As a designer, you know that messaging that blends on-brand visuals with copy is a perfect pair. But as a designer, you’re probably also not doing that all the time for yourself. So if your visuals are vibing, but your words aren’t working, what happens?

Emails for your services don’t get sent.
Opportunities pass your door and knock on someone else’s.
You blend in instead of standing out.

And the clients who need you go somewhere else because that person was visible and stood out as a go-to leader in their field.

That’s where strategic copywriting comes in. And no, it doesn’t need to be a custom project or a $5,000 retainer. There’s a much simpler way to get the words your clients need without overcommitting your time or budget.

It’s called Scribe, a copywriting subscription for designers that keeps your business visible and attracts your dream clients without you having to write a word.

What Is Scribe?

Scribe is a monthly copywriting subscription for designers and other creative service providers.

You get credit each month to choose what you need from a focused menu, like a homepage, a services page, social media captions, or even email welcome sequences.

Here’s why it works:

• You get professional, strategy-backed copy every single month.
• You stay consistent without burning out.
• You can offer a better experience to your own clients because you’re not worried about finding the next one after that project wraps up.

Also, there’s the option to purchase additional credits at a discounted rate if you need more support during a busier season. The system is flexible-yet-focused, so you’re never overwhelmed with choices or having to manage a retainer team member (because you have enough to worry about)!

Why Designers Need Access to Professional Copywriting (Without Going All-In on a Retainer)

A lot of designers tell me the same thing… “I don’t have the time to market myself because client work takes up all the time.”

So, what ends up happening?

• You try to write something “good enough,” telling yourself you’ll really give it your all “when you have more time.”
• You never actually send those emails or post those messages promoting your services because they feel rushed (or just sit unfinished in your drafts folder).

Then, your beautifully designed work is undercut by messaging that doesn’t convert.

Scribe solves that problem by making high-quality copy accessible, affordable, and completely tailored to your workflow.

You don’t need to write it yourself.
You don’t need to chase down freelancers.
You don’t need to become a copywriter for your business on top of being a designer.

Just submit your request and receive clean, on-brand, conversion-ready copy that supports your creative vision. And if you need to chat with me to make sure you’re on track for using your copy so it does something for your business? That’s not a problem. I’m a collaborator and partner without being someone you have to manage day to day.

What’s Included in the Copywriting Subscription?

Each month, you get:

• One credit to exchange for a deliverable from the Scribe menu (take a peek here!)
• A clear process with a strategic intake form and set turnaround time
• The option to add on more credits if you have a bigger, more time-consuming project
• Consistent support from someone who understands creative businesses

Some of the most popular deliverables include:

• Brand messaging guides
• Website pages like…
  • Services pages
  • About pages
  • Home pages
• Sales pages
• Lead magnets
• Email sequences like…
  • Welcome email sequences
  • Re-engagement email sequences
  • Sales email sequences

Also, you’ll get first dibs to new deliverables on the menu.

This isn’t a random bundle of templates. This is real copy, written by a real person (hi, it’s me) who understands how to make your visuals even more effective through intentional messaging.

Who Is Scribe For?

Scribe is for a designer who…

• Is tired of DIYing copy and marketing
• Wants professional-level messaging without the full scope of a custom copy project
• Values consistency and quality over chaotic, last-minute edits
• Cares about voice, clarity, and making sure the message actually connects

This copywriting subscription is not going to be a fit if you want unlimited revisions, rush turnarounds, or “just write something quick” copy. Scribe focuses on thoughtful, focused, effective communication, not random word dumps.

The ROI of Good Copy In Real Terms

Let’s talk about the return on investment. Professional copywriting isn’t just a nice-to-have. It directly impacts how you’re perceived, how you show up to market your business, and how that convert leads into buyers.

Here’s what strong copy can do:

• Increase email sign-ups through a clearer opt-in page
• Shorten the sales cycle by making services easier to understand
• Boost client confidence when they see the care you put into your business so they know you’ll do the same for theirs
• Turn that beautifully designed site of yours into an actual sales tool

And when your design and the messaging are working together? That’s when you become the go-to designer who gets it.

Why I Created This Subscription for Designers

I’ve worked with creative business owners long enough to know what slows them down and copy is usually at the top of the list. I know you can whip out a pretty graphic for yourself in a second, but you overthink the copy. Then, you never post it, you half-ass it so it’s generic and doesn’t talk about your perspective at all, or it becomes a portfolio piece that literally any designer could have posted. It doesn’t call in your clients and you get passed by for someone else.

I’ve also spent enough time inside projects to understand that most designers already have a strong 20-page brand voice guide. You’ve got that. What comes next is using it to form your words. So you need one solid piece of copy. On time. Written with care. That you can repurpose into way more content (hello, copy and paste!). Every month.

