Top 5 Tips on Copywriting from Brilliant Copywriter Chanti Zak

If you’ve ever struggled with writing copy for your business, I’m excited to introduce you to one of my favorite humans who is going to share incredible tips on copywriting with you today. Chanti Zak is our copywriter here at Team Kayse, and she is a quiz funnel strategist, teacher, and copywriter for change makers and brands. She’s a marketing unicorn that believes boring is the enemy, neutral is a death sentence, and real talk is the way of the future. I just know you will love her as much as I do, so keep reading to learn from this copywriting mastermind! If you want to listen to our conversation too, pop in your AirPods and join us for this podcast episode!

If you are building your email list or need help getting started so you can use these copywriting tips to connect with your subscribers and lead to sales, I’ve got just the thing! Download my Email Marketing for CEO Teachers® guide so you can start taking massive action after you read this. Click here to get the email templates and strategies in this free guide!

Journey from Breakfast Chef to Business Copywriter

Chanti lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere that she recently purchased, a dream come true for her family.  And she made that happen through copywriting and starting a business when her first son was just a newborn baby.  She did not want to go back to work as a breakfast chef (even though she makes a mean eggs benedict!). So she started a food blog and thought that would be her thing. 

Identifying Your Zone of Genius Helps You Make Decisions

So just like you are taking your epic teaching skills online and incredible things with them, she asked herself, “What am I good at?  What could I do from home with my newborn baby?” It was cooking, and she learned food photography.  And then she realized that actually, it's tough to make a good living with just a food blog.  But that’s how she discovered copywriting for other people because people started reaching out to her and asking her to write articles for their websites.

She was in the health and wellness space.  So she wrote all the articles you could ever imagine on intermittent fasting and coconut oil and greens and apple cider vinegar, and it paid nothing.  She would spend like eight hours working on an article and get paid 50 bucks for it.  But she was so excited just to make money from home, writing about stuff that she loves. She found out that she was good at it and shifted to copywriting because it's so much more action-oriented and valuable in its perceived value. Copywriting is different and requires a different skill set than blogging, and she decided to pursue it and share her tips on copywriting with others.

Becoming a Copywriter for Business & Finding Her Niche

 She eventually went full-time at one company as a business copywriter. She didn’t know much, but she was able to talk them into giving her the job. She said that she learned a ton there, including learning about quizzes.  She made a quiz for this company, even though she had no idea what she was doing.  She just made it up, and, turns out, it works better than anything else for attracting leads. Not to mention, the cost is very low for Facebook ads. Creating this quiz opened this whole new world for Chanti.  

She left that company and asked herself again what she is good at and can run with. And it was quizzes!  They used her strengths of copywriting and creativity. So she ran with it, and it became her niche and what she was known for. She acquired clients in all different industries, and her quiz strategy worked amazingly for all of them.  So now Chanti teaches copywriting for quizzes and creates quizzes and copy with her team of writers.

Mindset Shifts as a Copywriter and Entrepreneur

If there's anything that Chanti has taught me in the last two years, it’s believing in the power of everything working out is exactly as it should.  And I don't. Chanti has taught me that sometimes it's better not to go looking because the things that are meant to find you will always find you. And that’s how Chanti and I found each other. 

I asked Chanti what allowed her to let go of “I've always gotta be looking for bigger and better” and just allow that goodness to come her way. She mentioned that it's a tight rope walk between two sides. The first is taking consistent action and showing the universe what you want and proving that by working through the discomfort that comes up with maybe sending an email to someone you admire and asking if they want some help in your area of expertise.  And then there's the trust and surrender side where you believe that if you keep showing up and remain steadfast enough, you’ll show the universe you believe that anything is possible. She says that she keeps showing up and working, knowing the best is yet to come. One relationship can change everything.  So if she sees an opportunity, she’s going to go for it, even if it’s scary.  So it's like a dance between those two very oppositional forces: action and surrender.  They are complete opposites, but they're both necessary.

Release the Limiting Beliefs You Have About Copywriting

You’ve got to get your copywriter mindset right. There needs to be a mindset shift around what copywriting is.  A lot of people think, okay, copywriting is marketing, right? And, as a teacher, you probably aren't calling yourself a natural-born marketer, right? You don't have to show up in your classroom and sell your kids pencils.  

Chanti shares tips for copywriting and explains that it's helpful to switch that perspective from copywriting being strictly a marketing skill to it actually being a teaching skill. Because to get buy-in from someone, and that's really what copywriting is for, you have to take someone from a place of, “I don't know if this is for me.  I don't necessarily believe this is possible,” and convince them that whatever you're selling is right for them. It's taking away that fear.  It's shifting those belief systems.  It's making sure they feel confident in making a purchasing decision or any decision.  It's not always about the sale.  Sometimes you're selling someone on just showing up to your free training because they're not paying with money, but they're paying with time, and that's a big deal too.  So you need to prove to them, as a copywriter for your business, this is worth their time and money.  And to do that often requires teaching as the base level skill set. 

