Transforming Copy for Clients
While many clients approach me to write their business story from scratch, some of my favorite projects involve copyediting or polishing prose to make a story shine. For instance, there's Deborah Knight, Transformation and Manifestation Expert, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a women's networking group in May.
The tenet of Deborah's work is that each of us has a Soul Purpose, and her talent is helping people uncover what that purpose is. Her six-week "Magic of Manifestation" course offers tools and insights for participants get in touch with their values, discover what matters to them, and develop the habits and attitude (what she cleverly calls "Habitude"...love me a portmanteau word!) to make that purpose a reality.
Deborah approached me with the course outline that she designed to give participants a clear road map for what to expect over the six-week course. What we ended up with was a course outline that also served as a marketing piece for promoting the course on social media.
Deborah is already a good writer, and her content glows and inspires. What she needed was a little revamping of the message to clarify what students/participants in her course can expect over the time of the course.
Most of my editing involved making the piece skimmable; the internet trained us all to look for headings that give us the gist of a piece of writing, and when our interest is piqued, we'll dive in for a deeper read. Deborah had clear objectives for modules, but needed headings to summarize the concepts each module addressed.
Here's an example of a module before the copyedit:
Module #2
This Module is all about the energy! You’ll learn why everything in your life is exactly what you have manifested and how to turn that all around if it is not what you desire. You’ll discover the 4 things that people have been doing and thinking that is actually why they are where they are. Once you learn about #1 things will never be the same.
And now after:
Module #2: Embrace the Universal Energies
This Module is all about the energy you possess and how it helps (and hinders) you to create the life you live! We’ll discuss and discover the 4 ways in which your thoughts affect your actions and in turn impact your reality. Once you learn about #1 way thoughts affect your surroundings, your life, things will never be the same.
A summation of the module, and some polish on the prose, and voila! We have clearer, more engaging copy! But more importantly, we have a happy client, as evidenced by Deborah's LinkedIn recommendation:
Wow! Judi you took the outline for my Magic of Manifestation program and not only helped me put into words what I wanted to convey, but you came up with the perfect titles for each module. You actually brought the emotion into it, which is rather funny because E-Motion (Energy in Motion) is the basis of my work. You captured it perfectly! I can’t thank you enough! Within minutes of our first conversation I knew I wanted you to help me. I knew that writing was not my strongest skill set, but your kind honest ways and of course your sense of humor made the process so easy and yes, FUN! Thank you so much!"
Another tweak to Deborah's course summary was the intro, which she can now repurpose on various social media forums to promote her course:
Are you ready to go on a journey to discover the magic of manifesting your dreams? In this 6-week course you will learn the energy behind the Law of Attraction and how to use it to your advantage. You’ll discover the #1 thing people do that sets them up for disappointment and failure. You’ll learn processes and hone skills to use any time and for anything you desire. Most importantly, you’ll gain a level self-love that will embolden you to live your life with ease and grace.
Ready? Let's go!
Well? Are you ready? Deborah's next "Magic of Manifestation" course starts July 29th. Contact her at Deborah@coachdeborahknight.com to sign up. I can attest to how fun she makes the course. Her infectious energy and perceptive insights have truly transformed my approach to daily routines that support my values as I embark on my life as a writer.
Do you have a piece of writing you would like to bring to life to propel your business, or some other aspect of your life? Contact me by email to schedule a 15-minute consult. Thanks to Deborah, I can now honestly say that I live to transform the written word.