That’s what Scribe delivers.

It fits into your process.
It supports your vision.
It helps you call in clients.

And it does it all without overwhelming you.

How to Join Scribe, a Copywriting Subscription

Enrollment for Scribe is in the beta phase so we can work out kinks and make this the smoothest program possible for you. Spots are limited so I can keep the quality high.

To sign up at a founder’s rate (the lowest it’ll ever be) and to see a preview of the full deliverables menu, take a look at the Scribe offer here!

As a founding member of this subscription, you get rockstar pricing, the chance to shape this program into exactly what you need it to be, and first dibs on new offers!

It gives you one reliable source of great writing delivered monthly, always strategic, and ready to support the work you’re already doing.

You don’t need to add more to your plate. You just need a smarter way to get the words right.

tl;dr…

Scribe is a monthly copywriting subscription for designers and creative service providers. It offers one high-impact deliverable per month, like sales assets, service pages, or weekly nurture emails, at an accessible price. Scribe helps creatives offer stronger client experiences, support their visual work with strategic messaging, and save time without sacrificing quality. Built by a professional copywriter and messaging strategist, Scribe is a flexible, done-for-you solution that helps you market your business so you can stay booked and busy.

The post How to Get Strategic Copy with a Copywriting Subscription appeared first on Angelica Ross.

But not just any kind of discipline. Let me tell you how I came to this, then let’s break down how to take that discipline and turn it into a daily habit that you don’t need discipline to keep doing.

I teach fitness classes at a local studio and recently, I was talking to a student who’s been building back her strength after an extended period off. She said, “I just need more discipline. I want to train myself not to take a modification so I can get stronger.”

She was talking about how she doesn’t want to use a lighter weightload because she feels like that’s taking an easy way out. So instead, she thought if she just muscles through it, she’ll eventually get stronger.

We’ve been sold that since elementary school. Butt in chair. Eyes on chalkboard. Ears alert. Even when it’s a strain, physically or emotionally. So it’s no wonder that we grow up and we think discipline looks like pure repetition, stuffing down how you actually feel and whether you actually can do that.

What literally is “discipline” to do something?

The denotation of “discipline” is “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.”

How many times have you struggled to do something, yet called yourself lazy because you wanted to take a break? How many times have you struggled to lift something and called yourself weak?

And even after struggling to do something that was way past your abilities, you forced yourself to keep struggling. Keep striving. Beating yourself up the whole way, saying, “I just need more discipline. If only I stuck with it, I wouldn’t feel like this.”

We’ve been conditioned (again, since childhood) to accept that castigation. Look at that definition again. It ends with “…using punishment to correct disobedience.” Physical punishment. Mental punishment. It’s all punishment.

Think of the words we use when we’re doing something hard. We say “Oh it’s punishing work, but it makes us stronger” as a way to justify it.

Does punishment ever work? Spoiler…nah.

It’s one thing to “muscle through” a triceps kickback for a minute at a weightload that’s too heavy for you. You can trick yourself into doing massive damage by lifting something that’s too heavy for you.

Yet we call that “getting stronger” in the name of not looking weak in front of others. That’s so understandable to want to avoid (because, y’know, showing emotion or struggle has been packaged as “less than” in this country).

After a bit more chatting, I shared that that’s the opposite of what I believe makes you stronger. I don’t believe that it’s forcing ourselves to do something unsafe for our bodies and minds in the name of “strength” and “keeping up with everyone else”.

It’s knowing when to say, “This weight is throwing off my form and I’m learning bad habits to compensate.”

What does discipline to create actually look like?

To me, discipline is the act of showing up and doing what we can manage now until that becomes easy, then increasing the intensity. It’s in that stair-step up that we find growth and strength and new gains. And, like most things, when we take a step back and actually do it correctly, that’s when we see sustainable growth.

It’s being mindful of where our limits are and, within those boundaries, building trust with your body and mind that you can keep showing up. Even if it would be easier to fake it ‘til you make it, discipline is about doing what you know will lead to growth.

That’s discipline. Training your mind and body to keep showing up and doing the reps so you can get where you want to be (not to fake being strong for a minute or two at a time).

And it works with everything, not just lifting weights, though that’s such a visceral example we all understand. So how do you take this strength / discipline analogy and apply it to creating content for your business?

Writer’s block is laziness.

I saw Alton Brown talk the other night and during a Q+A session, someone posed the question, “How do you stay focused to complete a piece under a deadline when you have writer’s block?”

Brown went on to share that he believes writer’s block is an excuse. Writing is a skill you hone and you do so with repetition. It’s the butt in chair part of discipline. It’s putting in the reps of those triceps extensions (at a weight you can manage!) so you can build up that muscle and that strength.