Teachers Make Great Business Copywriters

When you're writing an email or a social media post or blog post, you're also telling a story, and you're teaching something.  And if you look at it that way, you already have a lot of the natural skill sets to make that an easy thing. Everything else is entirely learnable. You can be your own copywriter.  In fact, Chanti recommends that people don’t hire her or her team or any other professional copywriters until they've been their own copywriter. It’s essential that they've learned what goes into it, and they've explored their voice because no one else can build your voice for you. That's something that you have to experiment with.  And it's not always the easiest thing, but this copywriting benchmark is also a profound exercise in personal growth.

We talk about the CEO Teacher® Pyramid in some of our programs.  And it starts with your core piece of content for the week. And for us, our podcast is the driver for all of that core content. I get to be the creator of that, and it brings me the most joy in my business. I encourage you to, eventually, when your team grows, do what makes you the happiest.  And I love to write, so I get to create that core piece of content, and then Chanti comes on board and takes that core piece of content and sprinkles it through various things like newsletters and email funnels, and sales page copy.

Copywriting Tips for Teachers

One of the most significant pain points of my CEO Teacher® students is that they don’t think they’re good writers when it comes to their blogs, or especially email marketing. They have to be their own writers.  And they're teaching in the classroom all day, every day, which they're used to doing and writing for their students.  But they have to shift gears a little bit to help other teachers or parents out there.  So if you’re feeling this too, and you’re not ready to hire a business copywriter, Chanti has some excellent copywriting tips for you.

Copywriting Tip 1: Start By Brainstorming What You Want Your Customer to Learn  

It's easy to get very me-focused while getting started copywriting and feel like,”I am so bad at this.  I don't know what to say.  I'm not inspired, etc.” Guess what? That's just your ego blocking you from helping other people. So, push that out of the way and focus on the person that you are speaking to. Think of the person you want to help, the person who would benefit from what you have to offer, and make a little list of what you want them to learn.  And so, to do that, you have to look at what they currently know, what they currently believe.  And jot that down.  This isn't going to be in your blog posts.  It’s just a preliminary warmup.  

It's nice to have a warmup because then, when you jump in and get into copywriting action, you know what you're going to say, and you have some clarity.  So, answer those questions, like, “What are they going to take away from this?  What do they currently believe or know that I can build on or that I need to shift for them?”  And then jump in and write your content, and the whole time you're writing it, continually come back to your notes. This is one of the best tips for copywriting for beginners. 

Tip for Copywriting 2: Focus on the Benefits

Everything you write has to be benefit-focused.  How does it benefit their lives, businesses, and ability to teach whatever it is, whoever you serve?  So if you keep coming back to that while writing copy and focusing on who you're trying to help, you won’t get as stuck as if you keep focusing on thinking you're not the best copywriter and you don't know what you're doing.  No, you ARE qualified.  You've got a freaking teaching degree.  So throw the excuses in the trash.  It's okay if your first few efforts are subpar; it’s only going to get better.

Tip 3 on Copywriting for Beginners: Storytelling Do’s and Don’ts

People get confused by the storytelling element a lot.  We're told to tell stories, to be open and personable, and that's how you build trust and connection, and it is. But you always need to tie in relevancy.  Ask yourself, “Is the story that I'm telling gonna be relevant to my reader, and are they going to see it as such?” 

Example of How To Write a Sales Copy

So let's say you've got a classroom management membership, and all the people in your world on your email list and following you on social media, and they're actively interested in classroom management.  So when you go to tell that story about the kid who went off the wall, but then your strategies really helped them ground themself and chill out and have success, that's going to be super relevant to the person you're talking to. But you need to make the transition to your reader.  So you tell the story, and then the easy way to do it is to say something like, “Okay, so maybe you're wondering, how does this story relate to you?”  And then, you can jump into how it relates to them and how it relates to your offer.  

So you could say, “Listen, you might feel like that kid felt when he first stepped into my classroom, all over the place, totally disorganized, no idea where he was, no idea what the real rules and structure are.  And that's perfectly okay because nobody teaches you that stuff in college.  So you have to figure it out for yourself.  You can do that through trial and error, or you can do it through this incredible shortcut that I've created for you.  Through my experience, I have proven results.  I've already told you that; just look at this story.  This is just one of many, many stories.  So take that shortcut, join my membership, get access to the really cool stuff related to classroom management.  I'm going to be there to answer your questions and support you every step of the way.  If you don't like it, if it doesn't help you, you can cancel anytime.” So you're taking away the risk.  Any time can take away your risk or fear in your copywriting, do it.  And, and that's it.  And then you just tie a bow on it and ask them to take action to join today before this amazing resource disappears.

