We recently connected with Nicole Salvatore and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on to date is one on which I’m still working and have been for several years now.

One of my current clients is a data communications company that helps schools stay safe during emergencies using integrated technology solutions. While we may all have varying viewpoints on what it will take to accomplish this goal, their work is valuable for a myriad of reasons.

And as a retired school counselor and AP English teacher myself, it’s been a privilege to work with this firm to share case studies best practice guidelines, SEO-informed website copy, and other assets to help them keep schools along the eastern seaboard safer.

It’s a reminder to me that yes, copy is marketing but it can truly have a real-world impact.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Nicole Salvatore. I’m a former school counselor

But my real passion lies in mental health and education copy as that’s where my own education and experience lies.

Long-form copy is stellar: It’s both repurpose-ready and SEO fuel. So I craft case studies, website copy, and white papers for clients, and I also help them refresh their existing website copy if it’s been a few years since they’ve revisited their SEO or messaging.

What sets my work apart is that content knowledge is not a hurdle for me and that saves a great deal of time for both of us. I love the work I do because I can help the helpers in this world and really make a living and a life doing so.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I grew up with scoliosis and dyspraxia as well as hernias and by twelve years old I had pneumonia twice. I have been in occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, orthopedic braces, and support groups for youth going through major surgery. During my formative years, I wasn’t allowed to lift things or bend and I was even sofa-bound one summer because of my spinal fusion surgeries.(Kids love summer…)

Through all of that, learning was my lifeline because I excelled in it and writing was my voice because it was something that I could do no matter what. And for much of my childhood, I wrote and I learned and I found joy and refuge in those things. And later in life as a counselor I found the same was true of many of my students in challenging circumstances, no matter how different they might be.

The fact that my teachers and counselors made education accessible to me in a Philadelphia school meant that I could become a lifelong learner, a lifelong writer, and the person that I am today.

And that’s become the heart and the mission of my business: Stay Stellar works with education companies that make learning accessible to more people.

Because for so many of us, young and old, that’s how we stay stellar.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I’ve had the privilege of working with many technology firms and tech-related companies in these professionals rarely consider themselves creative. However, I remain in awe of what they accomplish each day. That said, here are two things I feel may help those who do not consider themselves creative to access a bit of creativity or to begin a journey of creativity. First, I’d suggest simplifying with constraint. If you’ll indulge me with a brief story. I asked a technology subject matter expert to write a brief about a solution I wasn’t familiar with (“Hi Tim, tell me only the top 5 things that I need to know about the thing so I can write the blog for February.). I received a 9-page detailed sort-of-report he’d written for me. It was eloquent and detailed. I read it. It was fantastic. It was not the top 5 things. While it may seem counterintuitive, creativity does well with constraints.
So, one exercise I give when I teach people how to copy is 30 days of prompts. Just begin with any story starters or journal prompts. Done is better than perfect here. You can find these all over the internet. (I promise if you look for the “right” ones you’ll be looking forever.) And I’d suggest the same to you. Find yourself 30. And just decide for the next 30 days, that’s what you’re going to do, you’re going to answer the question or finish the prompt. Constraint and creativity.

The second is a connection through your own story. If you are just beginning your creative journey and don’t find yourself to be creative, start internally with freewriting. Sit down with a notepad and pen or your keyboard and a Google Doc and just tell a story from your childhood or last week. Go into detail about sensations (sights, smells, sounds, and so forth). Leave nothing out. This is the beginning of you telling your story. This is the beginning of a connection. And this is the beginning of creativity. Good luck!

Contact Info:

• Website: StayStellar.Co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolesalvatorecopywriter/

Image Credits
Chelsea Kenny of Rosebud Photography