He said something that was, possibly for him, a throw-away in the middle of a sentence that was impactful. He said, “You sit down and write. It’s pipe fitting. Your job is to write so you write.”

That pipe fitting comment stuck out to me. It’s a process. You don’t just write a book one day. The writing is the “fun” part (actually, being done is the fun part, but…y’know, for the sake of example). The other parts allow you to have fun. Finding the right pieces, grinding them to size, checking to see if they fit, re-sizing something…

It’s not just about sitting down and writing. It’s about setting yourself up to do the thing so you can write. It’s the discipline to show up and trust that you’ve got something that other people want to experience. It turns into a habit. A thing you do.

Turning discipline into a habit.

We’ve probably all read Atomic Habits (or listened to some Tim Ferris episodes) so you don’t need me regurgitating a bunch of “this worked for me so it has to work for you or else you’re lazy and deserve everything bad because you can’t discipline yourself to wake up at 5am” bullshit.

The best thing my coach ever said to me was to be the person who. Here’s an easy example. I rarely have to force myself to take my dog for a walk. I know it’s good for them, mentally and physically. It’s bonding time for us. And if I don’t, things get torn up in the house. I’m just a person who walks their dog, no decision-making necessary.

That’s the same when creating a habit. Become the person who…writes every day, who sends an email to their list every week, who responds thoughtfully to other people’s content they worked hard on.

Here’s what helps me stay in the practice of being a person who so I don’t have to rely on discipline to muscle through the hard stuff.

Look for the joy.

It’s one thing to sit down and force yourself to do it. That sounds a lot like punishment. And idk about you, but I don’t do well when I’m forced to do something. I will drag my feet so hard, they’ll hit the center of the Earth before my butt makes it in the chair.

But when I set myself up to find joy in the process, it’s different. I guess you could say it’s “romanticising” it, but are we still saying that? As in, taking pleasure in the things that feel good about the practice so you look forward to it. The candles, the coffee, the blankets.

Focus on the small wins.

Like at the gym, you go because you start to feel different in your body, more confident and capable. Then you feel good, more flexible and with better sleep. Then you feel strong. Then you feel like you WANT to keep going so you can keep feeling those things. Eventually, you’re just a person who goes to the gym.

Same goes with your content creation and writing practice. Little things add up that feel good and unlock that dopamine. Letting those snowball will help you want to be here, in this writing practice, until it becomes a thing you just do.

Create what you wish you had five years ago.

I believe we’re all here in entrepreneurship, especially us service providers and coaches, to create the things we wish we had five years ago. And I believe if we’re making offers and creating content that specifically speaks to that (and finding joy and focusing on small wins), this part is a no-brainer.

Make a list of what you wish you had when you started, or three years ago, or whatever time-frame and get hyper specific solving those problems. You’ll want to dig into it because you want to help people like you not struggle if they don’t have to.

So there it is. Beating writer’s block isn’t about putting your butt in the chair. I can get more done in two hours with focused intention versus eight hours of forcing myself to sit in my office. The trick is having the right kind of discipline to get started and letting the habit take over from there. Content creation, writing, just about anything can get run through these filters for an easier experience.

The post How Discipline Can Help You Unleash Your Creativity appeared first on Angelica Ross.

I posted about the date on Instagram and asked if anyone would be interested in a blog post talking about what I’ve learned in these 5 years of business ownership and got an overwhelming “YES!” response. Hopefully this helps you navigate your earlier years in business (or renews your love for your business if you’ve been around for a while, too).

1 – Organize Everything

I love a good to-do list. I also love containers and having everything in its place. At the same time, I can also let the mess balloon around me. However I always know where things are. Oh, my checkbook? Look under the pile of scratch paper near my blue-light blocking glasses. And that’s the point. Organize things so you know where they are.

Have a Dedicated Space to Work

Listen, I don’t care if you think you can work well in front of the TV with your feet up on the coffee table and some show that you’ve seen a thousand times already on for background noise. I guarantee you can’t work well like that.

We’re sold this laptop lifestyle where you can work from anywhere. And that’s true. But sometimes you need to really focus without distractions. You also need to be able to walk away at the end of the day. Otherwise, you’ll just keep working because there’s no distinct difference between “work” time and “life” time.

Having a dedicated spot to work will help you concentrate and it’ll also help you separate work time and life time. You can close the door to your office or move your laptop off the corner of the dining room table and practice “Out of sight, out of mind” so not every moment is dedicated to work.

Invest in Systems and Processes and Get Them in Order Before you Need Them

I spent way too much time trying to bootstrap things together with duct tape and bubble gum. Sometimes that works in a pinch. But sometimes that also means it’s hella frustrating to create these workarounds to save a buck or two when you could just grab a monthly subscription that does exactly what you need it to do.

