Body First, Then Brain: A Somatic Approach to Copywriting
“How do you strike a balance between highlighting your client’s pain points while illustrating their deeply held wishes?”
For compelling copy, your words must validate the painful component of your client's experience and how you can help them. But you can't trauma-dump all their issues on them with no way forward. So what's the right balance?
What if you could discern this balance with your brain and your body?
Let me show you an intuitive, body-centric approach to working with the flow of your copy.
I'll show you 5 examples of how I might connect a somatic/emotional response to a copywriting strategy.
1. We will invite in your attuned wisdom (or that of a friend) to tell you what your copy might need.
2. I'll include questions I would ask the reader to help discern the next strategic steps with the copy.
3. From there, your brain can follow with revisions.
Body first, then brain.
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How to do this exercise:
Invite a trusted friend or colleague to this next part. Ask them to turn off their editing/academic brain, tune into their body, and calm their breathing.
Have them read your draft, only paying attention to any body sensations or emotional responses, and report those to you.
FYI: You can try this on your own, but if you have a lot of shame or self-criticism around your copy, then a buddy might be best to start.
What to listen for from your reader (or yourself), and where to go next:
“I breathed a sigh of relief after that line.”
Where to go next: This could point to great flow and empathy leading up to that part. You can ask your reader: "What was the relief like? What did you feel like doing next?"
After this relief, you might want to place a call to action or connect the dots between their needs and your services, assuming it fits the flow of your copy.
“In this section, I started to feel overwhelmed and wanted to click away.”
Where to go next: You might be overemphasizing pain points or highlighting to the point of overkill. You may simply have too many words and need to pare down.
Inquire more with your reader about what specifically felt too much. Their respone will help guide you.
"I felt a lightness, more hopeful and inspired in this paragraph.”
Where to go next: Great! Ask them to share more. What inspired you? You might follow this section with more benefits of your services, a testimonial, or a success story to continue to build on that hope and inspiration. This will help increase flow toward action-taking.
“I felt kinda confused and lost here?”
Where to go next: Ask your reader: Where did I lose you? Was it too many words? Did I not make a point? Was there too much jargon?
Pin point the issue first. That will help narrow down how to resolve the confusion.
“I spaced out at this point and couldn’t come back to it.”
Where to go next: This may point to a protective part of your reader that was activated. Or you simply made your point and didn’t need more text for it.
Or, they were more intrigued by what they saw further down the page. Explore more of where they started to space out, and go from there.
Take the information that emerges from this exercise as wise feedback on where to focus your revisions.
Remember: Body first, then brain. It’s a really different way to revise your copy, isn’t it?
Give it a shot. Let me know how it goes.
I have the deepest trust in you.
💙 Ari
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