoupage or #fyp hashtag...everyone is using that and it doesn’t give the algorithm more info about what your video is and who will love to watch it. 2. Jump on a trend with your own take using music and ‘theme’ of video   3. Write in just a few words what video is about, add it as text on the video, and make that bit of the video with text as the ‘preview’ so people can see what the video is about just from seeing the video thumbnail as they scroll   4. People are on it to be entertained in a happy, light-hearted way -- fast. Get right to the point. Don’t introduce yourself, re-say things you already typed in the description, or share unnecessary details. People will scroll past you if you don’t hook them in the first 3 seconds.   5. Add subtitles on video or even some text context so people can follow along even if their audio is off or really low     BONUS PRO TIP   - Take a well-performing video on TikTok and run it as an ad on Facebook, Instagram, or other spots. I'm doing this now and it's working well so far!   BONUS RESOURCE   - I created this TikTok Video Planning Notebook to help you keep track of trending themes, hashtags, and ideas for your content creation on TikTok! It’s 8.5”x11” and large print for plenty of space to journal out your video ideas! Check it out and let me know feedback if it works for you. : )     ------------   What else is working for you on TikTok? Let me know. And connect with me on TikTok at LaptopLaura!     Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book!   TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: Write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)] To access full show notes click here.

This show is geared toward entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, and other business owners who want to do better online with their business by harnessing the power of the written word...and applying psychology while they’re at it!...   But many people ask me how to make money as a freelance writer...how to get started....or how to make some money on the side with their writing as they grow other businesses...   And I actually have a great interview with an expert on that coming up in episode 207 with Kimberlee Leonard.   But today for a quick copy tip -- recording as Baby Evren takes a power nap -- I wanted to share what I just learned about recently… How to get paid to write blog articles   ...a great spot that aggregates places willing to pay per blog article or per word in an article that looks really promising.   Step 1: go to https://moneypantry.com   Step 2: in the search bar, type in “Get Paid to Write”   Step 3: When you do that, a few blog articles will show up, but the one that caught my eye is titled: “Get Paid to Write: 101 Sites That Pay You $50-$3000 per Blog Post” - click on that one   Step 4: Scroll through the industries and content types that places are looking for and dive deeper into the ones that work for you.   A few topics:- vacation and travel- inspirational true stories- short stories- politics, news, entertainment- jokes!- education- religion- parenting- lifestyle- business & money     Step 5:Write and earn money!   And/or hire someone for a low price on Upwork.com and make money in splitting the difference. For example, say you pay someone $100 to write an article that you make $350 for. You keep $250 for project managing and reviewing the article. Not bad!   Ping me on social media @LaptopLaura (that’s my handle on FB, TW, IG, and TT) if you try this or find this episode helpful!   Make sure you’re subscribed to this show on your podcast player so you never miss a way to write copy that pops!     Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]   Click here to access full show notes.

Quick copy tip for you today about the uber fun punctuation mark called...the semicolon.   What does it look like? It’s like a colon on the top but a comma on the bottom.    Often misused, here are the three main ways to use it correctly when a colon, comma, or period just won’t do!     WAY #1   To combine two independent clauses (aka sentences that could stand on their own as complete sentences) when their topics are highly related and you want them to sit a bit closer than if separated by periods.   For example…   Sentence 1:  Writing books is fun and effective. Sentence 2:  I plan to write and publish more this year.   Because these two sentences stand on their own and are highly related, I can combine them with a semicolon!   Writing books is fun and effective; I plan to write and publish more this year.   A comma wouldn’t work because they are independent clauses and a period would make them feel too separate.     WAY #2   Use in a list of things that already contain commas for extra clarity. For example, say that you are listing off places you have lived. Naturally, we must separate cities and states with commas. So, we need to separate each city and state combo from each other with semicolons.   i.e.    I have lived in Orange County, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Rome, Italy; and Regensburg, Germany.      WAY #3   Use a semicolon before words or phrases like “however,” “for example,” and “therefore” when they begin a complete sentence (aka are before an independent clause).   Here’s an example:   “I published a book; however, it was a simple journal and was fast to create.”   [same as way #1 but those words/phrases may help you remember]   ---     There you have it: a fun refresher on the usage of semicolons.   If you want a silly video that may make you laugh about semicolons, search on youtube for “lonely island semicolons” (or watch below).   Watch until the end though…   Then let me know if you had a chuckle on social media. I’m @laptoplaura   Signing off until next time when we’ll find more ways to write copy that pops!       Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)] To access full show notes, please click here.

From suicidal thoughts to thriving with intention, Dan Mangena shares a childhood and early adulthood struggling with undiagnosed Asperger's and how he used his gifts to find smart workarounds to help better function socially.   Dan used his strength in pattern recognition and a few fascinating books (like The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists) to unlock the psychological code for how to engage effectively with others in social situations (after sometimes having to diffuse sexual tension to keep it platonic) and business relationships.   Now, Dan coaches others, leads intensive retreats in exotic locations, and is a regular host on a radio program!   A Few Highlights from This Podcast:   - Aspergers + trauma + suicidal thoughts - Beyond intention paradigm- Book writing journey- Best tips for writing books - The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists- Dan's 2019 bestselling book: Stepping Beyond Intention - How to make today a better day     Our Guest   After receiving a late diagnosis of Asperger’s and experiencing what can only be described as life-shattering trauma at the age of just 20, Daniel spent the next seven years struggling to keep these revelations and events from spilling into every area of his life. As a result of his struggles, Daniel built a simple, four-step system called the Beyond Intention Paradigm.   Initially built as a lifeline grappling with suicidal thoughts, Beyond Intention was born, transforming Daniel’s life from misery to celebration. Through his own struggles, Daniel found a path to lasting joy and purpose and he wants nothing more than to share the tools that saved his life. To that end, he lives by this mission statement:   “Spearhead an evolutionary uplift in universal consciousness by awakening people to the importance of their unique role. This that is already encoded in them by way of a deep and often ignored or undervalued passion defined as their Dream.”   Through motivational speech, Daniel shares his vision of empowerment and joy, as well as via books he has authored, his “Do it With Dan” podcast series (which is available on all major platforms), frequent blogging, articles, and a series of worldwide workshops. Daniel also offers coaching and consultations in groups and in one-on-one sessions. Each of these sessions honors his mission and helps his clients find meaning and joy in their lives.   Daniel is also a voracious reader, publicly documenting his challenge to read a book every week. He loves to travel, write and perform as a singer-songwriter, and practice Kundalini yoga, meditation, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. He is also an outspoken promoter of entrepreneurial philanthropy, as well as an ambassador for the Mangena Foundation (in addition to working with several charities across the globe).   To contact Daniel, go to www.dreamwithdan.com. He can also be found on most major social media platforms with the handle @dreamerCEO.     Great Quotes   “A big part of my work is stripping away the excuses that people have that they can’t have an abundant joyful purpose in their life.” - Dan Mangena “I was just kind of juggling the fallout of being autistic versus now because I understand what my gift is, I refer to it as a gift rather than a disability.”    “Sometimes now  when something goes wrong, I am almost excited because now it’s another really funny story to tell people.” - Laura Petersen “What the law of relativity says is that everything it just is, something becomes positive or negative agreeable or disagreeable based on the story that we attached to it.” - Dan Mangena   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]

Positivity, Bestselling Books in 16+ Categories, Copy Tips, Writing Advice, and more with our special guest Kelsey Henry! At age 25 she wrote, self-published, and launched her book (hitting 16 categories in the US and 9 in Australia at the #1 spot) in about 2 months from start to finish. You can too!   Kelsey reveals how she did it, obstacles you faced but overcame, plus her favorite tools you can use...   A Few Highlights from This Podcast:   - Background of Kelsey...Pinterest manager...singer/songwriter, positivity coach - Bestselling 2x -- 16+ categories - Tips and tricks for fast writing of your book, even if you have no idea where to start - Things that went wrong with the books - Beyond the book...getting products into stores, selling books and merch at in-person events, speaking on stage - Adult coloring book creation   Kelsey's Books: - Book 1: Growing Up Roadschooled: Stories, Lyrics, & Lessons Learned From Full-Time RVing & Life After Roadschooling - Book 2: A Positively Delighted Coloring Book: Color Your Way to Happiness in 30 Days    Tools Mentioned: - PressBooks - Grammarly - Canva     Our Guest   Kelsey Henry from Positively Delighted is a best-selling author, singer/songwriter, positivity coach, coloring page designer, digital nomad, and host of The Positively Delighted Show podcast. Her passion for positivity and self-esteem began during her unique childhood growing up roadschooled in an RV from ages 11-17.   Kelsey is the author of two books on Amazon, Growing Up Roadschooled: Stories, Lyrics, & Lessons Learned from Full-time RVing & Life After Roadschooling and A Positively Delighted Coloring Book: Color Your Way to Happiness in 30 Days.   She is also a certified Canfield Success Trainer, Happy For No Reason Trainer, and Laughter Yoga Leader. She uses these programs to help others create a positive mindset and a life of delight, laughter, and fun! You can find her traveling the country and running her business on the road from her converted glamper car.     Great Quotes   “Giving your self a tight deadline forces you fo find a way and not come up with excuses.” - Laura Petersen “Stories are great ways to teach anything, so being able to tell a good story is incredibly useful.” - Kelsey Henry “I think having better expectations going into things because something can be really successful but if your expectations are really high than it will seem like a failure.”  - Kelsey Henry “What helped me the most with Grammarly was that it would identify if I use the same phrases over and over again, which I did a lot.”  - Kelsey Henry   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] To access full show notes please click here!  