Same with having a routine or a set workflow of doing something. Take the time to set it up on the front end when you aren’t super busy so you save yourself time and energy (and maybe even avoid an expensive mistake) when you get into the heart of working on your business.

2 – Find What Works For You

I tend to get stuck in a loop where I feel like I need to have the exact right system and process from the jump and it can never be updated. That’s so ridiculous. The likelihood that we’ll have the right answer the first time…all the time…is a bit like saying you’ll never eat a disappointing cookie. Cookies should be awesome, yet some just aren’t great. But you don’t know that until you try it.

Finding what works for you and being open to experimenting as you go is necessary. But beware, it’s a fine line between “finding a new tool” and getting stuck in analysis paralysis. Just pick something and make the best of it for now.

Tools and Processes that Work for Me

Pen and paper! I spent a lot of time feeling bad that I wasn’t using Asana / ClickUp / Trello for my business. It’s what we “should” use and what’s always recommended!!

That said, when it comes to tech tools, I have a few ride-or-die ones that I use for me (there are others that I use when I work with teams, which I’ve talked about here as well as a few other tools I’ve used). 

I recommend Dubsado to house contracts, forms, and schedulers. I know others prefer HoneyBook or 17Hats to manage client information. I thought about switching, but for now, this is fine. Wave sends my invoices and tracks my expenses, although I have a client who is all about QuickBooks, so I imagine it’s only a matter of time until I switch, too.

UberSuggest + Pinterest is also my favorite way to do keyword research for blog posts. CoSchedule is so helpful, especially to continue promoting links to your content after your blog post is published. I don’t use a social media scheduler now, but I have used Buffer, HootSuite, Tailwind, and CoSchedule at various times to manage publishing to social.

Work With Your Energy

Knowing your energy is so important. I know I am more creative and work best at the beginning of the day and also at the beginning of the week, so I set up my days to allow me to do my client fulfillment and other creative work when I’m the most sharp and can get the best result.

I also know I prefer to workout in the morning. Usually, I feel good afterwards and have really good writing sessions. So I will usually start my day in the same way (dog walk, work out, breakfast, writing). I’ve tried to write or focus in the afternoon or evening and nothing very good comes from it. Unless I’m on a deadline, I don’t push my creativity to try to be amazing at 4pm on Friday.

Charge What Works For You

Knowing your numbers is a big lesson I learned. I was working hard yet barely making anything. Everyone says to just raise your rates…but to what? Pricing is always a big conversation, especially for people just starting out and/or getting serious about making a sustainable profit.

Notice I didn’t say charge what you’re worth. I don’t think that’s helpful and it makes you feel like shit when no one takes you up on investing in a brand designer who’s just starting out yet charging $600,000 per hour.

When you do a job for a lower amount than what you need to sustain your lifestyle, you run into resentment for the project and/or client, you risk doing half-assed work, and you may even burn yourself out working overtime to make the money you need.

My favorite tip is to add up all your bills and obligations and that’s your “can’t make below this or I’m effed” number. That’s your baseline and you can go up from there. For example: Want to work with a coach who charges $2,000/month? Add it to your tally.

Eventually, you’ll get to a place where you have a good, better, best figure for your income. Then, you can look at your availability and decide how many people you have to work with to hit that number. Adjust as needed until you find a number that matches for you. Of course, pricing goes a bit deeper than this, but it’s a start.

3 – Know That It’s Okay to Change Your Mind

I think something that happens is that it’s seen as “bad” to change your mind. Right now in our society, changing your mind when presented with new information is seen as flaky, flip flopping, inconsistent, and so on.

Normalize Changing Your Mind When Presented with New Information

Surely, you’ve seen the memes on Instagram that say “Normalize Changing Your Mind When Presented with New Information.” I am here for it! As someone who can get stuck in that analysis paralysis loop trying to pick “the right thing” or perfect answer from the very beginning, I remind myself of this concept a lot.

There’s nothing wrong with trying something, then moving on when you find a solution that fits more fully where you are in business/life. For example, I started by sending invoices through an Excel spreadsheet and collecting payment with a check. Then I found FreshBooks, then I decided that Wave was actually the right accounting tool for me. Same with how I send contracts.

Will it change again in the future? Yes. But knowing what your requirements are, picking something to meet yourself where you are now, and working with that until it doesn’t work anymore will help you to just get started. It’ll take the pressure off and normalize that act of trying something new. 

Release People That Don’t Fit

We’re always evolving and so it should be okay that what works then versus now evolves, too. As such, the people you surround yourself with will ebb and flow as you grow. You may outgrow your business coach or your favorite client is a good person, but they don’t fit with your new services yet you feel obligated to work with them.

When things, people, and situations become more of a drag than a joy, being open to releasing them (kindly, gently, in integrity and alignment with your values) is helpful for your mental health. Someone better will come in and fill that spot because the Universe hates a vacuum and will plop something in that hole eventually.

