7 Lessons in 7 years (as a Messaging and Copy Strategist)
March is my seven-years-in-business anniversary. Seven years as a freelance copywriter and business owner. Over a decade of messaging and copywriting strategy under my belt.
It's a big milestone. Not least because, according to government figures, 3 in 5 UK businesses fail within their first five years.
Seven is also a big deal for other reasons. Friendships that last seven years are, apparently, for life. It's also said that we're all reborn every seven years – not because of anything woo, but because our cells fully regenerate, giving us a secret sense of renewal we might not even notice. (Might be some pseudoscience in that one).
Emma Griffin Writes has certainly weathered its fair share of surface-level and skin-deep changes. I've gone from a purely freelance copywriting set-up in 2019, hustling for work in Facebook groups and fulfilling corporate day-rate contracts, to where I am now: specialising in messaging strategy for other business owners. With my own packages. My own timelines. And not a "freelancer needed ASAP max fee £300 a day" LinkedIn DM from some recruiter, who definitely doesn’t remember the last time we spoke, in sight.
Does the seven-year friendship rule apply to businesses too? Who knows. Things change. People change. I certainly change. But for now, we're still here, and I'm happy about that.
Here are seven business lessons I've learnt in seven years providing messaging strategy, copy coaching and copywriting for small businesses.
1. AGILITY IS A BUSINESS ASSET
I've lost count of the minor shifts I've made over the years to the copywriting services I offer, who to and how. Covid. The rise of AI. The economy doing whatever it's doing. The micro-shifts in how people buy. As a copy and messaging strategist, my ability to reflect, spot patterns and re-navigate has been one of the biggest factors in still being here at year seven. Staying curious about what the market needs, and what I can do with my business, keeps me booked – and it also keeps me from boredom.
Right now, I’ve settled on bespoke done-for-you web copywriting services, like my Hook Strategy and Website Copy package; a short, sharp and highly effective Copy Clinic for small businesses who need a copy expert all up in their Google Doc; and Copy Community, where entrepreneurs of all kinds can access rolling monthly copy audits, coaching and co-working sessions with me. I love every single one for different reasons.
2. MARKETING LOOKS DIFFERENT FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS
If you've ever fallen prey to advice that says you need to be posting constantly on social media to get clients, let me offer a reframe. Unless you're selling a 1:many programme or running courses – where more buyers doesn't mean more hours – you have a finite number of people you can serve each year anyway. So obsessively chasing followers and eyeballs? Even if that all worked perfectly, and every post led to a new client, you'd be over capacity in a heartbeat. You couldn't handle the volume without aggressively shifting your business model.
The maths on 'more reach = more growth' just doesn't hold when there's a hard ceiling on your capacity as a done-for-you service provider who isn't necessarily interested in growing a team. And you probably only need to sell ten or fewer of your highest-priced offer per year anyway. I often need to remind myself of this, so I'm including this here in case you do too!
3. WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH MARKETING NOW WILL DIRECTLY IMPACT YOUR ENQUIRIES IN 6 MONTHS
Having said that – completely disappearing isn't the answer either. Seven years in, I now have something that vaguely resembles marketing consistency in my copywriting business. I send one email a week (sharing copy tips, messaging and business wisdom) as my non-negotiable bare minimum. Ideally I'll also show up on Instagram a few times a month and pop up semi-regularly on stories. Normally, that's both achievable and enough.
Would I like to be on LinkedIn or Threads? Sure. But would adding LinkedIn or Threads right now dilute the effort I'm putting into the channels I already have? Absolutely. My rule is: no shiny social objects. If I can't show up well somewhere, I don't add it to the list. Consistency for me doesn't mean EVERYWHERE. It means reliably, somewhere, in a way that's actually doable and enjoyable.
4. FOLLOWERS ARE VANITY. COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING
Almost every client I've worked with in the last few years came through a relationship – a referral, a conversation had years ago, someone who'd been on my email list for two years before they were finally ready. Notice how none of those were a viral IG post.
I think this is where a lot of people get tripped up: they're so busy trying to grow an audience with viral hooks that they forget to build a community. And there's a HUGE difference.
Seven years in, I invest in relationships the old-fashioned way: through my time and energy. I always try to reply to subscribers when they respond to an email (try it and see for yourself). I remember things. I make sure I chat about real-life stuff with people I'd love to work with, or have worked with in the past. I make time for that 1:1 coffee. It sounds almost embarrassingly simple – but it's easy to forget how nurturing a few genuine business relationships can pay off (and it's just so nice to make friends through your business!).
5. NICHE ENOUGH TO BE KNOWN, BUT NOT SO MUCH YOU GET BORED
There's a received wisdom in the online business world that says NICHE NICHE NICHE. And many of my Hook Strategy clients have followed that advice to the letter... only, they're not only good at one thing. And doing, marketing and selling that one thing over and over gets dull REAL quick.
Look, there's real power in being known for something. But that doesn't mean niching yourself into a corner.
I've watched it happen to others and I've felt the pull of that myself. The answer, for me, has never been to put all my "copy and messaging" eggs in one basket. Hook Strategy. Copy Clinics. Group programmes. Online communities. Mentoring for copywriters at one point. The through-line stays the same, but the way I show up to deliver it is always evolving. I can pour in and pull back as and when I want to shift focus.
That flexibility has kept me from burning out on my own work – and it's also meant that if one income stream goes quiet, I'm not completely derailed. Know your thing. But don't be so precious about how you deliver it that you stop enjoying it. Oh, and if knowing how to sell work you love without simplifying yourself into mediocrity is on your mind, that's what Hook Strategy is for, btw :)
6. YOUR WORKING PROCESS MIGHT LOOK TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO EVERYONE ELSE'S (AND THAT'S OK)
I have friends and clients who time-track every minute, block everything from their workouts to their walks into their business calendar, and couldn't live without ClickUp or Notion. I am... not one of those people. Honestly, digital project management software brings me out in hives, and if you could see the number of Notion boards I have accidentally locked myself out of... well. Just give me a pen, paper, Dubsado and a simple iCal and I'm fine, thanks.
For years, I felt a deep shame about the way I work best. When I first started Emma Griffin Writes, I tried to force myself into the right patterns. The Pomodoro technique hated to see me coming... for two weeks, before I got sick of it. No "productivity hack" I tried stuck.
Seven years in, I've finally made peace with the fact I need flexibility within a light structure – enough to channel the creative chaos, not so much that I get bored and start doing something completely different instead.
7. PROTECT YOUR CREATIVE CUP, OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL DRAIN IT
I can't quite believe it took me five years of being self-employed to simply stop working on Fridays.
But here we are. Now Fridays are mine. Sometimes I write short stories (I'm working on a collection). Sometimes I go on an Artist Date to a gallery. Sometimes I write for my Substack (which is, incidentally, about this very subject!). Sometimes I simply get my eyebrows done, go for a climb, and watch Netflix with my cats. The point is: I don't work. And more often than not, writing or creating happens anyway – whether I feel like it or not.
If you're a creative business owner, your creative projects matter as much as your client work. But you will never get to them if you keep pushing them to the bottom of the list. You MUST make time for them. If you’re the boss, you make the rules. Working a day less has only positively impacted my productivity too when I do work, too. Funny that.
Seven years. Still here. Still learning more lessons!