EP 189 - How Words Can Build Your Business With Anita Siek

Today, I have such an incredible interview for you with the one and only Anita Siek!

I’m so excited to bring Anita to you because not only is she an incredible human, but she’s also one of the smartest women I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with. 

I’ve been an admirer of Anita’s for many years of her online course journey for a myriad of reasons. Her branding, her words and her energy are so beautiful, and when she joined Her Empire Builder as a guest expert last month, she knocked everyone’s socks off!

During her time with us, Anita gave me ONE tip that literally will make us 10s of 1000s of dollars - and I am so excited that she is sharing that tip (and so much more) in this value-packed episode.

We will also be talking about Anita’s meteoric rise in online business, and how she transitioned from being a lawyer into the online course rockstar that she is today!

Anita Siek is a lawyer turned brand-strategist and copywriter, and the founder of Wordfetti: a human-centred brand strategy and copywriting house, specialising in helping brands through the power of psychology and words. Anita has a big passion for words, language, and how the delicate word choices we make can trigger different emotions and feelings in a reader. 

I know you're going to get a lot out of today's conversation, and I hope you love it!

Anita on her transition from the corporate world into online business…

I'll take you guys down memory lane!

I did the traditional thing, where I went to university and studied law and psychology before becoming a lawyer and then stayed in the corporate world for about 4 years. Even though I was climbing up the corporate ladder, there was always that feeling that something was missing. In my mind, I had the ‘dream role’ where if I got it, I would be happy.

Then when I finally got it, I had this ever present internal voice asking “is this is?”

So I started some little businesses on the side, and before long Wordfetti was born as my third side-hustle. Now it’s my BIG thing, and the rest (including some dead succulents and photography fatigue) is history!

Anita on launching her online business…

It actually started properly in January 2020, so not that long ago! Like everyone, I started 2020 without knowing the pandemic was on the other side, and decided I was going to start a digital course.

I also knew I would need to create some space to do this, so I let go of a lot of my service clients.

And then the pandemic happened, which for the business ended up being such a blessing in disguise, because everyone was at home. It saved the business, and completely opened my eyes to this whole new world that I absolutely love.

Anita on the evolution of Wordfetti…

I never thought I would get paid to write. In my eyes and my parents eyes, being a lawyer was where the money was going to be. There's a stereotype that you can’t get paid well as a writer which was heavily on my mind.

But I was in my corporate job, and I just wanted work that was fun. Writing was fun for me. I would leave my corporate job at 5 or 6pm, but after work I was so energized. I would open up my laptop and start brainstorming: What can I do today? What can I share today? What story can I tell?

When I started the business and put content out there, it was crickets for 10 months.I didn't have any leads, but I still kept putting things out there because that was my creative outlet.

I want to lean back into some of that energy now, where it was really just having some fun. In that exciting beginning stage, it was all about testing and playing. The whole time I was working, but it was focused around what gets me excited, and what makes it fun.

Anita on selling out her first course before it was created…

I gave myself three months, and I had actually sold the digital course before I had even made it.

I beta launched it, and it sold out at my maximum capacity of 20 people. It sold out within literally one email! Because I'm a big believer in nailing just one email.

So when that happened, I knew that I really had to create it within 3 months.

I delivered a lot of things live, tested it, played with what it was going to look like, and that first group was a really fun cohort. Once we wrapped that up, I then officially launched it a month later.

Anita on using words to nail your messaging …

I think one of the biggest mistakes I see businesses make is focusing on trying to make everyone sound awesome. They cram their copy with all the features and benefits. Don't get me wrong - features and benefits are important, but at the heart of it what people are actually buying is much more than that.

The questions we need to be asking ourselves when writing a copy is “What does my audience actually need to see, hear, know, and read in order to feel like this is the offer for them?”

And the answer that comes with that will change depending on different seasons in that person's life. Throw in a pandemic, or school holidays, or financial stress, and that answer will be slightly different.

I think when we can start moving the seat from “Hi, I'm a business owner, and I need to make this all about me. And I need to tell you all the things that I want to move over”, and instead focusing on “What does my audience right now in this very given moment need to see, feel, know and read?”, then you will unlock the real value that you’re bringing into their lives.

Because at the heart of it, that's what business is all about. We're in the business of problem solving. 

Anita on why your non-buyers are your most valuable copywriting asset…

A lot of the time, it's not what you say it's how you actually say it.

If people can actually connect the dots between the price and the potential value, then buying from you is a no-brainer.

So asking your list why they haven't bought from you during a launch is going to be gold for content and getting to know the audience even more deeply.

It 's a perfect conversation starter for the audience with you in getting their language, and being able to uncover and excavate all the different words to use.

I believe the best copy is assembled.

You take bits and pieces of what people think, what people are scared of, and the language that they use to be able to bring it together. Once you can use these words to be able to speak to them, that's what's going to stick so much more than any fancy buzzword language.

Doors to Wordfetti Your Words are now open! Click here to join!