4 examples to convince you once-and-for-all that the Oxford comma is non-negotiable.   Today, let’s talk about a nerdy debate that continues to rage. But, my dear listeners...there is only ONE CORRECT answer to question… “Oxford comma or not?”   ----- PRODUCT SHOUT OUT -----   I use the Owlet Sock to keep track of my 3-month-year-old's heart rate and oxygen level as he naps and sleeps. It's a game-changer as a new parent! Lifehack. :)     ----------------------------------------     What is the Oxford Comma anyway? Another name for it is the serial comma. It’s when you put a comma before the and in a list of 3 or more things.   For example, “I love the movies Die Hard [comma] Just Go With It [comma] and Independence Day.”     Should I use it?   Yes. Always.     Why?   The short answer is because it’s more clear. Some argue it’s a stylistic choice and to ‘just be consistent in your usage.’ Okay, fair enough. But, there is no denying that writing with the extra comma is more clear!     Here are 4 examples to convince you.   1. How many seats at the table do we need? • Without the Oxford Comma: “I ate lunch with my grandparents, Liz and Kyle.”• With the Oxford Comma: “I ate lunch with my grandparents, Liz, and Kyle.” When you hear this statement, how many seats at the table do you think we need? Well, WITHOUT the Oxford Comma, we could need 3 seats or 5!  What do I mean?    Without the extra comma, I COULD be naming my grandparents as Liz and Kyle. Therefore, we’d need 3 seats...one for me, and two for my grandparents (whose names are Liz and Kyle. Or, I COULD be naming my grandparents and two additional people named Liz and Kyle (who happen to be the names of my favorite cousin and his wife). Therefore, we’d need seats for my grandparents, Liz, Kyle, and me...that’s 5.   Therefore, if -- as in this case -- Liz and Kyle are not the names of my grandparents an Oxford comma is essential to make that clear.      2. Are JFK and Stalin stripping again?     There’s a funny meme image that goes around that reads, “We invited the strippers, JFK, and Stalin to the party.”   And it is accompanied by two images...one with the Oxford comma showing 2 female strippers, JFK, and Stalin (so 4 people) and another without the comma showing JFK and Stalin as strippers (2 people).     3. Can you even talk to toast?     I’ll include it and the stripper image in the shownotes!...is “I had eggs, toast, and OJ.” With the serial comma, it shows you are naming 3 things you had for breakfast. Without the serial comma, it is as if you are saying “I had eggs” TO toast and orange juice...like toast and orange juice are a person you are talking to about your breakfast.  Long story short, there is no denying that the Oxford comma makes your writing more clear. And isn’t that an element of what makes our copy pop? What makes it compelling?    We want to be clear and understood!    I can tell you that when I read lists without the Oxford comma I spend too much time trying to figure out the intended meaning and get annoyed by the author.   If I do that, I am not alone. (There are lots of writing nerds out there -- let’s start a club...we’ll meet on Thursdays ;)). So, don’t annoy your nerdy audience...use the Oxford comma and be crystal clear.   Okay, I think there are still some folks unconvinced...who cares about being crrryyyystal clear if it requires extra punctuation!?      4. The $5 million dollar comma   One final example for you... Not using the Oxford comma could cost you $5 million! Take Oakhurst Dairy and their shipping department — there was an overtime dispute between the company and its drivers. And the whole thing hinged on the lack of an Oxford comma! According to a History 101.com article entitled “30 of the most expensive mistakes in history”... “Lawyers representing the drivers argued that a sentence in a contract the employees all signed needed the oxford comma to clarify that overtime pay was forfeited in a specific situation. “That comma would have sunk our ship,” the drivers’ attorney David G. Webbert told the New York Times. The company settled the lawsuit by paying the drivers a total of $5 million. That’s one expensive comma!”     ---------- Noooowwww are you convinced?? That’s it my nerdy copy compadres! Remember that the Oxford comma is more clear and cost-effective! :-P   Talk again next time when we’ll find more ways together to write copy that pops! :)    Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)] Click here to access full shownotes.

What is hypnosis? What is "a practical psychic"? How about spiritual coaching? We cover all of these parapsychological topics plus book writing, bestseller launching, and more with our guest Priscilla Keresey.   A Few Highlights from This Podcast:   - Journey to where Priscilla is now - What is hypnosis? - What is spiritual coaching and how can it help you? - Best tips for writing and publishing your book - Priscilla's first bestselling book of 2019: Self-Esteem Solution: The Breakthrough Plan To Overcome Obstacles, Determine Your Destiny, and Pursue Your Extraordinary Life - Priscilla's second bestselling book of 2019: RISE & Shine: Your Day-By-Day Guidebook To Healthy Self-Esteem   Our Guest Priscilla A. Keresey is a trained professional in hypnosis, spiritual coaching and psychic mediumship readings with clients all over the country and the world including Israel, Russia, and Canada. Since 2002 when she was certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists, Priscilla has been working with her clients as the “practical psychic” who understands that people are seeking guidance from someone who speaks in terms that are relevant, treats readings like the important business they are, and understands that her clients expect something of measurable value for the money they're spending.   In January 2003, Priscilla began studying at the Seminary of Spiritual Peacemaking as well as opened her first office where she offered free and low-cost workshops on Spring Cleaning for Mind, Body and Spirit, Creating Prosperity, The Power of the Inner Mind, How to Set Intentions for Success, Meditation, How To Pray, and her most popular: Developing and Using Your Own Psychic Abilities. In 2004 she began lecturing at New Age conferences, health clubs, fraternal organizations, women's groups, libraries, schools and at workplaces on a variety of topics related to the power of the mind, and then graduated from the Seminary with an M.A. in Divinity and was ordained in Israel in November 2005.   Over the next four years, she not only kept up with her various industry endeavors but also created and taught a highly-effective six-week empowerment program for female inmates in the NYS Correctional System – a course that has been offered eight times since its inception.   Priscilla has continuously strived to diversify her professional efforts, functioning as a guest minister at the Albertson Memorial Spiritualist Church in Old Greenwich, CT while teaching workshops on self-esteem, hypnosis, psychic development, and mediumship skills. She has published multiple books including “It Will All Make Sense When You’re Dead, Messages from Our Loved Ones in the Spirit World”, “Nobody Gets Out of this Alive, More Messages from Our Loved Ones in the Spirit World”, “The Self-Esteem Solution”, and a series of self-help e-books and audio files that she authored and produced called, “Live & Learn Guides™.” She also co-created Putnam After Dark, a series of monthly events at the PV Grange highlighting the paranormal with speakers including S.P.I.R.I.T.S. of Hudson Valley Paranormal Investigators and author and UFO investigator, Linda Zimmerman.   Currently, Priscilla is President of the Putnam Valley Free Library Board of Trustees, and a member of the Putnam County Historical Cemetery Committee. She founded, and for the last 10 consecutive years has run, the very successful Putnam Valley Psychic Fair and is also teaching an ongoing mediumship development circle by teleclass. For additional information or to contact Priscilla, visit her Facebook page at facebook.com/APracticalPsychic, her website at apracticalpsychic.com and liveandlearnguides.com or via email at priscilla@apracticalpsychic.com.   PERSONAL BIO:   • Raised in West Hartford, CT and Rindge, NH. • Graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1984. • Served as Art Director at Cornell University before beginning a long freelance career as a graphic designer, working for various Madison Avenue advertising agencies and Hunter College in New York City.   Priscilla has traveled the world as a high altitude mountaineer, enjoying technical rock and ice climbs on mountains in the US, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Africa, and the French and Swiss Alps.   Her favorite things to do are writing, studying and striving to grow closer to Spirit, traveling, and spending time with her animals outside in nature.     Great Quotes “All of our memories...are contained within our spirit, our soul, our subconscious mind, whatever you might wanna call it, the part of us that never dies.” - Priscilla Keresey “Nothing is written in stone.” - Priscilla Keresey   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]   See More! For full shownotes click here!

Life-saving book out now! My biz bestie shares her story of losing both her parents to cancer and how that pushed her into a life of pursuing how to heal naturally.   Food Heals: Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Stories to Nourish Your Soul and Transform Your Health is available now on Amazon!   Plus, this book includes 39 additional stories of overcoming chronic and degenerative diseases by influencers in the health and wellness space plus everyday people just like you and me.   Listen to this episode to hear: - more about the Food Heals book and why everyone should check it out (and the new documentary Game Changers produced by Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, and Jackie Chan) - a few sounds of baby Evren ;) - 5 important lessons learned and insights around writing and self-publishing a bestselling book on Amazon   5 Lessons Learned / Insights:   Here are some good lessons learned about writing a book and self-publishing it with Amazon that I learned (or added to my knowledge data bank!) by working with my biz buddy and client Allison Melody on her incredible book!   I hope these help you too on your journey. Listen to the episode above to hear more about each:   Customers cannot buy the Kindle book from the Kindle or Amazon app...you have to purchase it from Amazon.com directly and then you can open and read it inside the app afterward (why? because Apple collects a percentage of the money spent on digital purchases within apps on its devices, and Amazon is not okay with that) Amazon has changed, yet again, how to reach out to tech support -- my hack that I teach my students in the Accelerator [copythatpops.com/accelerator] for how to get up to 10 categories they can rank well in. Now you put in your phone number for tech support to call you back. Book design contests for your artwork is a fun process and great way to do "A" Attraction-Based Marketing. I use 99 Designs [copythatpops.com/99designs] and have a contest going now for a Book That Pops book! Allison used it too and her book is striking! Get quotes in advance for your book from influencers to use on the cover and on the book's product description for instant social proof from the moment you publish! Scrivener [copythatpops.com/smac or copythatpops.com/spc] tech support is 50-50...I love them, but they haven't been 100% helpful/professional     Ping me with questions so I can make tutorials to share with you and help futher!   Plus, copythatpops.com/free is where you can get more book writing and self-publishing resources!   Talk again soon where we will work together to write copy that pops!   xo   Laura     Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]   To access full shownotes click here!

3 examples of how to instantly improve your writing that are as helpful as Wolfgang Puck and Rachel Ray in the kitchen! This quick copy tip will have your copy popping in under 90 seconds! Full shownotes here.

