The single most important thing you’ll write for your biz
Your core brand message is the single most important thing you’ll ever write for your business (no pressure) so let’s break it down.
Your core brand message is a simple sentence that sums up everything you’re about.
This sentence guides brand decisions like should we create x? Or add in y? If you’re not sure your core message provides clarity & it works for everyone on your team, too.
Your core message is also generative, it’ll help you brainstorm new ideas and topics, helps you create systems and processes that all support this core message.
It’s also the SINGLE HARDEST MOTHERLOVING THING TO WRITE (at least it is for me).
Examples:
Southwest Airlines — we are THE low fare airline (which means, even if marketing research shows people would really love a meal instead of peanuts but it adds to the cost of the ticket — all you get is peanuts. Nothing overrules the core message. It guides every decision).
Heartlines — write bravely
Rebecca Campbell — spend more time with your soul
Kris Carr — crazy, sexy, you
Gabrielle Bernstein — become the happiest person you know
Here’s how you know you’ve stumbled upon your core message. It feels like a lightbulb moment where everything comes together AND you can see how everything you create (no matter which direction you go) flows from and supports this one simple sentence.
What makes a great core message?
1. It’s simple
People get all worked up about the word “simple” which is why I love this quote “Simplicity, carried to the extreme becomes elegance.” -John Franklin or this one “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add but when there is nothing left to take away.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery or even this one “I strive for 2 things in design: simplicity and clarity. Great design is born of these two things.” -Lindon Leader
That’s the kind of “simple” I’m talking about.
Your message stripped bare — right down to the bones.
This can feel REALLY hard because there are so many things we want to tell our clients. So many things we want to help with.
Andwetrytocramitalltogetherandsayitallatonce.
When we do — it’s not clear what we’re saying at all.
Your core message should be one sentence or phrase or even a symbol that’s so simple it’s elegant.
2. It evolves with you
I work (mostly) with entrepreneurs who are just starting out (that’s why Heartlines is priced to be accessible — it’s a choice AND I know what it’s like to bootstrap your dreams). When you’re just starting out your business is gonna GROW and EVOLVE, especially in those early years as you find your groove, get to know your clients and their needs more intimately and find a way to serve that feels…joyful (and usually goes from doing what you’ve been taught to doing what feels right).
This is 100% natural.
I don’t know any bootstrapped or beginner entrepreneur who has it ALL figured out on day 1 and never needs to switch things up.
Humans evolve. Businesses evolve. Businesses created by humans are DEFINITELY gonna evolve.
Which is why it’s SO DAMN IMPORTANT that your core message can grow with you.
That it remains relevant as you get more clarity on who you serve. Or you create new products or services or adjust your prices or scale (if that’s your dream).
A great core message EVOLVES WITH YOU.
I got seriously excited about “write bravely” (Heartlines core message) because I could see that it REMAINED RELEVANT whether I created DIY products or worked with 1:1 clients. That whether I was teaching you to write a sales page or talking about the self-doubt that shows up around launch time or feeling creatively stuck — WRITE BRAVELY — remained relevant.
And it spoke to my just-starting-out clients who are feeling the fear AND established founders who want to show up even more fearlessly. It works if you’re rebranding or writing for the first time. I couldn’t see a direction where I might go that WRITE BRAVELY couldn’t come along for the ride. And it supports all my core brand values (bravery, creativity, encouragement, collaboration experimentation).
If you’re struggling to figure out your core message try this exercise…
Let’s imagine it’s a rainy afternoon in early spring. You’re curled up in a big cozy chair at your favourite coffee shop (or in front of Zoom these days) sipping your latte, both hands wrapped around the mug for warmth.
Across from you sits your client, nursing her own toasty cuppa. You’re meeting for the first time. Sifting through the small talk and pleasantries until you get to the heart of it…why she’s sitting here in front of you.
She throws caution to the wind, bravely sharing her fears, her frustrations, her stuck-ness, her what-if-I-can’t-do-this-or-it-never-gets-better doubts.
You listen deeply. Nodding along. Mmmhmmming at all the right spots. Then…it’s your turn to speak.
What’s the bravest and truest thing you could say to your client? Not to make the sale, just human to human. What do you know deep in your bones she needs to hear right now?
Your answer, might just contain your core brand message. Or be the clue to finding it.
For more writing prompts and copywriting advice follow me in Instagram @heartlinesstudio
