How to Embrace Your Voice and Be True to Yourself (in Life and Business) with Laura Belgray
This week's special guest is an absolute legend in the copywriting space: Laura Belgray, founder of Talking Shrimp, co-creator of The Copy Cure, and author of her upcoming book Tough Titties (out summer 2023). Laura discusses her journey to find her niche within copywriting, her ability to use her voice, manage self-doubt, and accept herself as she is. If you’re a business owner, copywriter, digital marketer, or anyone who uses words to communicate ideas or sell on a regular basis, this is a must-listen episode!
Who is Laura Belgray?
Laura Belgray is the founder of Talking Shrimp and co-creator of The Copy Cure with Marie Forleo. She’s a copywriting expert who helps entrepreneurs find the perfect words to express and sell what they do in a way that gets them paid to be themselves.
Laura’s worked with hundreds of clients, including online powerhouses like Marie Forleo and Amy Porterfield, and media giants like NBC, Bravo, HBO, TBS, Fandango, and more. So if you watch TV and don’t skip the commercials, you’ve probably seen her words on air.
She’s seen firsthand that putting you into your copy and all through your business is pure magic for getting people to love you, share your ideas, and happily click your buy button.
Laura started working on copywriting for clients, and has since shifted into selling courses, running masterminds, promoting affiliate programs, writing a book (Tough Titties, coming out Summer 2023!), launching a podcast, and maintaining a thriving email list.
Take the Leap
Laura worked in TV promos for about 15 years before starting her business, Talking Shrimp. She’d started the site to mostly gain more TV clients and promote her existing work, but “ended up attracting entrepreneurs, private clients, and people like that,” working with Marie Forleo and speaking at her first live event in NYC, where she started generating more interest from people looking to hire her for their online copy.
“It wasn't all just seamless and magic. You know, people talk a lot about alignment. And when I was soon as I was aligned with my values, everything fell into place. And I knew the direction to take and it was my compass. It was never like that for me. I have like, purchased sessions with plenty of coaches over the years or asked my friends like what am I about? What should I do? What should my business be about? What is my one thing, and I was never really able to nail it down. So that was something that was a struggle for me.”
Over time, she evolved her business to get closer and closer to using her own voice in her writing; not the voice of the TV network or her private clients, but her own tone, voice, and words to create and promote her own content, including her mastermind, the Shrimp Club (an 8-Month Live Mentoring Party).
Create an Insider Culture
One of Laura’s strengths is writing content that’s entertaining, but also making people feel included in an insider culture. First for her media clients, like Nick at Night on Nickelodeon, then for herself. She uses her personality, tells personal stories, and lets people into her life to feel like they know her, are a part of her life, and are friends. Laura then segues from those personal stories into selling. She says taking Marie Forleo’s B School program helped her, too.
About selling, Laura says: “Always connect something to a personal story and draw people in, whether or not they are interested in the product.”
Get Personal
Laura’s first piece of advice: “when you’re writing copy or anything, write conversationally.”
Instead of writing something like: “Hello, I am so glad that you are here, the system you are using cannot work the way you are currently using it.”
Try: “The system you’re using, it’s garbage. It’s not going to work the way you’re using it.”
She recommends using contractions to make writing more personal. But “the one keystroke you need to make your copy more conversational is the apostrophe. Get used to using it and read your stuff out loud and say, ‘how would I say this to a friend?’” And of course, put in your own personal, concrete details.
When in doubt, do the “Steven Spielberg test”:
“If you handed this copy to a director, would they have any idea what kind of a scene to direct? What kind of a scene to put together? What we are seeing?
Or if you handed it to an illustrator, what would they draw?
If you can’t answer that, then you need to put in more personal, concrete details.”
Laura also reminds herself (and everyone listening) that “it’s fine to repeat yourself.” If there’s one person in the audience who’s heard your talk before, should you give a new one? If someone’s already seen that outfit, should you get a new one? As Laura says, “no, that’s ridiculous.” Be you. Get personal. And share your story.
Accepting Ourselves
If you’re prone to “comparisonitis” or self-doubt, you’re not alone – Laura’s been there, too. When scrolling social media, seeing other people’s program launch success, and writing her book, Laura often experiences self-doubt.
Over time, Laura has come to accept that things take time and she’s a bit of a late bloomer (or “slow-cooking roast”), and that’s okay. Better “to accept that about myself rather than think I can turn into somebody else.”
She also describes herself as a woo-adjacent “marinator”:
“I’m actually kind of into [birth charts and that kind of stuff], but I don’t agree with everything. And I don’t agree with everything about my birth sign, which is Scorpio, but some of it, and then I had my human design reading and it turned out I was a generator and I knew that wasn’t good… that’s not me at all. I am someone who reacts and responds to other people. I don’t know what I’m going to say usually until I hear someone say something that sparks an idea… That’s where I get my juice. That’s where I get my ideas. And that’s what spurs me into action. And generally, when I have an idea, I marinate on it for way longer than necessary. I, you know, procrastinate, I overthink.”
Laura reminds herself: “the less I compare myself to other people, the better I am, it’s really irrelevant. Where somebody else is is irrelevant. It doesn’t mean I have less money to spend, it doesn’t mean I’m affecting fewer people and helping fewer people. So it really is irrelevant. I have to remind myself that all the time.”
“Very few people live their life and do things at the pace that they expected of themselves. And I think a lot of people feel behind and compare themselves to the people who are speediest and most productive and seem to have it all together. And usually, that’s an illusion anyway.”
On her upcoming book, Tough Titties, Laura hopes readers “will find relief. And obviously, I hope they’ll laugh. And I hope they will be really excited to get back to the book. Like if they take it on vacation, ‘I can’t wait to go back to my hotel and read the book.’” She also hopes people feel supported and not alone if they’re also a late bloomer, or a “not supposed-to person,” not living or doing life in a way you’re supposed to.
Affirmation
I am limitless by nature and attract abundance to me every day.
Writing Prompts
How can I better use my authentic voice in my work? In my life?
Am I giving myself enough grace to live on my own terms? Or am I being too hard on myself, based on how I perceive the success and judgment of others?
Resources
Visit Laura Belgray’s website (https://www.talkingshrimp.com/) and sign up for her email list, especially if you’re interested in online business or copy or writing emails that sell.
Follow Laura Belgray on Instagram (@talkingshrimpnyc).