This quick copy tip will help you to facilitate bonding and business relationships between yourself and your group members in a Facebook group, LinkedIn group, Slack channel group, inperson group and more!   Original copy is from Travis Chappell of Buildin Your Network, shared out by Ronsley Vaz of We Are Podcast, and now reshaped by me!   I’m going to add this in my free Facebook group at copythatpops.com/facebook (for aspiring bestselling authors!).   Head to my insta to see pics from Travis’ event in Las Vegas + book prelaunch party! (I’m at @laptoplaura)   Link outs to episodes with: Ronsley Vaz Travis Chappell Melissa Tucker   Plus: Pat Flynn’s smartpassiveincome.com Sdentrepreneursgroup.com   Head over here to access full show notes.  

Another -- by popular request -- second-round interview with a past guest who is an expert in psychology, copywriting, and even book writing and book self-publishing too! Brian Ahearn applies proven science and psychological research to be more successful in business and in life.   Listen to this action-packed episode if you want tangible tips and fascinating stories that illustrate the power psychology has to influence people.   A Few Highlights from This Podcast:   PART 1   - 147: Psychology of Persuasion for Entrepreneurs with Brian Ahearn copythatpops.com/147 - Savvy advice for people on introducing themselves at networking events - A full overview of the 7 principles from Cialdini’s books   Reciprocity Liking Consensus Authority Consistency Scarcity Unity   Plus: - Specific email wording examples to improve compliance with requests - The ‘personalize i’ + ‘ask a question instead of giving a command’ - The ‘does this answer your question?’ closing — so savvy! - Engage the principle of consistency and ask instead of tell - How Brian helped get $700,000 back using the power of psychology - How to get more volunteers for a charity event - Want more on Dr. Cialdini’s work? Check out Influence and Pre-Suasion - New book out: Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical  - PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical   PART 2 - We talk about Brian's new book, when he started writing it, and lessons learned to make it finally come to life - Remember to check out my Bestselling Book Accelerator when you are ready for more help at CopyThatPops.com/accelerator - And free resources can be found at CopyThatPops.com/free - Apply psychology to be more effective and ethically persuasive in our writing and communication...in business...at home...on social media...with kids...and more! - Persuasion vs. manipulation - Applying psychology in business, at home, in social media, and more - Business case studies like J.C. Penney and the pricing lesson they learned (Does it REALLY matter to price something $497 versus $500?) - How did Bernie Madoff scam so many people? - How to change behavior, not just people’s thinking, to be more effective with sales in your business - Tips for persuasion in social media, email copy, and ending a piece of communication after you’ve helped someone - Brian’s best advice for someone writing and self-publishing a book - Shout out to Kwame Christain of the Negotiate Anything Podcast. Listen to our conversation here at copythatpops.com/105 - Voice Dream app! (have any text read to you!)     Our Guest   Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE.   A dynamic international keynote speaker, trainer, coach and consultant, Brian specializes in applying the science of influence and persuasion in everyday situations. He is one of only 20 individuals in the world who currently holds the Cialdini Method Certified Trainer® designation.   This specialization in the psychology of persuasion was earned directly from Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. – the most cited living social psychologist in the world on the science of ethical persuasion. Brian is one of only a handful of people certified to lead the Moment Maker Workshop, which is based on Robert Cialdini’s New York Times best-selling book Pre-suasion.   Brian just came out with his first book - Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical.   Great Quotes   "People love sales." - Brian Ahearn "People love the feeling of getting a bargain." - Brian Ahearn "Numbers ending in 7s and 9s tend to sell a lot more." - Brian Ahearn "Especially in sales, asking the right questions early on really helps [get behavior change]." - Brian Ahearn "This is not manipulating somebody into a 'yes' position." - Brian Ahearn "People will naturally stay in the pattern they're already in unless we do something to break that." - Brian Ahearn "People are more motivated to avoid loss than to gain something." - Brian Ahearn   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]    Click here to access full shownotes

Sell more with stories. As they say, "Words tell. Stories sell."   How do you make more money by closing more sales...without feeling like a pushy, sleazy salesperson?   Find out on today's interview with an entrepreneur who has experience helping solopreneurs and enterprise-level companies like SalesForce to connect with their customers through effective storytelling and understanding psychology -- to make more profit as a result.   Our guest is Yasmine Khater...she's back!     A Few Highlights from This Podcast:   - Episode 021 found at copythatpops.com/021 is Yasmine's and my first interview! Fun Fact: It's one of my most popular podcast episodes to date! - We met online first and did the podcast interview (linked to above) and then met in person at a digital nomad retreat in Greece in June 2016! - Why Yasmine gave up the digital nomad life and settled back in Singapore - Why Yasmine is transitioning out of the day to day of the 7-figure agency she built in under 2 years to focus on her new ventures - Arctic trip with Robert Swan of 2041 and what she learned about climate change (plus amazing animal sightings!) - Upcoming documentary series (estimated: December 2020) to focus on the people behind the solutions to help our planet - Effective storytelling tips! - What is the Sales Story Method? - How to get past our own barriers, blocks, and ‘old narratives’ to be more effective sales storytellers - How to improve at storytelling - Using stories in sales most effectively… (1) ID anxiety person is feeling, (2) think of a story from a past client with similar anxiety + the solution you provided, (3) show how collaboration will help them reduce their pain too - What is the Sales Story Lab? (It’s coming online soon too!) - What Yasmine learned working with Enterprise-level companies like SalesForce. - Tip: Collect stories of people who’ve loved working with you and use them in your sales conversations to help prospects see how your solutions will work for them too. - Laura’s “Senior Princess” and “Senior Queen” bully story and how it applies to business. - What is the Sales Story Podcast and who can we expect to learn and be inspired from? (Example: the incredible CEO Rosaline Chow Koo! In Episode 01) - Free Tool from Yasmine! “5 Story Tweaks”     Our Guest     Yasmine Khater is the sales strategist and serial entrepreneur that helps business leaders understand psychology in order to craft better stories that help influence decisions.   She runs Sales Story Method and works with leaders through her signature training program Sales Story Labs where they dive deeper and improve how they sell their story without feeling being sleazy, pushy or pretend to be someone else. Some of her clients include Salesforce, P&G, DBS, Swiss Credit, and more.   Yasmine hosts the show the SalesStoryPodcast where she interviews CEOs from across Asia on how they use storytelling to scale and grow their business.   She has just come back from an expedition to the Arctic and passionate about climate change, she is producing an inspirational documentary of tech entrepreneurs who are building scaling solutions that will impact Asia.   Find her at SalesStoryMethod.com and SalesStoryPodcast.com, connect with her on LinkedIn or on Instagram and Facebook.     Great Quotes   "It’s not convincing, it’s consulting." - Yasmine Khater "It’s simple, but it’s not easy." - Yasmine Khater "Sales is not sleazy. It’s just problem-solving." - Yasmine Khater "A sale is having a conversation about a problem in common." - Yasmine Khater "People want to share in collective joy." - Yasmine Khater   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]    Click here to access full shownotes

The baby is here! :) After nearly 3 days of labor, our baby boy was born on his due date of 9-20-2019 at 3:30pm. His name is Evren Petersen Shepard. This quick episode reveals how we came up with the name "Evren" and what it means. (In Turkish, it's pretty cool!). Links: • The I.T. Crowd • Laura's instagram @LaptopLaura (for baby pics)   Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]    Click here to access full shownotes

True or false: 1. Reaching your customers in a deep and emotional way is a key to successful copywriting 2. Your headline is unquestionably the most important piece of copy you use to reach prospects   Answer:   True to both!    But how can you improve on this? There’s a free tool out there that I discovered!   It’s called the  Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer from the Advanced Marketing Institute.   The URL for it isn’t the easiest to say over a podcast, so I made a short link redirect to it for you…   Type in CopyThatPops.com/analyzer...And it will shoot you over to the Headline Analyzer!     Once there, all you have to do is: 1. paste in the headline you are thinking to use for your blog article, podcast episode, book title, or video title 2. Select the category your business industry falls under 3. Click “Submit for analysis”     And it will analyze and score your headline based on the total number of EMV words it has in relation to the total number of words it contains. This will determine the EMV score of your headline.   In addition to the EMV score, You will find out which emotion inside your customer's your headline most impacts:     How about an example?   Well, I thought about simply titling this podcast as “Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer”   When I plugged that in, it gave it a score of 60% and said to put that in perspective, the English language contains approximately 20% EMV words.   And for comparison, most professional copywriters' headlines will have 30%-40% EMV Words in their headlines, while the most gifted copywriters will have 50%-75% EMV words in headlines.   A perfect score would be 100%, but that is rare unless your headline is less than five words.   While the overall EMV score for your headline is 60.00%, your headline also has the following predominant emotion classification:       I cannot take any credit since I just used the name of the tool as the title! :-P   To test, I added “for Entrepreneurs Who Want to Make an Impact” at the end of it and the score came out as 53.85% with a stronger “Empathetic” and “Spiritual” rating, rather than a balance of all three.   Still a strong score.   ---     For fun, I then put in the title of my first book: Copywriting for Podcasters: How to Grow Your Podcast, Brand, and Business with Compelling Copy   And got 21.43% with a balance of the three.   My second book Permission to Write a Brand Building Book: For Podcasters - 9 Myths Holding You Back from More Exposure and Making a Greater Impact   Faired even lower with 10% and only hitting the Spiritual side!     Okay, how about Gary Vee’s most recent book?   Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too   He scored 26.67% and was full Spiritual.     What about Brene Brown’s book?   Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. That scored 44.44% and was full Empathetic.     Okay, what about something other than a book title?   The top headline on my website CopyThatPops.com right now is “You need a book.” How does that score? 50%! Not too bad...with a mix of Intellectual and Spiritual.     Fascinating!   What about the top headline on my free resources page copythatpops.com/free which reads “Become a Bestselling Author”   Eek!   That got a 0% and is rated as neutral!     What if I tweak it to… “Achieve Bestselling Author Status”? Okay...that’s now 25% and purely Intellectual appealing, it says.     What about…”Achieve Bestselling Author Status & Reap Rewards”? Okay, even better...that’s up to 50%...and still Intellectual focused. I like it.     From this exercise for this podcast, I am updating the headline on my page at copythatpops.com/free ...I hope it gets me more email opt-ins and leads!     Now it's your turn!     Head over there to play around with it and tweak your headlines to get the right score and balance you’d like to test with your next piece of copy or title. Then, come tell me @LaptopLaura on social media or via email Laura@CopyThatPops.com how it worked for you!     Talk to you next time when we’ll find more ways to write copy that pops!       Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]    Click here to access full shownote  

