We recently connected with Katie Crouch and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to help women business owners be heard in the clearest and most confident voices so their businesses can thrive.

As a marketing strategist and website copywriter, I realized early on that women face unique challenges in promoting their businesses in a patriarchal society. For one thing, we’ve all endured a lifetime of being marketed <i>to</i>–with ads that leave us feeling less-than, unworthy, and not good enough. The misogynist messaging in our culture also makes sure that women are kept “in their place,” aka taking care of their kids, partner, parents–not centering their own career and sense of fulfillment. We’ve all experienced the critical, belittling, or second-guessing comments directed at us from people who may not even realize their words are chipping away at our confidence.

So it’s no wonder that when it’s time to promote ourselves and our businesses, we get tangled up in self-doubt and imposter syndrome. I’m positioning myself as a friendly partner to guide women coaches and consultants through the process of developing their messaging–boosting their confidence and bringing clarity along the way.

My brand of marketing is rooted in feminist values like empathy, inclusion, consent, and sustainability–ensuring that we do more helping (and no harming) with the messages we send out into the world. This is the opposite of traditional “bro” marketing, which relies on a scarcity mindset, inflames or creates insecurities, and manipulates for the sale.

As a writer, a thinker, and an encouraging partner to women business owners, I’m committed to helping with this process so that more women can thrive in their businesses and their lives.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I wanted to be a writer since I was a kid–but I was taught early on that I couldn’t be a writer and make a good living. So, after completing creative writing as one of my three majors in college, I put writing projects to the side and forged ahead with a career in publishing.

I spent most of my 20+ years in publishing in a sort-of writer-adjacent role, managing authors and large teams developing and marketing content for language learners in higher education. The people were wonderful, the team was collaborative, and the work was creative. And then, two babies later, I was dreaming again about a) a more flexible work lifestyle and b) writing.

Just before the pandemic, a turning point for so many women I know, I discovered copywriting and the world of online businesses. I dove in when I realized the potential to make a viable living by helping largely sole business owners with their marketing. I soon realized that “writing about yourself” is a universally hated thing–people really needed my help. I knew I had something valuable to offer.

In 2022, I launched KC Copy, as a copywriter for small businesses, soon niching to work exclusively with women. At first, I tried everything- from web copy to email copy to bios, case studies, and more, with a wide variety of clients. I realized that I could do all kinds of deliverables–but the main value to my clients was the partnership.

Being a solopreneur or working on a small team can be lonely. You don’t always have someone to bat around ideas with, to dialogue, to have a ping pong brainstorming match. It can feel static, especially when you’re trying to write your own bio. There’s usually too much garbage in your head to have good clarity about what to include and what to jettison.

I bring an outside perspective, clarifying questions, pushing back on limiting beliefs, and cheerleading. I help my clients see what’s right in front of them. I push them to consider alternative plans. I facilitate the collection of glowing outside feedback, which always helps refocus our work on the good my clients do in the world. I encourage them because I see what makes them uniquely talented.

Over the past two years, I’ve continually refined and repackaged my offerings to figure out what works best for me and my lifestyle as well as my clients. Today, I’m offering marketing strategy intensives, web copy packages, and ongoing services on a monthly basis. I’m also shifting to a day-rate model, which means that I’m condensing longer (publishing-like!) processes into the space of one or two days–a more efficient approach that gets the work done faster.

I’m also focused on putting helpful, valuable, actionable content out to support my clients on LinkedIn, in my weekly newsletter, and in my blog to help my clients help themselves as they send their gifts into the world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I started out as a business owner, I wanted to learn all the hard lessons up front (rather than learn them the hard way!)

I listened to endless podcasts. I signed up for communities. I registered for coaching programs. I was full of curiosity and inspiration and huge awareness of all I didn’t know yet. I wanted to learn from the greats.

At the end of my first year, I still wasn’t where I wanted to be in my business–I wasn’t making enough money, I didn’t have systems and processes humming along, and it felt like I had to work so hard for every new client. At that vulnerable point, a famous copywriter appeared on my news feed: she was advertising a new monthly program and guaranteed to double participants’ revenue within 6 months.

Well, this was music to my ears. She also said, “Just do everything exactly the way I did it, and you’ll have the same success.”

She even said, “You can’t skip anything or it won’t work.”

So- this meant monumental things like hiring a VA, implementing theme days, and being ruthless about which tasks to get done (and which to drop).

At first, I was all-in. If success is guaranteed, I thought, I’ll do it JUST like her. All I have to do is follow her instructions.

But, guess what? I’m NOT her. I did increase revenue, and I do give credit to this program. But I couldn’t do 100% of what she did–and, even if I had, it wouldn’t necessarily work for me.

Because I’m not her.

Here’s the lesson I learned after just a few months with that program (after which I quit): When a coach or teacher or guide tells you to “just do it like I did” or guarantees success? Be dubious.

The true success model is completely individual and depends on a million variables that are specific to you.

We’re all on a unique path, as hard as that is to hear for someone who wants an easy solution. But, when you do it, guess what? It <i>does </i>work for you!

I (hopefully) won’t fall for this type of pitch ever again…but who knows. When you’re vulnerable, you’re more likely to get lured in by empty promises. Still, it was a great lesson and reminder to me: I’m much more skeptical and inclined to work with a 1-on-1 coach who knows me, my values, my strengths, my needs, and can help me design a business and life that matches that.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I still worked in publishing, I barely went to LinkedIn. The only time I posted was when we needed to hire for an open position. I struggled to speak in my own voice when speaking on behalf of my company–and wouldn’t have risked sharing something personal or quirky or (gasp) vulnerable while employed. LinkedIn was like a ghost town to me–none of my contacts were doing anything particularly interesting. Tumbleweeds were blowing by.

That all changed when I launched my business and starting putting copywriting best practices to use in my posts. But, more importantly, I started being myself. I started sharing personal stuff, content that meant something to me. I started following like-minded business owners. As my network grew, my feed became much more inspiring and creative.

My overall marketing strategy is still a work in progress=-and the LinkedIn algorithm is still a mystery to me. But I’m now enjoying my time on LinkedIn because I’m making awesome connections, joining intriguing conversations, and learning a lot from the people in my network. I’m committed to continuing to learn how to use it strategically so that it continues to connect me with mutually-beneficial working relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kccopy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kc_copy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085189056785
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kc-copy/

Image Credits
Professional headshots by Jamilla Yipp.