Apr 8, 2022
How To Give Good Feedback: Part 3
ICYMI, see my two previous posts for How To Give Good Feedback: Parts One & Two.
✍️ Rule # 3: You’re a badass and you’re going to have to deal with it.
The thing that makes people the most uncomfortable in all the world (especially women) is to see their own brilliance reflected back at them. It’s VERY intense and daunting to see yourself in this way… but that doesn’t mean the copy is wrong. 😉
Similarly, when great copy is doing its thing, there’s usually a powerful message that isn’t pulling any punches. (No “I believe that…” or “It seems like…” or “most people…” qualifying bullshit.)
Example:
“Traditional marketing is rooted in patriarchy and white supremacy.”
Boom. We *know* that’s what I think, because we’re on MY website. I’m stating this as a truth, a foregone conclusion.
And when you see your own point of view stripped of all its protective cushioning, your first instinct is often to “tone it down” or play it juuuust a little bit safer.
Which gets in the way of you providing the critical feedback that I need to make the writing better.
So, let me remind you of a few things—
✳️ No one is sneering at your site copy and thinking what an imposter you are. (If they are, they’re a jerk, and you don’t want to work with them anyway.)
✳️ Most people want good things for you, especially if they’re bothering to read your site copy.
✳️ When people read your bio, or your about page, or your site in general, you want them to have one of two basic reactions:
a) This person / company is AWESOME! They’re my best friend! I want to spend all my time with them and give them #allthemoney!
b) Ugh, no thank you.
Part of your site’s job is to filter out the people who aren’t ideal clients, so they don’t muck up the works and take up all your time. You can’t do that with wishy-washy vague language.
✳️ Sad truth: Nobody reads website copy as much as we wish they did. If they do, they’re usually skipping around, taking it in bites, not pondering and wringing their hands over it like we are.
✳️ YOU ACTUALLY ARE A BADASS. I don’t know how else to tell you, you’re just gonna have to take my word for it.
About Sam
Samantha Pollack is a Copywriter & Creative Director who works with ethically minded, mission driven businesses who are actively trying to reshape our culture (and possibly tear down the patriarchy). She’s also the founder of The Highly Sensitive Business Owner, a 12-week online program that helps HSPs & neurodivergent business owners create healthier, more sustainable systems in their work.
Sam also writes about feminism, privilege, pop culture, entrepreneurship, the creative process, and whatever else is on her mind. She currently lives in Asheville, NC.
Emails for cult thought leaders.
(Personality included.)
Want to learn how to craft emails that inspire action and engagement WITHOUT the “tried and true” (cough: patriarchal) norms we’ve all been taught?
I’m doing it, and I can show you how to do it, too.
(But sometimes, I also like to write about the books I’m reading, or the creative process, or the entrepreneurial experience, or why I hate Steve Jobs, or how I met my BFF. I’ll send you emails like that, too.)
*Just kidding. It’s only an email list.
Books. Cats. Rants. Drawrings.
(and every couple months or so, an unexplained absence 🤷🏻)