4 – Protect Your Energy

The lessons I’ve learned around energy management are probably the most important ones and the ones I A) Got the most questions about and B) Always feel are the most necessary pieces to work on in order to create a business you want to have and live with and work on.

Release the Shoulds, Comparison, and Pressure, Especially with Social Media

If we were talking in terms of a Facebook relationship status, my feelings about social media would fall squarely into the “It’s complicated” camp. I’ve been most active on Instagram lately. But I also have a Facebook Page and thought I’d try my hand at running a group. If it were a plant, it would be so neglected, you’d just find a shriveled stem and some dusty soil that’s pulled away from the walls of the pot.

I spent a lot of time doing what others were doing. I’ve also hired marketing strategists to help me create a plan for my accounts… And then did nothing with that plan. Part of me is jaded. Listen, I know what you’re doing when you like a bunch of photos in a row, follow me, then leave me a comment or DM me about my most recent photo.

Bottom line: I invested a lot of energy into a “should” version of social media. I also invested a lot of time in making myself feel bad that I wasn’t sticking to a plan or I didn’t have the amazingly branded accounts of some people.

What really helped (but also took forever to learn) was releasing that comparison and how “other” people do it “better”. Once I let go of that belief that “I should do it like X does” and embraced a way that I do it and a way that feels good for me, the relationship got better.

I mean, I still won’t do that like-like-like-comment shuffle, but I pay more attention to being genuinely thoughtful with how to interact with social media. And I think that pays off. Formatting relationships isn’t strategic. It’s what we as humans do.

Take Time Off

This past year has been challenging for time off. Society tells us to hustle and grind anyway then you add on top of that the fact that we were all home and productivity was glorified. I mean, how many memes did you see that were like “If you didn’t come out of lockdown with a new business and a new language learned, what were you doing??” Um, surviving, sir.

Like I said above, I try to notice my energy and schedule time off or slower work times for when I know my energy dips. Summertime, end of the week/month, etc. I also hold pretty firm to weekends. I know it’s important for me to have this downtime or else. Personally, I know I’m much better working in moderation rather than cutting things out entirely. So I try to be moderate in my energy. Otherwise, I know if I binge on work and go for 14 days in a row, it’ll take me as long to get my energy back up.

Humans weren’t designed to stare at a computer for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Experiment with how it feels to take a half day off every week, or a week off every month. It may take a while to discover what works for you, but I’d encourage you to do so.

Get Help

No one exists in a vacuum. Throughout my time in business, I’ve hired coaches for general business help and specialists to address one specific area of business. I’ve worked with subcontractors to assist me with writing when my load got too heavy to carry alone. I sought out a therapist to support my mental health overall. I’ve also made countless coffee dates, co-working sessions, catch up Zoom calls, and Voxers venting to business besties.

Once more for the people late to class. We cannot do it alone. And no one is asking us to. But in this system that values “being self-made,” I know I have to be very careful that my naturally independent streak doesn’t cross over into martyr territory. If that’s you, too, I can tell you that investing in help has always generated something positive for me, whether it was more money, more time, or more happiness.

5 – A Few Random Thoughts

Anyone else get to the end of a list and thinks, “I have so much more to say!!” Yeah. Here are a few ‘sound bites’ of tips that feel important to include.

Rushing Will Get You Nowhere

The workout I do focuses on fatiguing your muscles through slow, repetitive movements. You haven’t done a lunge until you try to only do 3 reps in 45 seconds. Just the other day, the instructor leading the class said, “Rushing won’t make the clock go any faster.”

Embracing where you are now and being in the moment is hard, y’all. But it’s a good practice to get into. When I do rush and try to go faster and further and think 5 steps ahead, it’s inevitable that something goes wrong that makes me double back or re-do something, thereby wasting more time. That is not the way to go. When I feel like I’m in those grips of anxiety with time and pressure, I remind myself that time will go just as fast as it’s going to go. Rushing won’t help anything.

Know Where You Want to Go

One of my clients was a coach who also sold a vision board kit. In my time writing for her, I learned so much about the power of a strong vision. If where you are now doesn’t match where you want to end up, hold that vision for yourself and keep working toward it. Progress and taking the next right step toward that is more helpful than wishing for a big, “overnight success” type of change to take you from here to there.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

One of the hardest things to manage as an entrepreneur or business owner is the ebb and flow of it all. I don’t know about you, but I always want to feel progress and growth. To me, that used to look like things were always better. More in the bank account, more clients, more sales calls.

In time, I’ve learned that “better” actually looks like doing things with more intention. Or just doing things a little bit more in integrity with your values and wishes than you did yesterday.

