Reading · Point Of The Story Podcast

One of my favourite things about interviewing people on the podcast is that I usually walk away questioning something I thought I already believed.

This week was one of those episodes.

I sat down with messaging and growth strategist, Natalie, to talk about selling with a small audience, fully expecting we’d spend most of the conversation talking about visibility.

Instead...We spent most of it talking about messaging.

Because as Natalie pointed out, there are people making multiple six figures from an email list of fewer than 500 people.

And there are people with 20,000 followers wondering why nobody’s buying.

Turns out, audience size isn’t always the problem.

Here’s all the fun things we learned about Jemilla:

If she could gather “nuts” like a squirrel: Literally nuts. Brazil nuts. Specifically with dark chocolate and a really good coffee.

If she had to get a phrase tattooed on her face: “Add to pasta.”

It’s written in Natalie’s nana’s handwriting and came from a random note she found scribbled in the margin of an old recipe book after she passed away.

What would be in the museum gift shop dedicated to her: Handmade ceramic mugs because she’s become a pottery girl.

Her walkout song: Apparently British people hear “walkout song” and think I’m asking what should be played at their funeral.

Natalie thought I meant the song you’d play while dramatically leaving your partner.

Which, honestly, also deserves its own playlist.

Her answer: “Caught Out There” by Kelis

One of the first things Natalie said completely shifted how I think about small audiences.

She said the goal isn’t to obsess over getting bigger numbers.

It’s to show up for the few.

She shared a story about launching a $500 pop-up offer that only attracted around ten people. This is hardly the kind of launch that gets screenshot and posted on Instagram.

Except...

Those ten people became repeat clients. That tiny offer generated around $65,000 in revenue over the following year because she poured everything into helping those first clients get incredible results.

Sometimes we’re so busy chasing more people...We stop taking care of the people already standing in front of us.

This might have been my favourite analogy ever.

Natalie told me about a vegan bakery near her that closed down.

Not because the pastries weren’t good, but because all of their messaging was: “We’re a vegan bakery.”

Nobody wakes up craving a vegan bakery.

They wake up craving a buttery croissant.

So instead of leading with: “We sell vegan croissants.”

Lead with: “Croissants so buttery you’d never know they’re butter-free.”

The same concept applies to service providers.

Nobody wakes up thinking: “I really hope I hire a copywriter today.”

They want more enquiries.
More confidence.
More sales.
Less stress.

The copywriter is just how they get there.

They want what’s on the other side of it.

This is where I think so many service providers get stuck.

They spend all their time talking about what they do.

Meanwhile...

Their audience is thinking: “Can somebody please make my business easier?”

Those aren’t the same conversation.

Natalie calls this finding your client’s “basic bitch desire.”

The thing they’d admit to their best friend.

The thought they’re having before they’ve even opened Instagram that morning.

That’s the conversation your marketing should join.

It might just need to stop being beige.

Natalie said the worst email isn’t the one people unsubscribe from.

It’s the one everyone opens...

Thinks, “That was nice.”

...and immediately forgets.

Just beige.

She teaches two jobs for email marketing:

First, anchor people.

Help them feel like they’re in the right place.

Then...Activate them.

Because both are movement.

The only thing you don’t want is someone quietly sitting on your email list forever because nothing you say is memorable enough to make them choose either option.

Speak to your all-in buyers. Don’t waste your time trying to educate people into being ready — all that does is send the people who are ready today straight to your competitor. Act like they already want it!

Love you, mean it. 🖤

NATALIE LINKS

— Follow Natalie on Instagram

— Tune in to her private podcast, Double Your Demand (A free private podcast that shows you how to make weekly sales your new standard - so you can stop relying on make-or-break launches)

— Her walkout song

BTL LINKS

— All of my website copy resources:

betweenthelinescopy.com/web-copy

— All of my email marketing resources:

betweenthelinescopy.com/email-marketing

— Take my website copywriting course:

betweenthelinescopy.com/sprint

— Sponsor this podcast (or my newsletter!):

betweenthelinescopy.com/sponsorships

— Follow me on Instagram at

instagram.com/btlcopy