Writing sales copy when you hate writing sales copy

After working with small businesses around the Atherton Tablelands for years, I’ve noticed they’re great at what they do but terrible at promoting it.

Not because they don’t know their business. They know it better than anyone. It’s more that sitting down to write a Facebook ad or a newsletter and trying to sound persuasive without sounding like a used car salesman is… genuinely hard. Most people hate it. So they either write something a bit flat and post it, hoping for the best, or they put it off indefinitely.

(I’ve done both!)

Here’s what I do now. I open Wispr Flow, a voice dictation tool I use daily (affiliate link), but I’d use it regardless, hold the button, and just talk. Something like:

“I want to write a Facebook ad for my café in Atherton. My best customers are locals who want good coffee and a quiet spot to sit for half an hour. I want people to come in on weekday mornings. Here’s what makes us different…” Then, I rabbit on about the business for a minute or two, like I’d explain it to someone I’d just met.

Drop this straight into Claude (claude.ai – free) with a note: “Turn this into a short Facebook ad. Two or three sentences. Don’t make it sound like an ad.”

Usually, what comes back is bloody good. You tweak a word or two to make it sound like you, and you’re done. The whole thing takes about five minutes.

The reason talking works better than typing for this is pretty simple. When you write, you try to sound like a marketer, and it comes out stiff. When you talk, you sound like yourself. And for small local businesses, sounding like yourself is almost always the most convincing thing you can do anyway.

Try Wispr Flow free here (affiliate link)

If you’d like to work on your business copy – ads, newsletters, whatever’s been sitting on the to-do list – that’s exactly what my one-hour session is for.

$99, and you’ll walk away with stuff you can actually use.

Book here if you’re keen, or just reply for a chat first.

P.S. The “don’t make it sound like an ad” instruction is genuinely one of the most useful prompts I’ve found. Try it.