That’s why I think it’s important to know where you want to go and do things for yourself, not for others. Embracing this rollercoaster of entrepreneurship is to be okay with the peaks and valleys. To know what you’re building and believe in it. Even if your actual business changes, it’s likely that your values will stay consistent. Make decisions based on your values and you will ride out the valleys and feel more joyful on the peaks.

Always Keep Learning

I feel like entrepreneurs are so good at this. We’re always learning through other people, whether it’s from coaches, masterminds, podcasts, books, etc. Our own bodies and intuition also house a host of knowledge. Staying curious, being open to ideas, and growing with that knowledge has helped me pivot and work through these last 5 years.

***

While this felt like an extensive post (congrats for making it through!) I feel like I just scratched the surface. There are always new lessons or bits of advice that I pick up as I go along. 

Are you an entrepreneur (solo-preneur, creative-preneur, soul-preneur…any-preneur) or business owner? What tips have you learned throughout your time working for yourself? I’d love to hear about them in the comments or share with me on Instagram or email me!

The post 5 Lessons from 5 Years as a Business Owner appeared first on Angelica Ross.

That’s just part of it. I’d recommend it even if I weren’t getting paid!

This is a quick and dirty overview of the platform and the best parts of its marketing automation uses. I love you, and I know you love me, but I also know you’re not reading every word and just skimming the headlines to get the gist of things.

In short: CoSchedule is a marketing automation platform that brings together your blogs, emails, and social media marketing calendars and allows you to automate your marketing.

You know I’m all about batching. You can do that with CoSchedule!

Write your blog, write your promotion for it, do it all when you are at your best and wittiest and schedule it for a later publish date so you’re consistently showing up.

No shame in that game. I get it and do it, too.

Best Part 1 | SCHEDULING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FROM YOU BLOG POST

YES, I am shouting. True story, I actually left CoSchedule for a while. (I was using it as an amateur blogger. Wanted to keep that status so I could be considered “for the people.”)

Like an ex you can’t quite shake off, I thought about using it again for myself while I was managing a client’s blog who happened to use CoSchedule.

Little by little, I worked up the courage to return. I peeked at the services (ReQueue basically recycles your old content so your queue is never dry), I stalked the prices page.

I was terrified I missed my chance when they removed the Individual plan.

Turns out, they just revamped the sales page and I still had a shot. At that point, I knew I couldn’t keep digging around with other people. I mean, scheduling software.

I absolutely love that you can schedule your social media posts right from your blog post.

You save time and (as April Ludgate wisely said) time is money, money is power, power is pizza.

It’s also super-handy because you can just scroll up, copy a section of your blog post, scroll to CoSchedule, paste it in, and you have a post you didn’t reallllly think about at all (but it looks like you did).

Even if someone doesn’t read your blog post, they may see your Instagram post with your sage knowledge and think you’re a genius.

Actually, you are a genius because you only had to write it once and it serves many content purposes.

In a world all about showing authority, that’s a great way to highlight you know your shit.

Best Part 2 | Best-time scheduling and drag + drop scheduling.

I hate trying to find a time to post to Twitter that is the “best time” for the most people to see me.

(Yes, I know there are tools that will help you do that, don’t @ me.)

Instead of using those other tools, you can do it right from CoSchedule (and right from your blog post). When you schedule, just hit the Best Time to Post option and (whoop) there it is.

Practically thought-less automation that looks intentional (which, if we’re being honest, is my favorite kind. If I can look like I’m considerate and thoughtful with little effort, I’m all for it. Yes, I’m a horrible person.)

You can also use the calendar feature within CoSchedule to drag and drop posts around.

As a visual thinker who likes to see the big picture, I can say that their calendar is a huge plus. I love visual organization, so I like looking at a calendar interface to see if things need to be spaced out. If so, I just drag the post to the new date.

(If you’re one of those weird, linear-thinking people, you can also see your posts in a list.)

Best Part 3 | Use CoSchedule as a marketing automation tool without a blog post.

Even though I’ve been banging on about how much time you’ll save when you use CoSchedule to link your blog posts and their promotion, you can also use it to automate your marketing unencumbered by a blog post.

That means you can use it even if you blog on Squarespace.

Wanna use CoSchedule to plan and execute your marketing? You can!

Wanna use CoSchedule to organize your launch campaign? You can!

Wanna use CoSchedule to store your ideas and create an editorial calendar? You can!

Wanna use CoSchedule to hire someone to do it for you? Well…you can’t. And that’s about the only thing.

Seriously, though, it isn’t just to promote your blogs, though that’s a big reason why I’ve always dreamed of being with CoSchedule again. Life is just much easier and I’m much happier with it by my marketing side.

Best Part 4 | Keep eyes on the content you worked so hard to write.

