Irie Copy

03/25/2022

My name is “Kaylene” 👋🏾

…and you’d be surprised by the number of creative ways I’ve seen it spelled my whole life.

Kaylyn 😒
Karoline 😡
Kathleen 🤬

My mom always told me to correct people when they jacked it up, but over the years I let it slide. Getting others to say or spell my name right became much harder work than it was worth.

But this week showed me some things.

Even if you have a Wikipedia page—

If you’ve been the trending topic for over a week—

And at the highest levels of influence & stature, people will blatantly put their convenience over your identity.

I’ve seen it with the Lupitas, Zendayas, Gaboureys, and Quvenzhanés. And now I’ve seen it with Judge Brown Jackson.

For all the ladies who’ve ever seen a red squiggly spell check line under your name…correct anyone who muddles it up. Your identity is yours to protect.

And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, stand up for your fellow sister. Learn to say & spell her name the right way.

(You in the “complicated” name club? And I’m talking surnames too. Drop a 🤦🏾‍♀️ for solidarity.)

02/10/2022

Read it and weep.

Your about page ain’t about you, friend!

It’s my favorite exercise to comb through a service pro’s web copy & count how many “I”s made it to the final cut.

But why are copywriters all about saying “goodbye” to “I?”

Especially on a page that’s about you??

When your audience lands on your about page, they aren’t thinking about you.

They’re thinking about how you (and the incredible brand you’ve built) can butt-kick their concerns into infinity and beyond 🚀

Let a good 70% of your about page say:
✔️ your brand’s origin story & how it grew into its shoes. 👠
✔️ valuable headlines & body copy that fully understands & empathizes with pain points.
✔️HERE’S THE PROOF. Drop them testimonials, metrics, & case studies, boo.

And with the other 30%?
✔️ Fast, fun facts about you.
✔️ Your brand voice & values! Be genuine—whatever that means for *you.*
✔️Your vision. How does your long-term goal impact how you make magic happen today?

And when all else fails, try my #1 copy editing ticket to success: rewrite every sentence that starts with “I” to start with “you.”✨

Trust me, it’ll feel weird at first. And you can always finesse anything that sounds icky later.

But it reads like you’ve wriggled yourself into your dream clients mind (and actually know wtf you’re talking about with your audience).

Let’s get this copy started! Cut and paste your current about page into a doc & try it out.

Then, DM me your new favorite section to hear some thoughts (fo’ free)!

02/07/2022

02/01/2022

They. All. Looked. The. Same. 🙃

Last time I did some competitor research, I looked at who was dominating Google.

Y’know, ‘cause SEO is my jam.

Can I share a business goal with you? This year, I'm gonna climb even higher on Google's page rankings than I did last.

(And I can help you do that too. But I digress.)

No copywriter in the top results looked like me. Not for pages on pages. Not even close.

And while that’s not a terrible thing (because they were all boss-ass women in their own right)…it kinda left me…a little down?

What's up with this picture? Where's the color?

(Share if you've ever been here. I'll wait.)

Deep-hearted conversion copy requires a close connection between a copywriter & a client.

Sometimes that means…
✊🏾Shared pop culture tastes
✊🏾Similar speech, cadence, & slang
✊🏾Lived experiences
✊🏾Cultural values & references

So many service pros who look/talk like me miss out on powerful brand messaging transformations—

Because you can’t find a professional who can build that connection with you or your audience.

I always come back to my vision for Irie Copy when something like this happens.

“Give diverse brands the power to take up space.”

Not fit in.
Not measure up.
Take up space.

I'm living by that this Black History Month...and tbh, you'll probably catch me saying it all year long.

Speak up in the comments: how do you plan to uplift and support a Black-owned biz this year? 💪🏾 Matter fact, drop someone who I can support with you!

(And imma feel some type of way if y’all sleep on this one today…😭)

01/27/2022

A year ago today, I launched these words for the first time 👇🏾

“Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by writing your website’s words.” 🙋🏾‍♀️

ONE FULL YEAR has passed & since then, I’ve had the wonderful honor to work with 12 different service providers who bravely raised their hands with me.

(PHEW. Tell that to my 2021 imposter syndrome.)

I founded this business to help service providers who struggle with their cursor just to lose themselves in the writing process.

Irie Copy’s studio stands for:

📎 the struggling service provider losing herself in the writing process,

📎 the entrepreneur looking for the right way to “write like normal,”

📎 the voiceless brand owner with a message that feels bigger & bolder than anything she can say,

📎 so many others who believe that web copy should show your heart, vision, and unique gift to this world.

What began as a persistent idea bunny in my head transformed into a real-deal business (😭?!?!) while teaching me so much about myself and the world around me.

I can’t wait to see what year 2 brings for Irie Copy (and I hope you’re strapped in for the ride).

Thanks for helping me build my dream, y’all. 💚

01/24/2022

Can I be real? 💯

Ofc I can, you already know what’s up over here.

It’s taken me over a year to batch content for my business.

