Are we swinging back?

Hello Reader

Last week, a potential client said something that stayed with me.

“I don’t trust AI.”

She’d tried it. Used it. Her verdict? It said it was good. But really, it was shit. It made stuff up. And nobody engaged with her stuff.

That got me thinking about how we use it to write about our businesses.

We’ve got years of experience. Opinions we’ve earned. Conversations that changed how we work. Stories that could help someone understand why they’d choose us.

Yet when we sit down to write, we can suddenly doubt the lot.

Is this interesting enough? Will people think I’m showing off? Who am I to say that?

Hello, imposter syndrome. Pull up a chair, apparently.

AI can feel like a relief. It gives us words when we’re stuck and takes some of the pressure off a blank page.

But I wonder how often we ask it to replace something we haven’t given ourselves permission to say. We have outsourced the thinking bit.

We leave out the experience because it feels too ordinary. Soften the opinion because someone might disagree. Remove the funny detail because it doesn’t sound “professional”.

And somewhere in the editing, we lose what could have helped someone get to know us.

Your stories give people something to go on. They show what you notice, how you think and what matters when you work with someone.

That’s important when the person reading is trying to answer:

“Are you the right person for me?”

P.S.

Need help nailing your message? Borrow my brain for a strategic lens.

P.S.S. I have one Marketing Activation Day in October left, do you want it?

Recap - You're sitting on a story

My 8 am webinar opened up the NSW Small Business Month. Which is pretty cool.
There was around a 50% show up rate, which for a cold audience is pretty ok. Rather than a replay, I created a recap post based on the real audio file captured by zoom. Saved a bunch of time.

This way to webinar goodness

Try this

Try this: Write your “come to me when” sentence

People don’t always know which service they need. They usually know what’s getting on their nerves.

Finish this sentence:

“Come to me when…”

Describe a situation your ideal client would recognise.

For example:

“…you keep rewriting your About page because none of it sounds like you.”
“…you’ve hired your first employee and payroll has become your Sunday-night problem.”
“…you’ve got a presentation next week and 47 slides nobody will remember.”

Think about what happened just before your last client contacted you. What made them decide they needed help?

Write your sentence using the words they’d use. Then add it beside the relevant offer on your website or in your next post.

You’re helping someone recognise: “Ooh that's me. This could be for me.”

Your next post (sorted)

Tell us about an experience you’ve just had that gave you something to think about.

A conversation that stayed with you. Brilliant service. A frustrating booking process. Trying something you thought would be easy. Someone making you feel welcome.

It doesn’t have to happen at work to give you something worth sharing.

Take us there:

What happened? Start at the interesting moment. “I’d been standing at the counter for ten minutes when…”
What did you notice? A small detail, something someone said or the way you reacted.
Why did it stay with you? Did it surprise you, change your mind or remind you of something?
What can we take from it? Connect the experience to something your audience cares about.

A starting line to borrow:

“I went in expecting ______. What stayed with me was ______.”

Let us see what happened before you explain what it means. And if the connection to your business needs three paragraphs of explanation, choose a different angle.

Cool ways to use AI

Chatting with my local business buddies, I’ve realised not everyone uses AI the same way. So this section is about sparking practical, productivity-boosting ideas you might want to try.

Have your own tip? Send it on through.

What are your signature sayings?

I did this last week and it gave me so many ideas and angles to create content with.

Give your AI three to five transcripts from presentations, podcasts, client calls or voice notes.

Ask:

Analyse these transcripts for the patterns in how I naturally communicate. Identify:

Phrases and words I use repeatedly
How I explain complicated ideas
Analogies, examples and stories I reach for
Opinions and beliefs that keep appearing
My style of humour
Sentence patterns and speaking quirks
Things that make my voice recognisably mine

Use direct examples from the transcripts. Separate strong patterns from one-off comments, then create a practical voice guide.

Get AI to interview you

Do you often think it's easy to talk through your ideas?

Staring at a blank screen and demanding an idea from your brain rarely brings out your best work.

Instead, ask AI to interview you using voice chat.

Try:

Interview me about why I believe [insert topic].

Ask one question at a time. Keep digging for specific examples, stories, mistakes, opinions and moments that changed my thinking.

Don’t write or suggest content ideas until the interview is finished.

Once finished, let's explore different ways we can use these ideas in my content.

You talk. It asks.
Together, you find the interesting bit.

At the end, you can get it to sound like you by explicitly asking 'use the phrases I used to describe'.

Ask AI to be a bit meaner

That client conversation got me thinking about something else.

How useful is AI’s feedback if it keeps telling us we’re doing a great job?

Sometimes we need someone to say, “I don’t understand what you’re selling,” or “You’ve taken three paragraphs to get to the interesting part.”

Try pasting in a draft with this prompt:

I need an honest critique of this copy. Be a bit meaner than your usual helpful self.

My audience is [who it’s for]. I want them to [think, feel or do what].

Tell me:

Where would you lose interest, and why? What’s vague, confusing or hard to believe? Which claims need an example or evidence? What sounds generic enough that any competitor could say it? What should I cut?

Quote the wording you’re critiquing and explain your reasoning. Prioritise the three changes that would make the biggest difference.

Don’t rewrite it yet. And don’t manufacture faults just because I’ve asked you to be critical.

Then give its feedback a proper look.

You don’t have to agree with every suggestion. But if it spots a missing explanation or a claim you can’t back up, that’s useful.

Need marketing help but not sure where to start?
Here are some options for you.

Done for you

You've got a project in mind and need someone to take it off your plate. Get my brain on your stuff.

Think:
- Strategy - where to next
- Messaging - how to sound and show up
- LinkedIn Glow up
- Website copy - that's google friendly and findable for AI search.

Done with you

You want to be involved, sense check your ideas and spark new ones.

Think:
- Activation days - 1/2 strategy 1/2 get it done
- Coaching/Reviews
- Nudge Marketing club
- Training

Borrow my brain

Lock in a 90 minute session to move things along.

Marketing Goodness