Imagine this…you finally got your act together, wrote the content you planned way back a few months ago and…then what? You posted it to Facebook once? You tweeted about it? You teased it on Instagram…… and then forgot to come back to it and schedule any further promotion for it, didn’t you?

Didn’t you??

Yeah, been there.

You work hard to come up with compelling topics and creative copy that catches attention.

So…. Get. That. Mileage.

This is why I LOVE that you can schedule the promotion for your blog posts within the post itself.

Instead of taking the link and putting it into your automation platform for Twitter, then taking the link and some copy variations over to Facebook, then again doing that with Instagram, you can do it all at once, all in one place.

They have a schedule made easy for you (day-of publish, day after, week after, month after) and you can add more dates if you want more exposure.

So a month after you write an awesome evergreen post, there’s still promotion for it.

Best Part 5 | Make it super-robust with Zapier integrations.

CoSchedue connects to your major social media and email automation networks (plan out your email campaigns in CoSchedule and they’re there for you in MailChimp) AND productivity tools to keep everything streamlined.

You can connect to Google Drive, Asana, Slack, Basecamp, HipChat…basically anything you’d use for your team communication and/or keeping your solo biz organized.

Best Part (if you have a team) 6 | Work together on all the projects.

You can communicate, set tasks, and request approval all within one interface.

I love me some Asana and Slack organization for teams and this is a way to bring it all together so you know all of your content (social, blogs, email, video, etc) is on time and on-task.

I highly recommend CoSchedule, if only to promote the words you worked so hard to write. The social media and other marketing automations are cherries on top of the value this already brings to your blog.

Links used throughout this post are affiliate links to CoSchedule. If you should you purchase via this link, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Like I said, coffee isn’t cheap and this helps keep me caffeinated and sane!

The post CoSchedule: A Quick + Dirty Marketing Tool Review appeared first on Angelica Ross.

This year, I set a goal to read two books every month. I recently finished Drop the Ball by Tiffany Dufu* and wow, was it eye opening. The premise is that by dropping the ball in work and in life, we’re able to find time to do what matters most to us. Seems a little counter-intuitive: by not doing some things, we can do other things better.

With everyone hitting the wall on their new year resolutions and letting that list of goals and accomplishments become coffee-stained and forgotten, this concept comes at a great time. Drop the ball. Do less. Achieve more.

Delegating is hard (trust me, I know.) It’s necessary, though, so we don’t burn ourselves out and become even more fatigued than we already are.

Right after reading this book, I was faced with a situation in which I could drop the ball and have a much better time and (here’s the kicker) no one really cared that I didn’t do the thing I said I would do.

We were out with my boyfriend’s sister and brother-in-law right before they moved. We ordered a cannoli cake for dessert that missed the mark — and for a table made up mostly of Italians, you best believe we noticed. Me, in my ever-present thinking of I could make that and I could do it better! said, “I’ll make cannoli when we come see you this week before you leave. It’ll be great!”

And then the week started and I was swamped. To top it off, I got word that a relative was in the hospital (she’s fine now) and I wanted to visit her as soon as I could, which happened to be on the day we were supposed to see my boyfriend’s sister before she left. So that day, I had my meetings and went to the store to procure cannoli supplies and visited the hospital. Everything was going great until I went to another grocery store to buy cannoli shells.

I know, I was buying cannoli shells instead of making them myself. I thought that was the answer to dropping the ball (and also not buying cannoli forms. What else would I use them for??)

Of course, that store didn’t have cannoli shells. I could have (and probably should have) gone to a specialty Italian store, but I was running out of time.

So I made the choice to drop the ball. Let me tell you, it stung not to be able to do it all. My time was better spent creating an email for a client, though, instead of driving to another part of town in a wild goose chase for these magical Italian treats.

Guess what? No one cared I didn’t deliver fresh cannoli. No one even remembered I said I was going to make cannoli. What really mattered is that I showed up and was present for a visit. And the mini Oreo cheesecakes that I did bring with me were just as good. (Pro tip: keep cookies in the freezer that you can grab-and-go when you need a quick hostess gift.)

How dropping the ball lets you focus on what matters (and have a better quality of life so you can show up for the big things).

The first thing to do is get really clear on the big things that matter most to you.

In Drop the Ball, Tiffany said she wanted to help girls become leaders and raise conscientious children. Does stressing about Valentine’s Day cards help with any of that? No. She let it go. She embraced the idea that done is better than perfect and had her kids make Valentine cards for their class. In my example, spending meaningful time with those I care about is more important than being perceived as the next coming of Betty Crocker.

The next, and I’ll argue harder, step is letting go.

Being a martyr will help no one. Your quality of life is so poor from the stress of trying to please everyone while not doing anything to please yourself. The work you do is probably riddled with errors and mistakes and missed assignments anyway. And if you like playing the martyr role, you should probably move on from this post right now because I’m giving off all kinds of anti-martyr spirit.

