We were lucky to catch up with Zoie Callihan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zoie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

A “lexicon” is a vocabulary that is meaningful to a specific group of people.

Everybody has a lexicon. The way we communicate is a verbal charcuterie board of everything from the cultures we grew up in, to the music we like, to the dumb TikToks we laugh at. 

Our lexicons are incredibly personal. Think about it: the inside jokes you have with your friend group. The movie quote that you can start and your partner can finish. The 62 names you call your cat that aren’t her real name.

We are naturally drawn to brands that speak our language. And when a brand learns how to communicate using the lexicon of their audience, the results are absolutely magnetic. 

And funny enough — helping brands communicate in a way that attracts the right people? That’s my business in a nutshell.

Zoie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Here’s the official version of what I do: I’m a brand messaging strategist and copywriter who runs an owner-operated, full-service copy studio.

I know. That’s a truly unacceptable amount of hyphens.

Here’s the short version: I design a voice for a brand. Then, I write in it.

But instead of focusing on a single client touchpoint (like a website), I craft clever, personality-rich copy that appears throughout a brand’s customer experience — from the converting copy in a product description or website, all the way down to the nurturing copy in a canned email or packaging insert.

I have a creative, novelty-seeking brain, so I knew from the start that serving one specific niche was not for me. My clients only have two things in common:
They’re in business because they care about people.
Their work makes someone’s life better — even just a bit.

That’s it. From there, all bets are off. I’ve worked with apparel brands, luxury travel concierges, and even a couture cotton candy company. I know, right? (Side note: my secret dream is to write all the copy for an indie board game. If you’re making one, CALL ME.)

No matter what their industry, my clients are normally on the hunt for three things: clarity, creativity, and differentiation. 

Sometimes they’ve created something new, and they’re looking to launch with a voice that *sounds* the way that interacting with their brand *feels.* 

Other times, they’ve realized that there’s a mismatch between their existing messaging and the people they’re trying to reach.

In both cases, we’ll work together to strengthen their core messaging — why they exist, what they stand for, and who they serve. Then, we build on that core to strategize the finer points of how their brand should show up in writing.

That’s the fun part. When I’m creating a brand voice, I’m pulling inspiration from art, history, humor, and pop culture to create something supremely aligned and distinctive. Remind me to tell you about the brand voice inspired by Frederick Douglass. OR the one that was a cross between Taylor Swift and Marie Kondo!

Once that’s done? The copy basically writes itself.

I’m kidding. It doesn’t. Not even close.

People often think that a copywriter just needs to be good at writing. And it’s true, we do. But my job is to “writing” as architectural drafting is to “sketching.”

Effective copy is a potent blend of sales psychology, meticulous research, sound technique, empathy and ethics, literary analysis, and evocative, strategic storytelling. (Plus the occasional tasteful pun.)

Needless to say, I am *definitely* using that English degree of mine.

Actually, I had two focuses in school: English literature, and theater. That was followed by a brief stint as a high school teacher, and then more than a decade at a multi-million dollar health and wellness SaaS company, where my jobs ranged from working in a call center, to doing tech support on Twitter, to project managing. I left to start Lexicon Copy Co.

It’s been an untraditional path, but it’s given me some invaluable insights that I’ve used to build the business I’m running today. Here are just a few:

Motivation matters and can’t be faked. 
Customers care why you’re in business just as much as they want to know what your business can do for them. If you fake it, people will know. 

Consumers crave autonomy.
If you want a rude awakening in autonomy, teach a room of Jr. High students. Or better yet: spend ten minutes with a toddler. They. want. to make. their own. decisions. And really, don’t we all? Gone are the days when businesses could con, convince, or swindle a client into purchasing. Successful brands convert customers by helping them make an informed decision about whether or not they want what you have to offer. At the end of the day — you want a clientele that has chosen to be there. 

A brand is just a character.
In fiction, when you’re creating a character, you need a good backstory, realistic motivations, and dialogue that sounds like a real person. If you’re missing those elements, your character won’t feel real and your audience will get bored. Similarly, the best brands have clear stories, authentic motivations, and (most importantly) a distinctive style of speaking. I’m a sucker for a well-written character. Most of us are.

Brand messaging is a storyline
Brand messaging is like a storyline. If you wouldn’t want your favorite book to have chapters missing in the middle, you shouldn’t neglect the messaging in any part of your client experience.

You don’t stand out by being unique.
Things that are truly unique tend to be a little alienating. Like experimental theater. Or hyper-modern art. A brand that stands out is actually a strategic blend of familiar elements combined in novel ways, which allows it to touch the emotions of its customers.

That’s a lot, I know. But trust me, it’s all important.

I consider myself an artist and a creative: two things that are typically synonymous with the words “starving,” and “broke.” I got a degree in the humanities, for heaven’s sake. Shouldn’t I be surviving on Spaghetti-Os??

I feel like I’ve definitely found a loophole by operating the business that I do. I honestly couldn’t be prouder of my work, my clients, and the incredible brands that we bring to life together. 

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

My most reliable source of new clients has been my fellow service providers, even those I don’t know well. And my secret? I care about them.

Listen. Launching a brand in the entrepreneurial space takes so. much. work. The soul searching. The market research. The offer suite refining. The brand shoot. The website launching. And none of that even touches the business backend work OR performing the service itself!

So, when someone takes the time to genuinely engage with what we’ve built – it makes a huge difference.

Many of us are corporate drop-outs. And while there are many things we *definitely do not miss*, one thing we DO miss is the feeling of having a team who has our back. I may not be in a position to hire all my fellow service providers, but I can invest in their business with my time and attention.

When I hype them up about an upcoming launch, meet them for a virtual coffee date, make the effort to mention their work to my audience, or simply slide into their DMs with a compliment, I’m proving that I’m in their corner. And the next time they have to pass on a client or run into someone who needs copywriting, they tend to return the favor.

If I may treat myself to a little cliche, community over competition absolutely benefits us all.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Goals are great. But they should be your carrot, not your stick.

Approximately 2-3 lifetimes ago, I was graduating college. My goal was to teach English literature to high school students. In hindsight, this was absurd, since I was only a few years older than the kids I wanted to teach. But I’d had this goal ever since I was a young teenager, and I was absolutely determined to achieve it.

I struggled. Then, after a family tragedy, I stopped pursuing it altogether — which is a dignified way of saying “I dropped out.”

Devastated was an understatement. It was my first major “failure,” and the first time I hadn’t achieved something I’d set my mind to. (Because we’re supposed to be able to do that, right?)

It took me years to stop beating myself up about that “failure.” In reality, just the act of pursuing that goal introduced me to so many skills and experiences I am incredibly grateful for now.

Most entrepreneurs are highly motivated people with high self-expectations. A lot of us have been that way our entire lives. Unfortunately for us, goals in entrepreneurship are even slipperier than the ones we set as young people, and they’re influenced by many factors outside of our control.

By all means, set goals. Stay focused on them, get creative while you try to achieve them.  But don’t dread the failure. When you fail (and you will!), do a post-mortem, learn your lessons, and pick your next objective.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lexiconcopy.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexiconcopyco/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoie-daniels-callihan-90123625b/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lexiconcopyco

Image Credits

Phylicia Willis
Christina-Laurin Wilder