And on the same token, if you write this blog post, it's not a one-and-done deal. After you write it, you can take the next step.  And that is repurposing a blog post into an email or a sales page copy.

Copyrighting for Business Tip 4: Repurpose Your Content

There are so many ways you can repurpose your core content, whether it's a blog post, or a podcast, or something else.  So when you’re copywriting emails, it's often effortless to repurpose your content. You can add the first bit of it in your email and then push them to read the rest on your blog.  You could throw in the whole blog post in your email, but maybe you go a bit deeper, and you pitch your program or your membership or a resource at the end, and you invite them to take action.  You can do the same thing on social media and through audio and video. Copywriting is something that you do daily in your business on every platform you use.

Something that trips everyone up (even Chanti and I) is the fear of repeating yourself. You think, “Oh, I did a blog post on this.  So I can't send it out to my email list.  I can't put the same thing on social media.  People already read it.  They're going to get annoyed with me because they've already seen it.” But that never happens.  No one is paying as close attention as you think they are.  And people often have their preferred channels for taking in that kind of information. Don't give people too much credit in terms of their ability to remember the thing that you were talking about. Keep repurposing your copywriting and putting your message in as many places as possible. 

Advice for Teachers Learning How To Be Their Own Copywriters

Copywriting gets easier the more you do it.  Chanti recommends sitting down every day for even half an hour or an hour and writing something, creating something with your person in mind. The more you do that, the easier it's going to get. It’s also the ticket to finding your voice and building up that content library that you can repurpose.  And in a selfish way, it helps you gain more clarity around your ideas and what you want to be known for.  Good writing is good thinking.  So the more you write, the better you will get at thinking and formulating with different teaching methods.  You'll keep experimenting, and you'll find what resonates and what sticks.  So putting your message out there even in small ways is the best practice for beginner copywriters and entrepreneurs.  

Number 5 of our Copywriting Tips to Live By: Creation Over Consumption

If you are strapped for time and wondering when you’ll fit in copywriting time, think of how much we consume content.  It's so easy to just sit on your phone and scroll through Instagram for an hour.  And then say, “I don't have time to create my own content.” You can still consume content, but you also have to take action and prioritize creation. Chanti says, “You’ve got to get out into the world and put it out there.  And content is the most vulnerable aspect of that, I would say, because it forces you to be consistent.  It forces you to take your ideas and put them on paper and share them with others.”  

Tips for Copywriting: It Takes Time to Develop Your Writing

As we said above, good writing comes from good thinking. That doesn’t happen overnight.  I think copywriting is a skill set that you get better at over time.  Even going back and listening to my first podcast episodes or the first YouTube video that I ever created is painful because my thinking had not developed to where it is now.  And I love that because it shows growth!

But, even when it gets tough, and you don’t want to keep writing content and emails, you have to stop yourself from over-consuming and, instead, push forward with the creation process. I will do anything not to have to create because it's easier to consume. It’s easy to get into a pattern where it's never enough.  You could binge-watch all the YouTube tutorials and read all the blogs, and make the excuse that it’s the priority because you’re learning, but that's rarely the case.  All of us know so much more than we give ourselves credit for. 

When you're first creating and copywriting, it often feels like you're just repeating other people's ideas because you've been in consumption mode for so long.  You're like regurgitating things that you've heard from other people.  And that feels weird.  But what you're developing is your unique spin and approach to that thing. 

When you consume content, think of what you agree with and what you disagree with. Figure out what your framework and methodologies are. Find your voice, and keep pursuing your creative process, your own way of teaching and sharing. You won’t find it right away, but the more you do it, the more aligned your writing becomes to your perspective.

More Tips on Copywriting for CEO Teachers®

How Paris Hilton can help you hone in on your brand voice and write with personality

A New Strategy for Emails That Engage and Actually Get Read

Copywriting 101: How to Craft Compelling Copy

If you loved Chanti’s advice as a business copywriter, you can connect with her on her website and Instagram. And if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with becoming a copywriter for business, take a deep breath. This is a long journey, and I’m here to help every single step of the way. If you’re dipping your toes into email marketing or you’re not seeing the results you’d like, click here to download my free guide: Marketing with Email CEO Teacher® Style. I can’t wait to see how you take it and these tips on copywriting and write awesome emails to your growing list!