When you let go of the things that you think you should do and stop worrying about how people will look at you if you car isn’t always perfectly detailed, it allows you to make time for what’s really important. You’ll also experience a better caliber of work delivered since you’ll be able to focus on one task at a time and do it extremely well.

You have to let go of those things AND the idea that you can do everything. We’ve all heard someone say, “I don’t know how she does it all.” I’m willing to bet a) she’s incredible frazzled at all times, b) has a team helping her do it all, or c) doesn’t really do it all.

So, when opportunities come along that don’t contribute to your big dreams, let them go. It’s perfectly okay to say, “This won’t work for me, but here’s someone who can help.” It’s a gentle way of saying no and preserving your time and sanity while still being helpful.

It’ll also show the world that you’re serious about what you do. You’re the expert and you don’t let anything derail you from getting that big shiny object you want. I’d rather work with someone who knows exactly what they do and who they help instead of someone who kinda sorta almost can get the results I want.

The key here is to hold firm to your convictions. It takes practice! I’m a recovering do-it-all-yourselfer and there are still times when I overload my schedule and fool myself into thinking I can accomplish everything.

When we drop the things that won’t help us move the mountains that we want to move, we’re able to give our full attention to the projects that will.

What balls have you dropped or are planning to drop? And what’s the big thing you want to make happen?

Leave your answer in the comments. I’d love to cheer you on!

*This is an affiliate link from Amazon. If you should you purchase via this link, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Coffee isn’t cheap and this helps keep me caffeinated and sane! Thanks!

The post How Dropping the Ball Allows you to Focus on What Matters appeared first on Angelica Ross.

I’ve been thinking about connotation a lot. That’s evidenced by the post about “hustling” and other words we can use instead of hustle to show that we’re working hard.

(The long and short of that post is that “hustle” has a connotation that you’re tricking people and conning them out of their money, which is not at all how I want to be perceived or feel about doing business.)

It seems like this is a perfect follow up, at least in my mind.

I’ve seen a lot of posts on Pinterest lately that boast 40 Tricks for Increasing your Social Presence or Do These 5 Tricks and Your SEO is Gonna Explode!!!!!

I’m all for sharing actionable advice. That’s what a lot of what I have done on this blog. And pretty much what my entire email list is based on. Free advice from an expert to someone who needs it.

Not only is that a smart strategy to grow your business (it builds trust and yada yada) but it’s just plain nice. You have all of this information in your head. Why hoard it!? Why not give it away freely? It may help someone who really needs it to support themselves and their business and so on.

But to say that you’re sharing these so-called tricks? Now that is where I have an issue.

Trick makes me think of hustle; like it’s a con you’re running.

Say you wrote that blog post, “40 Tricks for Increasing your Social Presence.” Girl. You need a better headline.

That just screams that you’ve a) click-baited your audience into reading that post and b) encouraged them to do the same thing to their audience. It’s like you’re just showing people how to run a con. Your audience is using that advice and tricking their audience into doing what they want them to do (sign up for a mailing list, read a blog post, etc).

So, the tl;dr of that boils down to: you’re teaching your audience how to use deception to get what they want from their audience.

Instead, don’t you want to show your audience real value? Teach a man to fish and such.

When you look at the dictionary definition (also known as the denotation of a word or the literal meaning of a word), the first part of the main definition tells us that trick is “a cunning or skillful act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone.” It isn’t until the fifth part of the main definition that we get to “a clever or particular way of doing something.”

Even the dictionary first agrees that the most important definition of this word shows that the intent is to be deceptive.

Now, I know these articles mean to use that fifth part of the definition (at least, I really hope so). So why not say what you mean! Instead of “40 Tricks for Increasing your Social Presence,” a much stronger headline is “40 Tips what will Increase your Social Presence.” Or “40 Unique Ways to Increase your Social Presence.” Or “40 Simple Secrets No One Else Knows for Increasing your Social Presence.”

Okay, that last one is a little long, but you get my point. Trick is an easy word to use, but it isn’t the best word. For that matter, it isn’t a strong word either. I’d rather get my advice from someone who’s post is titled 40 Expert-Tested Ways to Increase your Social Presence.

What I find particularly amusing is that the adjective version of this word means “defective,” as in “a trick knee.”

That gives new meaning to “40 Tricks for Increasing your Social Presence.” I wouldn’t want to read a blog post that’s telling me 40 ways to screw up my social presence. Unless it’s written by Thomas Edison and it’s all about how you’re not failing, you’re just finding 40 ways to do something wrong. But even then….ehhhh, no thanks.

Such ends my rant on word choice. What do you think about the word “trick”?

The post Should You Share Tricks or Tips? appeared first on Angelica Ross.