Have you ever stumbled upon a great landing page and wished you could see all the emails that followed without opting in?   Have you ever seen a Facebook ad with killer copy and wondered how they nurtured their audience later to buy?   Well, now you can!   I recently discovered Swiped.co ...   Profitable Marketing Inspiration & Analysis The place for copywriters & marketing minds to dissect & discuss great marketing examples.     How to Use It to Improve Your Copy   Just type in Swiped.co …   And you can browse through examples of marketing copy and images based on…   Niche, like: - Advertising - Arts and Crafts - Beauty - Blogging - Business Opportunity - Consulting - Copywriting - eCommerce - Education - Entrepreneurship - Health & Wellness - Online Business And lots more! You can also search by type, for example: - Affiliate emails - Banner Ads - Call to Action - Checkout - Direct Mail - Email - Email Opt-in - Facebook Ads - Free Offers - Homepage - Landing Page - Long copy - Print ad - Sales Letters - Social Media - and so many more!     For example, as a search combination, when I clicked “Online Business” and “Facebook Ad,” Swiped.co delivered 7 results of ads from Tai Lopez, Ryan Deiss, GoDaddy, Derek Halpern, Digital Marketer, and Click Funnels.   I’ll include a screenshot in the shownotes for you to take a look at:     Then, you can click on each of these 7 to see more...both the images they used and the copy they wrote with the ads.   There are also key takeaways below about why the ad and copy is effective, so you can learn from it too!     People ask me all the time, “How can I improve my copy?”   The BEST way is to look at examples from others that catch your eye...that make you want to click and go further…   Then, emulate them!   Don’t copy them...but model off of them with your own unique voice and style.     So, as a quick copy tip for you today, type in Swiped.co, and check out some examples to help you with whatever you are working on writing for your business right now.     Then, come tell me @LaptopLaura on social media or via email Laura@CopyThatPops.com how it worked for you!   Talk to you next time when we’ll find more ways to write copy that pops!       Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book!   TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]   Have you ever stumbled upon a great landing page and wished you could see all the emails that followed without opting in? Have you ever seen a Facebook ad with killer copy and wondered how they nurtured their audience later to buy? Well, now you can! I recently discovered Swiped.co ... Profitable Marketing Inspiration & Analysis The place for copywriters & marketing minds to dissect & discuss great marketing examples.   How to Use It to Improve Your Copy Just type in Swiped.co … And you can browse through examples of marketing copy and images based on… Niche, like: - Advertising - Arts and Crafts - Beauty - Blogging - Business Opportunity - Consulting - Copywriting - eCommerce - Education - Entrepreneurship - Health & Wellness - Online Business And lots more! You can also search by type, for example: - Affiliate emails - Banner Ads - Call to Action - Checkout - Direct Mail - Email - Email Opt-in - Facebook Ads - Free Offers - Homepage - Landing Page - Long copy - Print ad - Sales Letters - Social Media - and so many more!   For example, as a search combination, when I clicked “Online Business” and “Facebook Ad,” Swiped.co delivered 7 results of ads from Tai Lopez, Ryan Deiss, GoDaddy, Derek Halpern, Digital Marketer, and Click Funnels. I’ll include a screenshot in the shownotes for you to take a look at: Then, you can click on each of these 7 to see more...both the images they used and the copy they wrote with the ads. There are also key takeaways below about why the ad and copy is effective, so you can learn from it too!   People ask me all the time, “How can I improve my copy?” The BEST way is to look at examples from others that catch your eye...that make you want to click and go further… Then, emulate them! Don’t copy them...but model off of them with your own unique voice and style.   So, as a quick copy tip for you today, type in Swiped.co, and check out some examples to help you with whatever you are working on writing for your business right now.   Then, come tell me @LaptopLaura on social media or via email Laura@CopyThatPops.com how it worked for you! Talk to you next time when we’ll find more ways to write copy that pops!     Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]   Have you ever stumbled upon a great landing page and wished you could see all the emails that followed without opting in? Have you ever seen a Facebook ad with killer copy and wondered how they nurtured their audience later to buy? Well, now you can! I recently discovered Swiped.co ... Profitable Marketing Inspiration & Analysis The place for copywriters & marketing minds to dissect & discuss great marketing examples.   How to Use It to Improve Your Copy Just type in Swiped.co … And you can browse through examples of marketing copy and images based on… Niche, like: - Advertising - Arts and Crafts - Beauty - Blogging - Business Opportunity - Consulting - Copywriting - eCommerce - Education - Entrepreneurship - Health & Wellness - Online Business And lots more! You can also search by type, for example: - Affiliate emails - Banner Ads - Call to Action - Checkout - Direct Mail - Email - Email Opt-in - Facebook Ads - Free Offers - Homepage - Landing Page - Long copy - Print ad - Sales Letters - Social Media - and so many more!   For example, as a search combination, when I clicked “Online Business” and “Facebook Ad,” Swiped.co delivered 7 results of ads from Tai Lopez, Ryan Deiss, GoDaddy, Derek Halpern, Digital Marketer, and Click Funnels. I’ll include a screenshot in the shownotes for you to take a look at: Then, you can click on each of these 7 to see more...both the images they used and the copy they wrote with the ads. There are also key takeaways below about why the ad and copy is effective, so you can learn from it too!   People ask me all the time, “How can I improve my copy?” The BEST way is to look at examples from others that catch your eye...that make you want to click and go further… Then, emulate them! Don’t copy them...but model off of them with your own unique voice and style.   So, as a quick copy tip for you today, type in Swiped.co, and check out some examples to help you with whatever you are working on writing for your business right now.   Then, come tell me @LaptopLaura on social media or via email Laura@CopyThatPops.com how it worked for you! Talk to you next time when we’ll find more ways to write copy that pops!     Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]    Click here to access full shownote

Gaslighting, cat-fished, and other online dating scams...our guest today Jules Hannaford shares all inside her book Fool Me Twice. Plus, she breaks down her best tips and tricks for YOU to share your stories (no matter what they may be) and get your book published and marketed to the masses.   A Few Highlights from This Podcast:     - Jule's book: Fool Me Twice: Confessions of a Perpetual Internet Dating Neophyte   - Copy That Pops Episodes That Helped Jules with Her Book and Marketing!      - Episode 011 – Why It’s Important to Have a Social Media Strategy with Corinna Essa https://www.copythatpops.com/011      - Episode 012 – How to Set Yourself Apart with Stories with Christoph Trappe https://www.copythatpops.com/012       - Episode 022 – Quick Copy Tip: #StayStrong Edition https://www.copythatpops.com/022       - Episode 043 – The More We Tell Stories, The More Relatable We Become with Stephen Dela Cruz [Book Influencer Mini-Series] https://www.copythatpops.com/043       - Episode 064: Overcoming Entrepreneurshit & Writing a Book with Stephen Dela Cruz  https://www.copythatpops.com/064       - Episode 084: #1 International Best-Selling Author and ‘Gain Changing’ Takeaways with Tom Camp https://www.copythatpops.com/084   - 611-acre farm in Australia - Moved to Adelaide, Australia to teach and then moved to Hong Kong - Started online dating and got scammed a few times - Book is all about the online dating, scams, and resources to help others avoid getting “cat-fished”! - The psychology of Gaslighting, and how to watch out for it. - Brene Brown TED talk on Vulnerability - Ted Bundy documentary - The “romance scam industry” is an over $1 billion industry (yikes) - Why Jules wrote such personal stories in a book - Lessons learned, tips, and tricks for writing your book, marketing your book, and getting more media exposure leveraging your book! (Lots of great tips in this episode!)      - Allot enough time     - Sleep enough and have a healthy lifestyle     - Chat with others about your stories (especially if they can help you remember more)     - Let go of perfectionism     - Add a resource or epiphany section at the end     - Twitter communities     - Instagram hashtags     - Paid ads on Facebook     - Book fairs, events, speaking gigs     - LinkedIn     - Writing competitions     - Thrive Global     - Canva.com     - Local newspapers, magazines, and radio stations     - Create a template email and customize it for each send out     - MailChimp     - Press Release with PRweb.com  - Twitter #JournoRequests     - Book clubs...offer to skype in free to talk with group if they use your book  - Podcasts - Jules will Skype in with your book club, if you’d like! (Email her at Jules@HongKongConfidential.net) - Hong Kong Confidential podcast Our Guest   Jules Hannaford grew up in rural South Australia before moving to Adelaide, the state capital, and beginning her career as a teacher. She now lives in Hong Kong, the setting of her first book, Fool Me Twice, which details the pitfalls and abuse she experienced in her online search for love.   Jules began writing her book in 2010 when she was involved in an internet dating scam. She decided this was an important story to share with other women to prevent them from becoming caught in the same trap and help them make safer, smarter decisions when dating online. It took a long time for her to muster the courage to share her story after battling the shame of choices that landed her in a dangerous situation she counts herself lucky to have survived.   Jules has always had a passion for people and their stories, so she started her podcast ‘Hong Kong Confidential’ in 2017 to provide a platform for sharing the stories of interesting and unique people in Hong Kong.   Just as she knows the importance of sharing their stories on her podcast, she feels that her story can make an important contribution to the safety of those navigating the complicated—and sometimes illusionary—internet dating world.     Great Quotes   "Listening to your podcast was just awesome! I got so many tips on writing hacks, social media, how to put together a memoir. It was just awesome. I was so thankful I found it!" - Jules Hannaford "There were so many quick copy tips that I used!" - Jules Hannaford   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]  Click here to access full shownote