Ooof. Right? 😬

Not because I’m too mentally exhausted. (Which, yeah ok. I’ll cut myself some slack. Helloooo pandemic depression. 🙃)

But because when all you do make words work for others, it’s hard to make ‘em work for yourself sometimes.

Can any passionate creatives out there relate? All the fun, artsy, & groundbreaking ideas—gone 💡💨, once you sit down to move the needle for yourself.

All I’m saying…write the damn thing.

Today. It’s a new week.

Play with everything and polish it up later, but go forth and get your words out there.

You’re holding a message that someone needs to hear right now. SO, share it with them.

I didn’t mean to get up here and bless myself this morning, but hey. 🙌🏾 We’ve got some cool ish coming up this week and I’m really hype to spend some time on it today.

But real quick—creative service pros: in your small business, what do you use Mondays for?

01/04/2022

Now I could get reamed out for this but… 😬

The small business world (no matter which niche you land in) can feel like high school.

Honestly, maybe even middle school.

Sh*t-talking. (lbr here).

Overthinking.

Passive aggression.

The pressure to be someone you’re not.

The anxiety-riddled desire to be liked.

Ya girl…she tired, fam. 🙃

Promise to myself? GROWING 👏🏾 TF 👏🏾 UP 👏🏾 this year.

That means: no distractions, unhealthy comparisons, or falling into reverse.

I’m silencing the noise, tuning closer into what’s meant for me, and working hard for it.

Focusing on the right things, the ones that’ll propel you & your business forward? It can be tough. But I believe we’re on the verge of a big year for service providers, friends. ❤️

[ 📌 Save this for the next time you need a kick-in-the-butt reminder this year. ]

In the coming weeks, I’ll get to show you how:

🖊well-planned copy
🖊paired with a true voice
🖊and a “you-focused” strategy

…can help you tighten that focus.

So, be real with me (and yourself)! Whats your challenge to last year’s version of you?

01/03/2022

A short note dedicated to sweet, stressed-out service providers wondering what this year has in store: ✨

2021 taught me what “being better to yourself” really meant.

I got on a personal development rollercoaster (read: entrepreneurship).

Spent nearly 6 months battling the deepest physical pain I’d ever known. For all you chronic pain babes out there, I salute you a million times.

I lost hard & loved harder.

Failed & figured it out.

But most importantly (to me), I stepped back when I needed to. I focused deeply on my goals—achieved some, pushed back others.

Btw, fellow perfectionists, that’s totally okay. 🤯

I set rigid screen time limits, hunkered down, and embarked on a half-year-long siesta from social media marketing.

And you wanna know something? This business’s heart kept beating.

It's the first time I'm out of my quiet copy grotto in a while, so here are some Irie Copy-approved reminders for you:

💛Go easy on yourself this year. 
💛Make real, personal connections with the people you serve & let yourself enjoy it.
💛Dig into your audience. You don’t *need* to master whatever new strategy the algorithm drops. 
💛Quit running yourself ragged doing all. of. the. things. Rest, miss girl.
💛Be BETTER, kinder, and quicker to love yourself.

Focus on sharing your voice, loving your craft, and delivering your value. Your people will meet you right where you are.

Here’s to you in 2022, friend.

💕, Kaylene

06/04/2021

It’s.....been a MINUTE.

Sometimes, ya girl’s gotta get away & get some fresh lake air (and that’s exactly what I did).

Now that I’m settled back in, I’m seeing a boatload of friends have landed while OOO. I’d be a terrible host if I didn’t welcome you.

I’m Kaylene! 🤗 Rounding out the quick tidbits above, here are 4 major things to know about yours truly:

👽 We’re gonna get weird. That’s just how it is. (Hence the alien emoji.)

👽 Too many of us are trying to be like each other in the creative space. I believe in crafting copy that spotlights YOU and your story.

👽 I’m gonna mention being an Aquarius/an enneagram 4w3/a theatre kid at least 30 more times while you’re here. Can’t say I didn’t warn you!

👽 Hiring me is the fastest way to reel in your perfect clients while sipping margs on the water this summer.

Curious about how? Click “read my tale” at the link in my bio & go even further backstage. (If you’re jonesing for a Friday marg while you read, this one’s on me! 🍹)

05/21/2021

Here's why I never write website copy without building a brand messaging strategy. 😯

You've probably done a LOT by the time you reach out to me (or any copywriter):

✅ toyed with a few different “voices” and tones to find one that fits right
✅ googled “how to write a mission statement” more than a few times
✅ spent faaaar too long DIYing your own website copy
..with less than favorable website conversion rates. 🥴

There's a way to curb the confusion when you write for your business.

Ready?

Hire a copywriter who delivers your web copy with a strong brand message, so you get well-rounded words that don't neglect your strategy.

Tired of trying to figure out what to say all the time? Your friendly, neighborhood copywoman’s here to help! 🦸🏾‍♀️

Click the link in my bio & let’s chat about it.