Unlearn 'bad writing' you from academia and get back to conversational copywriting! Write like you are sitting across the table from someone and talk to them like yourself, like someone they can connect with emotionally. That's the core of what we dive into this episode with a pro copywriter with over 40 years experience, tons of incredible stories, and lots of tangible advice for entrepreneurs and marketers of all levels to improve their copywriting and get more clients. Nick Usborne is in the Copy That Pops house... Free Guide to conversational copywriting below too!   A Few Highlights from This Podcast:   - Nick grew up in England (now lives in Canada) - Went on a travel adventure at age 20 and stayed for about a year in a 7th century Byzantine chapel cave in Turkey for $50 - How Nick got a job writing copy for an ad agency without education or experience. - How do we write for mobile? - What can we learn from print ad copy, direct response marketing, and writing for the web tips? - Does the visual presentation of copy matter? (Yes! How to craft copy that works visually too) - Nick’s best advice for being more ‘conversational’ in your copy and why that’s so important. - How can we find what our audience is actually saying so that we can write better copy? - What is mirroring in writing? Can you give an example of how we can do it?       - Book: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It Chris Voss        - Example about waiters...1 group praised guests for order, the other group mirrored back the order...2nd group got 70% higher tips   - FREE Guide to Conversational Copywriting, PLUS 3 Instructional Videos       - The FREE Guide shows you 5 simple ways to make your marketing copy more conversational, work harder and deliver better results.       - The 3 Videos explain why conversational copywriting works so well, and how to find and develop your conversational voice.       - Go here: https://conversationalcopywriting.com/pops   Nick's Books:      - Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy       - Popcorn Content: The craft of writing short-form content for social media       - NEW PATH TO RICHES: How Your Neighbors are Making a Big Second Income by Writing and Publishing Their Own Money-Making Websites   Our Guest  Nick Usborne (pronounced “UZ-born”) is an expert in copywriting and web writing. He has written copy for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Citibank, Apple, Chrysler, MSN.com, New York Times, WebEx, the U.S. Navy, and others.   He attributes his success to “conversational copywriting,” and he’s here today to share his approach to help you write persuasive and effective copy for clients.   Learn More Here: https://conversationalcopywriting.com/nick-usborne-copywriter     Great Quotes   “I use words to design a page." - Nick Usborne "I write the first few sentences really, really short." - Nick Usborne "It's not just the writing thing, it's the visual signal you give with how you write your words." - Nick Usborne "Don't hit me with a 5-line paragraph." - Nick Usborne "Writing for the web is different." - Nick Usborne "These days, we shouldn't be writing at an audience, we should be trying to engage with an audience." - Nick Usborne "Use the mindset, the language, and the kind of respect you would bring into a conversation -- write like that." - Nick Usborne "The web is the ultimate direct response medium." - Nick Usborne "Conversational copywriting is the opposite of the 'tips and tricks' approach." - Nick Usborne "Kids -- all of us as children -- are ultimate copywriters. We know exactly how to do it. And we have that ability educated out of us." - Nick Usborne "Everything important in our life depends on conversation." - Nick Usborne "It's not my job to write clever headlines, it's my job to listen and then to mirror the language back to the reader." - Nick Usborne "If I'm not leaving money on the table, I'm burning trust." - Nick Usborne "If you can get this to me in 5 lines or less, I'd love to read this email." - Nick Usborne "The best way to improve your writing is to cut stuff." - Nick Usborne "All the big names on my resume, that all came from the book." - Nick Usborne "In terms of a credibility builder, [a book] is amazing." - Nick Usborne   Take Action Now! Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free] Bestselling Book Accelerator Speaker's Secret Gig List     Learn More About Laura & Copy That Pops Podcast full shownotes for this episode on Conversational Copywriting Main Copy That Pops website

I stood up to ask a question at the Marketing School Podcast's "Marketing School Live 2019" event in Los Angeles last month (July 2019). #MSL2019   The organizers of the podcast and event are Neil Patel and Eric Siu...big names in the marketing and online business space! [Having my own podcast and going on lots of other shows helped me not be nervous to stand and ask a question, by the way! I would have been terrified and likely skipped it in the past].     I asked them both their thoughts about publishing a book as a marketing tool.     Neil is a New York Times Bestselling Author.   Eric, I had heard, is working on a book and considering self-publishing (and I'm sure it will be a smash hit).   So, what were each of their perspectives?   Neil's answer surprised me! But, I think it just comes down to your goals and your plan to achieve them.   Listen to this quick episode and let me know YOUR thoughts and experience on books as a marketing and business growth tool!   xo Laura   PS: Neil and Eric also ran the audio of my question on their Marketing School Podcast episode #1087, if you want to check it out!  #ImNowFamous ;-p     Watch the Neil Patel and Eric Siu Answer My Book Marketing Question Via Video! Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]    

"Honey, female entrepreneurs aren't a real thing. They don't make any money." The older businessman -- seated across the small mastermind table from us -- dismissed all women in one curt sentence. The problem, however, is that statistics actually support this statement... [watch video below to learn more and hear the rest of the story!]   Globally, 97% of female start-ups fail in the first 5 years -- 2x our male counterparts. Why is this the case? • Women complete 2.6x more unpaid work than men do.  Shopping for food, preparing meals, cleaning, washing clothes, collecting water, looking after children, family members, and those with disabilities -- this unpaid work falls mostly on women. (Source: United Nations & Newsweek, 2018) • Women are less likely to get funding. Just 2.2% of all venture capital in the U.S. goes to companies founded solely by women. Companies with all-male founders receive funding after their first-round close to 35% of the time, but this is less than 2% for companies with female founders. (Source: Market Watch, 2019) "The SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) finance gap for female entrepreneurs in developing countries at $1.48 trillion." (Source: IFC.org) • Women face greater obstacles in many parts of the world. In over 33% of economies, women do not have the same legal rights as men in freedom of movement and other areas. In some countries, women cannot register a business, sign a contract, or open a bank account. (Source: IFC.org) "1 in 5 women and girls have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner with the last 12 months. Yet, 49 countries have no laws that specifically protect women from such violence." (Source: UN.org ) • Female-led businesses get less publicity and media attention. "When the focus is the economy, only 5% of news stories feature or center on women." "Only 26% of total news coverage in newspapers, radio and television combined [online it's 24%] featured women in 2015." (Source: Report by The Global Media Monitoring Project, 2015) • Women need more access to mentors and peer-to-peer support. "48% female founders cite a lack of available mentors or advisers as holding them back." (Source: Inc, 2015)   [A Photo from Our First Meeting in 2018!  #GirlPower] *Older businessman not pictured.   Our Goal: Reduce the failure rate for female businesses by 50% before the year 2030   How? A lot needs to change. We know we can't tackle it all. But, instead of just being angry at a rude comment (and discouraged by statistics and obstacles), we decided to take proactive action forward...It was the spark to ignite the Who Run The World movement! [WRTW, for short!] Training. Support. Community.   We provide women growing businesses with the right tools, in the right order, at the right time ...in an extremely cost-effective way! Sharing our own skills and international networks, we've also formed collaborations with some of the most credible and well-known female entrepreneurs in the world. Our growing community is founded on the power of mentorship and peer-to-peer support. The fire is lit! Will you join the movement? Learn More at Who Run The World here     Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book!   TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]   Click here to access full shownotes for this episode     

  Digital marketing strategies around copy, visuals, social media tactics, videos, and more from Founder of Tintero Creative and #1 bestselling author in over 9 categories on launch day!   Valerie's been in the social media space for over 10 years and breaks down how to leverage it to grow our businesses and help with book launches too!    A Few Highlights from This Podcast:    Bestselling Author Wall of Fame How Valerie and I met at Social Media Marketing World 2018 on the live stage- How is “thinking like an architect” helpful in marketing and business? Valerie's connection with Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income Why work-life balance important (and different for everyone) What’s working right now in social media and marketing….in terms of copy? What’s working right now in social media and marketing….in terms of visual images, videos, etc.? How to increase your impact, influence, and success online in a noisy world? Best post types that get the most engagement from people on social media. Canva.com Valerie's Book: We're All Ears: How to increase your impact, influence, and success online in a noisy world. Why write a book? What opportunities did Valerie start getting even before the book was done? Influencers in book tactic “Street team” launch details How Valerie got more reviews #1 Bestseller in 9 categories + #1 Hot New Release in 11 categories Fun things mentioned: Goats and "Feed a poodle"   Our Guest     Valerie Morris is a digital marketing strategist who believes that you can be successful in marketing AND have balance in life. She understands social media growth tactics and how they fit in with other digital marketing disciplines. Valerie founded Tintero Creative, a digital agency based in Colorado.   Valerie is active in the digital community in Denver and a speaker at Denver Startup Week, SocialRock, Fuel Your Influence, and other innovative events.    She is also the author of the book We're All Ears: How to increase your impact, influence, and success online in a noisy world which I’m proud to say hit #1 bestseller in 9 categories on her launch day (she’s a client case study of mine!).   When Valerie "shuts off" her devices, she can be found running around with her dogs, doing Pinterest projects, or searching for the best queso this side of the border.   Learn More: TinteroCreative.com     Great Quotes   “Pay attention to what the shiny objects are...so you are one of the early adopters of it." - Valerie Morris "If you are able to start conversations and keep conversations going, you are going to get a lot more traction from that post, so ask questions!" - Valerie Morris "People love talking about themselves, so if you can ask questions, you are going to get get more people making comments...then comment back and keep the comment string going and give more life to the post." - Valerie Morris "When people are scrolling through the newsfeed and see a bunch of people liked or commented on the post, other people think, 'Hey, I should like and comment on this post too.'" - Valerie Morris "Make social media copy as conversational as possible and you'll see a lot better results." - Valerie Morris "You just need to be real." - Valerie Morris "People like people who are interested in them. So, by your asking a question back...you're building rapport." - Laura Petersen "The biggest thing is: catching people's attention." - Valerie Morris "Use emojis to make it look like they are bullets or checkmarks. Those kinds of things can help people digest information really quickly." - Valerie Morris "When it comes to social media copy, things are evolving every day." - Valerie Morris    Take Action Now!    Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free] Bestselling Book Accelerator Speaker's Secret Gig List   Click here to access full shownotes for this episode 

Dominatrix + copy tips? Yes!   Becoming a badass in life and business requires you to stand in your power and be super comfy with being unique! This completely relates to copy.   So many times people ask, “What’s the best word to use here?" Or, "How can I improve my copy?”   These are fabulous questions and being committed to improving is the first step! But, no two people speak alike, so your copy shouldn’t sound like anyone else. It should sound like you.   But if you don’t feel confident to step up as you, purely, in your writing -- this is impossible and people will sense it.    You won’t attract all the right people that you could!   My guest Dana Pharant knows ALL about standing out and being unique.   Her personal brand of the Inner Dominatrix pushes people out of their comfort zone, challenges their preconceived notions, and has them stepping into a fierce determination to rock their Bold, Sexy Fun-Filled Lives!     A Few Highlights from This Podcast:     - How we met, in my free Facebook group for new authors. (And then met in person in San Diego when I was still in the first trimester of pregnancy and sick! :-P )   - Shout out to Davide Di Giorgio, a professional speaker trainer.   - From McDonald’s to massage therapy to running your own coaching business...what was Dana’s journey into business?   - The personal story behind getting into the dominatrix world   - When did Dana decide to overlap business and “kink” or the dominatrix world?   - How was it making such a bold choice? ...that seems very outside the norm for professional business   - Was it worth the risk?   - Do you recommend others take big risks in their messaging? Branding? Communication?   - How can we psychologically challenge and transform limiting beliefs...with simple questions?   - Should we “welcome other people to judge us”? What does that mean and what implications does it have?   - How do we find what makes us polarizing or unique in business? (to help with our communication and copy)   - How can we use "confirmation bias" and different questions (for practical woo!) to slowly, but completely, change our mindset and have a powerful effect on our minds and success.   - Advice on how to step into being more polarizing. (Hint: The safe way...'what bugs you in your industry?'...'what charities do you love the most?')   - Kiva.org - microlending to people around the world! "A hand up, not a hand out" - as Dana describes it.   - How "Bro-Douche Marketing" bugs Laura and is planning spoofing videos on it!   - What do you mean by “money is not real”?   - You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero    - I talk a lot about psychology on this show...in your work with clients you say, “You’re doing all the right stuff so what’s preventing you from making that bigger impact? Have you given away your power?”   - What advice to someone listening could you give for them to take back their power and psychologically step back into their path toward achieving what they truly want?   - Why did Dana decide to write books?   Beyond Fear: Daily Inspiration to Ignite Your Power and Reclaim Your Life -- in 2014 The Inner Dominatrix Guide: Become a Badass in Business --  in 2018   - What has being an author done for you and your business? - Best advice for someone working on their first book?   Our Guest     Our guest, Dana Pharant, has 20+ years in the wellness and stress management fields, has built a 7-figure business, and is a two-time #1 bestselling author.   Dana is the leading authority at teaching her audiences health habits, mindset strategies, and authentic presence so they can tap into their inner power, be top performers in their field, and stop caring what others think.   She's also a 2-time award-winning speaker and sought-after coach, Dana is committed to living life in command of her feminine power and helping others connect with their Inner Dominatrix.   So, let's see what we can learn about writing tips and psychology hacks from THE Inner Dominatrix!   Learn More: DanaPharant.com     Great Quotes   “[My brand is] brilliance with a dash of cray-cray!" - Dana Pharant "When you're in a deep trance, you have the ability to reprogram...you imprint at a very deep cellular level the change, that would take years of cognitive processing to do, if ever." - Dana Pharant "There's no room for doubt in the dungeon." - Dana Pharant "I use other people's judgment for fuel for myself." - Dana Pharant "What if THAT'S actually a lie?" - Dana Pharant "I like 'practical woo'!" - Dana Pharant "You've got to put a ball-gag on your monkey mind!" - Dana Pharant "I love going to networking groups now -- half the room will be in shock and horror, and the other half were secretly passing me notes that they wanted to talk to me." - Dana Pharant "The more in-your-face I am with people, the more I create a very defined line." - Dana Pharant "Welcome the judgment." - Dana Pharant "It's always worth [writing a book], even if the book sucks." - Dana Pharant "The very act of actually hitting the 'publish' button on a book...actually says a lot to people." - Dana Pharant "Having your name on the front cover of a book is powerful." - Dana Pharant   Take Action Now! Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free] Bestselling Book Accelerator Speaker's Secret Gig List  Copy That Pops episode 185's full shownotes

At Marketing School Live in LA run by Eric Siu and Neil Patel, there was a session that Eric (CEO of Single Grain) lead a discussion with Yaniv Masjedi (the CMO of Nextiva) and they shared 5 of their favorite copywriting hacks...quick, easy phrases to use or swap to improve your copy, headlines, and more.         5 Turbo Copywriting Hacks   "the right way” "the laws of ___” or “The X number of laws for ___” turbo “it simply works!” instead of “demo,” say “personalized webinar”   These five items are fast and easy to start using right away to improve your copy. Try them out in headlines, blog article titles, video titles, email subject lines, landing pages, Facebook ads, and more!   Then, let me know what works for you! I'm @LaptopLaura on the social channels!     Links   Marketing School Podcast     THE BEST (FREE) BOOK WRITING RESOURCES   Head over to CopyThatPops.com/free Where you can get access to some new free training.   An hour-long workshop I call the “Book Profit Blueprint” Email training material sent to you spread out over a few weeks to share more insights A great book writing checklist And more!   All free, in exchange or your email. :)       Take Action Now on Your Bestselling Book! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]   Read & Learn More: CopyThatPops.com/185 

Live and hitting #1 bestseller on Amazon today in multiple categories, it's Kelsey Henry from Positively Delighted! CopyThatPops.com/kelsey will take you there to see it!   Link Outs: • CopyThatPops.com/128 - Lego Method to Write Your Book Without Stress • Kelsey's book live on Amazon now   About Kelsey: Kelsey Henry from Positively Delighted is a singer/songwriter, positivity coach, coloring page creator, digital nomad, and host of The Positively Delighted Show podcast. Her passion for positivity and self-esteem began during her unique childhood growing up roadschooled in an RV from ages 11-17. She is a certified Canfield Success Trainer, Happy For No Reason Trainer, and Laughter Yoga Leader. She uses these programs to help others create a positive mindset and a life of delight, laughter, and fun! You can find her traveling the country and running her business on the road from her converted glamper CR-V. She loves smiling and is always trying to make her inner roadschooled kid proud.   Advice for other authors from Kelsey Henry…#34 bestselling author case study! "Having an outline is CRUCIAL for writing the book. It helps you stay on track and know where you're going. If you're getting stuck on putting the outline together, just start writing a chapter and see where it goes. I was so stuck on putting together my outline, until Laura gave me this advice! After writing a chapter, I knew exactly what direction to go in and put my outline together quickly. Remember to have fun with the process and with everything you do, honor yourself. Create something that you can be proud to share. It's easy to get caught up in what others will think of you. My book is my life story. If people don't like it, it's going to feel personal! But I still have to share it because it's going to help the people who do like it. Also, give yourself lots of pep talks! You are your biggest cheerleader through this process."   Take Action Now! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] BESTSELLING BOOK ACCELERATOR: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]   --------   Learn more + free resources to help you improve your writing and books.   Thanks for listening! xo Laura  

Psychology of sales from a Master Salesperson....Gamification for sales success...hold to be more bold for bigger success in business and life...and more!    That's what in store for you in this episode with the incredible Chris Cumby!   A few podcast episode highlights:   Chris lives in the Emerald Coast of Florida but is from Toronto Advice for people going through big changes or big moves What is “The Hero Within”? Good advice: Have a Coach Brendan Bouchard Abundance by Peter Diamandis Bold by Peter Diamandis Visioneer: The Peter Diamandis Story - Nick Nanton - SpaceX What is the root of the word “selling”? P.O.S.E. to Close Story Brand by Donald Miller Tips from how Chris closed million dollar deals How to play the game every day to win in business The story of the two wolves and how that applies to our psychology of all we do. 6 Powerful Questions to ask yourself… Who am I? What do I want? Why do I want it? What feeling will I feel when I get it? Why do I want that feeling? Why is that feeling missing now? The “ABCD” of journaling and goal setting How to set yourself up to win everyday ChristopherCumby.com (for free book, The Game, etc) KickAssSalesGame.com     Our Guest     Serial Entrepreneur, Sales Expert, and Coach, Christopher Cumby, the “Kick A$$ Sales Guy” works with organizations and individuals to master their game in both business and personal development. Christopher is the founder of Integrity Marketing Inc., and co-founder of both Think Bold, Be Bold Ventures and Mavericks Mastermind.   He is the author of “The Success Playbook,” and founder of The Success Playbook Series, a complete step-by-step process designed for the go-getters to advance to the top of their game.   With 20+ years of experience in the industry, Cumby has mastered the gamification of money making in sales and revenue. After coaching and mentoring countless business owners, CEO’s, and other high-profile individuals, he found a consistent trend with their results. It was clear that utilizing gamification in selling brought out the competitive spirit of his clients, helping them level up their skill set and show up with a positive mindset. Christopher now helps entrepreneurs to launch their sales strategically using step-by-step tactics, ensuring they win and have fun in the process.   Cumby has been featured on The Brian Tracy T.V. Show, NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox networks. He has also been highlighted on numerous podcast shows on iTunes and other platforms.   Christopher’s expertise can be summarized as "helping those around him achieve positive growth while making a ton of money in the process."   Great Quotes   “Walk as far as you can see, and you can see a little further.” - Chris Cumby “Win the day, today.” - Chris Cumby "There's magic in the start!" - Chris Cumby "If you have tons of testimonials...why not share all that?" - Chris Cumby "I think when you started getting the haters, you know you've really made it!" "There's an emotional connection to someone else who's gone before you." - Chris Cumby "You can't outperform the image of yourself." - Chris Cumby "When you write goals, you own it in that moment." - Chris Cumby "When you know who you are, you'll know what you want." - Chris Cumby "85% of people want to write a book, but not many do." - Chris Cumby   Take Action Now!   Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free] Bestselling Book Accelerator Speaker's Secret Gig List  

How can you craft a talk, deliver dynamically, and book a spot on the TED stage? If you have a purpose in your business and stories to share with the world, this is the episode for you as we sit down with TEDx Orlando’s co-organizer Thomas Waterman! Psychology, Leadership, Vision, Purpose-Driven, TED Talks… …these are a few of the keywords from the notes I took during the conversation with today’s guest who is similar to me in that he loves interacting with people, studying psychology, and finding ways to help the audience he serves.  A few podcast episode highlights: – Hello from San Diego Startup Week (at the San Diego Convention Center) – P.S.T. Method (my method for helping new authors go from “no idea and overwhelm” to “awesome, detailed outline) – Johanna Walker on Episode 180 – more advice about speaking on stage! – How to win an election (the psychology of winning!) – Why is for-profit business actually able to help more people than nonprofits, when done right and with purpose? – The differences between TED and TEDx – There are over 3500 cities running TEDx events! – How does someone become one of the speakers on stage for TED? (Insider advice! And it may surprise you!) – TEDx Orlando’s main website: http://orlandotedx.org – What matters to TED (headquarters)…so you can get featured on their main website! (Which can lead to millions of views on your video and change your life!) – How TEDx organizers help speakers to make sure their talk resonates – Tips for someone to speak well on stage – TEDx talks are usually about 8 to 18 minutes (and Thomas shares how/why) – How to Use a Paper Towel TED Talk by Joe Smith – Why an alligator was on stage in Orlando! – Does Thomas recommend “applying to tons of speaking events” or take another approach (to get speaking opportunities)? – Davide Di Giorgio teamed up to bring you More Speaking Gigs (here)   Our Guest Thomas Waterman believes in showing people what makes them special and empowering them to use their powers, so they can make the world a better place. This belief led Thomas on his own growth journey, where he leaned in to face his fear and misalignment in life. This meaningful self-reflection inspired him to quit his job and immediately pursue his purpose. The entrepreneurial route became his path to find meaningful work and fulfillment in daily life. He chose a direction and aligned everything in his life with it. This alignment inspired him to co-found Purpose Pioneers. Thomas makes his yearly presence on the TEDx stage as a co-organizer for TEDxOrlando. He’s a Board Member of the 15 Lightyears Foundation, Industry Fellow & Entrepreneurial Coach for the Blackstone Launchpad at the University of Central Florida, the largest university in the country, Mentor for the Horizons Scholars Program, and an Alumni of Starter Studio, Orlando’s leading tech business accelerator, where he founded his first venture, BackStory.   Great Quotes “Build unique, individual, meaningful relationships.” – Thomas Waterman “Get out of that state of judgment…I’m right, you’re wrong…get in the field of openmindedness and curiosity.” – Thomas Waterman “80% of what we do is helping people overcome unconscious blocks…20% is the tactics.” – Thomas Waterman “Getting on the stage does add value.” – Thomas Waterman “[Speaking at TED] does add value for anyone who wants to build their brand.” – Thomas Waterman “We have in-depth coaching calls and two in-person practices [for TEDx speakers].” – Thomas Waterman “It’s helping people get clarity about the message that matters most to them.” – Thomas Waterman “If you do stumble or start feeling anxious…pause. Take a deep breath. People want you to succeed.” – Thomas Waterman “People care less about what you’re saying and more about how and why you say it.” – Thomas Waterman “It’s about taking some kind of action and seeing if it serves you.” – Thomas Waterman Take Action Now! Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free] Bestselling Book Accelerator Speaker’s Secret Gig List   Read More Back at the podcast's full shownotes for this Copy That Pops episode!.

Is communicating your message on stage one of your goals or dreams? Then this week's guest has amazing tips just for you! She's a seasoned speaker and speaking coach who is passionate about helping all people find their stories and tell them in an impactful way.   We talk about: - How did Johanna get into speaking? (Hint: She used to be super shy and thought “men are smart and women are not...I am a female, so I must not have anything of value to say”) - Is it possible to learn to have presence and charisma on stage? - Johanna's experience studying abroad in Italy. - Tips for getting speaking engagements - Why you need to let YOURSELF know you are a speaker - Discovered she needed to speak for all women...and all people...to liberate all of us. - What's your "genie gem"? - Ignite Your Speaking Power (mini-training) free! JohannaWalker.com/copythatpops   Our Guest     Johanna Walker is the fear-blasting, storytelling maven for coaches, consultants, leaders, and change-makers. She’s the founder of Women Who Speak, a transformational speaker coaching program for female leaders, and she’s the co-founder and co-host of Boulder, Colorado’s popular bi-monthly story slam series, Truth Be Told.   In addition to her work as a speaker and coach, Johanna has written and performed solo theater pieces that she’s toured throughout the US and Canada.   She holds an M.Ed. from Kent State University, an MFA from Naropa University, and is a certified WholeSpeak Public Speaking Coach.   Johanna's TED Talk "The Stories That Live in Our Bodies"   Great Quotes   "My story was about my story of silence and experience of not speaking." - Johanna Walker "I could feel my voice connect with the people in the room." - Johanna Walker "This is a part of a bigger story...of women...of women in speaking." - Johanna Walker "'You rarely meet a woman who's as smart as her husband.' - I bought into that story." - Johanna Walker "I really found my voice through creativity." - Johanna Walker "On stage, I had permission to speak...something about that opened the door for me to take up space, speak my truth, and tell my story." - Johanna Walker "Start identifying as a speaker." - Johanna Walker "It takes networking and pitching, and networking and pitching, and networking and pitching [to get speaking opportunities]." - Johanna Walker "Presence is 'I'm showing up fully.'" - Johanna Walker "Go forth and speak." - Johanna Walker "If you feel the call, I say answer it. Answer it in spite of whatever story you are telling yourself or despite whatever fear you might be feeling." - Johanna Walker   Take Action Now!   Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop [free] Bestselling Book Accelerator Speaker's Secret Gig List  

My favvvvorite tool for writing books (and why) is revealed! Plus, a special shoutout to new #1 International Bestselling Author Nadine Blase Psareas who hit #1 bestseller in 11 categories and #1 hot new release in 14 categories in the U.S. plus #1 in 2 categories in Mexico with her new book!       BOOK THAT POPS Podcast?   I’ve gotten feedback from some listeners of the show that they’d love a “book only focused” podcast, so I do have the idea to make a Book That Pops podcast JUST about writing, self-publishing, launching, and leveraging bestselling books!   It’s what I teach in my Bestselling Book Accelerator...and I love the idea of sharing some of the lessons learned from there in podcast form.   Would you listen? Let me know!     THE BEST (FREE) BOOK WRITING RESOURCES   If you can’t bear to wait until I can produce another show (and with being pregnant now, I may not get to it as fast as I’d like!), I can share a new resource with you all that is free...   Head over to CopyThatPops.com/free Where you can get access to some new free training.   An hour-long workshop I call the “Book Profit Blueprint” Email training material sent to you spread out over a few weeks to share more insights A great book writing checklist And more!   All free, in exchange or your email. :)     --------     And for today’s quick tip, I wanted to share my favorite writing tool or platform.   It’s called Scrivener and I’m shocked I haven’t done an episode on it yet because I do love it!   That’s spelled S-C-R-I-V-E-N-E-R   And it’s made especially for book writers, both fiction and non-fiction.     It’s $45, one-time to buy it (you can get a discount if you are a teacher or student)   http://copythatpops.com/smac   http://copythatpops.com/spc     Now, before I share some of my favorite things about it and why I endorse it so much, I should tell you that if you use a PC, the program is not as robust as it is for Mac.   With many of my Accelerator clients, we find that they cannot do exactly what I show them is possible, or things are hidden in different areas.   So, as a warning, if you have a PC and are happy with programs like Word, then consider sticking with what you know.   There is a learning curve, as with any program, but I have found it more than worth it if you use a Mac and feel like maybe you have more than one book project in you, as I do!     BACKGROUND   I wrote my first book in Google Docs because I hate Word (and don’t even have it on my Mac), and love how you can share documents there with your editor (or nerdy friend helping you edit for free) so that you both are always looking at the most current file.   However, once I went to export my book for Kindle, it looked horrible. Google docs just isn’t robust enough to look right for Kindle ebook formatting.   That sucked.   So, I copied and pasted it all into a free trial of Word, reformatted it, and exported it.   This time Word gave more functionality but the copying and pasting over added more hidden code that messed with things and I couldn’t get the page numbers to work for the life of me.   I was on a time crunch, writing and publishing in just 30 days, so I found a woman who was willing to help me with Word -- for free! -- with fixing the formatting and making it look great.   She was so kind and generous!   However, her mother fell ill in the U.K. right when she was helping me and since she was helping for free, I could hardly push her. And she kept reassuring me it would be done in time...so I ran with it.   If you know the crazy story of my first book in full detail, you know that I didn’t get the final file uploaded in time with Amazon’s deadlines -- not realizing I couldn’t just push back the release date one day with Pre-Order delivery of books -- so the OLD, horrible, rough, and wrong file went out to all the people who had bought my book during my bestselling launch and after.   That was about 100 people total.   I have some really bad reviews on my book and I think it’s from folks who got that horrible draft by mistake but didn’t know me personally.   I did a Facebook Live as soon as I realized my error and impending doom, but some people, of course, didn’t see it or know what happened.   Anyhow, it was a great lesson learned and I cannot blame the nice lady who was helping me.   I was too cheap and nervous at the time to go find a new editor for help.   Long story short, I still have my first book in Word and loathe editing it because anything I do seems to throw off the formatting somehow and mess it up.   I swore I’d never use Word again. And I haven’t.     SCRIVENER   For my second book I used Scrivener. And I love it.   Behind worth the $45, one-time payment! It’s a program designed for book writing. And it may be hard to describe how it’s different other than to say that in Word you write your whole book in one long thread. But in Scrivener, you have a side menu with folders and sub-folders and sub-sections of text for EASY planning, writing, and navigating of your material.And, when you export it, it all looks right as it should.   Creating the book is easier and more intuitive than Word.   Exporting it for Kindle and for print is also very easy, once you get the hang of things, which does require trial and error and searching for some how-to videos.   But now that I know it’s power, I won’t leave!     PROS AND CONS One con of Scrivener is that not a lot of editors are familiar with it still (like on UpWork.com for example).   So, what I’ve done in the past with client’s books is to export the book from Scrivener as a Word doc and share it in Word or Google Docs with a junior editor on my team to do another read through with fresh eyes. I have them “track changes” and then I go in and physically update the changes in the Scrivener master file afterward.   I like this approach because I do not accept all changes other editors would make, often because of stylistic choices or they aren’t reading it right and I still think how I have it is better.   So, if you like to oversee edits being made, this is an easy workaround using Scrivener even if the editor is not familiar with it.   Another “con” is their support material isn’t the best in the entire world...but, I love creating helpful how-tos inside my Bestselling Book Accelerator to support my clients and happy to make one and share it publicly if you get stuck with something!   Although it does have a learning curve, it’s still worth it for people like me.   -----   So, if you are someone who wants to write more than one book, use a Mac, and don’t love Microsoft Word, for sure check out Scrivener!   It’s $45, one-time to buy it (you can get a discount if you are a teacher or student)   http://copythatpops.com/smac  (for Mac)   http://copythatpops.com/spc  (for PC)     Totally worth it!   And head over to CopyThatPops.com/free   Where you can get access to some new free training.   An hour-long workshop I call the “Book Profit Blueprint” Email training material sent to you spread out over a few weeks to share more insights A great writing checklist And more!   ----   Talk to you again soon to find more ways to write copy and a book that pops!       Take Action Now! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] GROUP COURSE: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]  

Wanna see what it looks like to be a #1 bestselling author on your launch day? I pull back the curtain!   Read (and watch) below for the 9 spots to look for proof you got bestseller...SEE it in action the day that my private client Mark Wills went live with his book!     9 Spots to Get Social Proof That Your Book Hit Bestseller on Amazon [the video!]     In last week’s episode I revealed my big SECRET...which, if you missed it, is that I am pregnant! Due September 20th. My husband and I do know the gender at this point, but we are keeping that a secret until after the baby shower. I do not want a pink or blue explosion of gender-stereotypical decor and gifts.   Also, if we have a girl, her name will be gender-neutral or something often used for boys. So, her name will not be anything like Laura, Michelle, Ashley, Monica, or the like.   Fun fact. ;)   As I shared in episode 177 about being pregnant, super sick and tired all the time, and needing to cut back on things to get more efficient in my business, I mentioned repurposing.   So, I thought to try that for this podcast episode.   On April 23rd, a private client of mine named Mark Wills went live with his book on Amazon...which you can find it directly from the link CopyThatPops.com/mark … and he hit #1 bestseller in over 12 categories in the U.S.   I sat down the evening of his launch to record an updated video for my Bestselling Book Accelerator showing my clients in that effective group program both what it looks like to be a bestseller and the 9 spots to get screenshots to prove your feat.   Recently, I’ve heard that none of my competitors in this space are teaching that!   I have since day one when I first launched my group program in June of 2017, but it was time for another update of the screenflow, since Amazon does make updates to how things look.   Long story short, this episode is the stripped audio from that video tutorial.   If, as you listen, you wish you could SEE what I am showing on the screen, just head back to the shownotes at CopyThatPops.com/178 and you’ll find an embedded video there of the exact same content, but with the visuals.   I hope it’s a useful episode even with audio only, but the video is available to you for free, even if you are not yet in the Accelerator! Without further ado...let’s jump in!     -----------   9 Spots to Get Social Proof That Your Book Hit Bestseller on Amazon [the list!]   Book’s Individual Page   1. Look on book's actual page for rankings (under "Product Details") for the three categories it is in.   Note: You can get tech support to put you into up to 10 you choose. #BookHack!   2. Look at the top of your book's page for a flag too!   Note: May take longer to appear and it is not guaranteed.   Note: #1 New Release easier/faster to get than Best Seller     Book’s Category Pages   3. Look on each of the categories' pages for rankings and side by side comparison shots with your competitors' books.   4. Look at the "Hot New Release" rankings for side by side comparison shots with your competitors' books.   5. Look at other countries Amazon pages at #1-4 above   Note: You can easily access your book in other countries through KDP     6. Then, check ‘up’ in the Parent Categories for how you rank in more competitive listings.   Note: Even if you do not rank as well, the books around you may be very cool and photo-worthy!     Search   7. Do an Amazon search for your author name or name of your book and look for the flags there!     Author Page   8. Look on your Author Central author page for the flags there     Mobile - BONUS!   9. Get the same shots, but from mobile to share!     WHAT TO DO NEXT?   Save all screenshots in a folder Use Skitch to ‘mark them up’ Share on social!       Hope this audio repurposing was helpful to you. Pop over to CopyThatPops.com/178 to see the full video with screenflow!   And, if you want to learn more about the Accelerator, visit CopyThatPops.com/Accelerator  [special offer!]   Talk to you again next time when we’ll find more ways to write a book and copy that pops!       Take Action Now!   TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] GROUP COURSE: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]  

Speeeeeecial announcements, milestones, and business lessons learned to share with you! This is a fun and personal quick episode.   #1: Big Big Announcement: I’m preggo! I actually found out that I was pregnant in mid-January. Thank god I had just gotten my new podcast audio editor and shownotes person up and running with a great system, or this show would have stopped in its tracks!   My first trimester was miserable.   I never threw up, but I felt like I had 2 solid months of mild food poisoning. Not so bad that I had to barf, but bad enough that I couldn’t get much done each day.   I’d sleep 10-12 hours a night (getting up to pee 3-4 times), have just a couple of hours to work on helping my book writing and bestseller launch clients before the nausea hit me like a ton of bricks and send me running back to bed for a 3 hour nap or just general day-long unproductive malaise.   My respect for all mothers has skyrocketed.     Now, I’m in the second trimester and feeling a lot better. I’m not 100% back to my old energy, but at least able to get more done in a day.     #2: Special Milestone!   This month, April of 2019, we crossed the 3-year anniversary of this podcast!    I first launched Copy That Pops while living in Regensburg, Germany. Episode 000 released on April 22, 2016. Can you believe it?   [April 26th was also Devin and my 5-year wedding anniversary].   Having a podcast has been an interesting undertaking in that it’s forced me to produce consistent content for longer than I ever have before. And I don’t want to stop now!   In fact, I am bouncing around the idea of a Book That Pops podcast just on books specifically...it’s just a matter of getting my energy back to produce the material for you all!   Would love to hear your feedback on if you would listen to a show just about writing, self-publishing, marketing, and launching a bestselling book on Amazon with me!?     #3: Thank you for the podcast reviews!   Every time I look at my show on a podcast player like iTunes (though this show is on many, many other channels!) it makes me feel so good to see reviews!   The most recent ones I see are from Keselea and Wade Galt.     Thank you both so much for taking the time to leave a rating and review! It’s super easy from your smartphone and it helps tell the podcast player it's on that the show is worth putting in front of more eyeballs.   So, your reviews not only make me feel good, they help more people find us!     #4: Business Lessons Learned   Never in my entrepreneurial life have I been so slammed, down and out, like I have felt being pregnant this year in 2019.   My capacity to do things has tanked. I am so behind on FB messages that I feel physically horrible and guilty. I am saying ‘no’ to opportunities I’d normally jump at.   But, in a way, this is a good thing.   It’s forced me to reflect a lot. It’s forced me to analyze how I used to fill my days.   Always busy, was I working on the right things?   Going forward, especially in late September and after when I have a crying baby that needs me, what do I WANT to be doing? What realistically CAN I actually manage?   I am still figuring it all out, but I’m focusing hard on: - More systems - Automation - Elimination of things that aren’t really essential - Delegation - Repurposing - Growing sales of my products and group programs and saying ‘no’ to private client work - Getting my digital funnels and email nurturing really on point instead of relying so much on networking and referrals   To be continued...but it’s certainly an inflection point for me in business.   If you have navigated something similar...with the birth of a child, adoption of a child, an illness, a family commitment, etc...I’d love to hear about it!   ---------   And thank you for being a listener of the show! I am honored you choose to spend time with me each week. 3 years running now! Talk to you next week with more ways to write copy that pops! xo   Laura     Take Action Now! TRAINING on hitting Amazon bestseller [free] COMMUNITY of new and growing nonfiction authors! [free] GROUP COURSE: How to write a great book & hit bestseller! [not free ;)]