You can already say it out loud.
Let’s put it on paper without the barriers.
This is brand voice and copywriting for founders who want their words to mirror who they are.
You’re building something useful, tangible and you’re passionate about it. That’s why when you’re talking about it over a cuppa, it all makes sense.
When you sit down to write about it, suddenly the blocks arrive. The self-doubt settles and the words have no focus, flow or familiarity.
Worse, it sounds just like everyone else’s beige content. It’s lost your spark and sparkle.
In the history of language, like forever, when your words lose their energy your audience loses interest. But across time, we have all been taught to dull our language. We have been conditioned to make ourselves smaller, more palatable and to squeeze our words into boxes and rooms that weren’t built for us.
When you created your own business room, your language didn’t get the memo. You’ve moved on, but your words are stuck in a corporate, hedged, safe space.
And so are everyone else’s. In a world where productivity equals content output, people are (quite naturally, no blame here) using AI to be prolific. But it’s boring and beige. It doesn’t separate you from your competitors. Quite the opposite, it consigns your email, website, socials to the delete button.
You know this, without me having to tell you. You’ve experienced the wasteland of words that haven’t landed as you’d hoped.
And the problem compounds when you have a team working for you. If you don’t know how you sound, how can they? They’ll just be replicating a generic version of your brand voice. Or worse imprinting their own onto your business marketing.
This is the cost of words that don’t show people your values and intent. The cost of hoping the right words will miraculously appear, rather than using the science and art of language to write intentionally and clearly.
We all know how much marketing is being pushed at us at the moment. And how overwhelming that can feel.
It’s overwhelming because you think you have to keep up - do more, post more, push more.
It’s overwhelming because we’re constantly feeling the hustle of being yelled at and sold to. Our nervous systems are dysregulated and this adds to the feelings of not being enough, not being ready and not knowing what to say.
And, that’s why I start with breath. We create space around what you want to say, we give air and movement to that expression and we breathe through the barriers.
I trained as a classical singer, so I know the power of breath from the inside out. Breath comes before we make a sound, before we can express ourselves. You can’t sing on a held breath and it turns out, you can’t write on one either.
You don’t need to hold your breath any longer. Obviously we can all breathe. But using your breath to settle, clear barriers and access what lies buried, that takes practice.
Here’s a five minute breathwork to help you release tension around your writing. Try it for yourself and compare how your body feels before and afterwards. What shifted?
Air breathes through every aspect of my work and underpins how I work with clients.
It’s embedded because it releases tension, unblocks, and helps us get to the heart of the matter.
Breathing life into your words
There are three ways to work with me. Whichever you choose, you leave with words that are yours.
Words that align with your brand and which you can approve for use straight away.
Your Channel Rules
from £3,350
You want to uncover your own voice and discover the techniques to use it everywhere, every time. This is identity-led work over six to eight weeks, ending with Tone of Voice guidelines that you and your team (virtual or real) can use to write from.
You are the Diva of your own brand voice. These are your language rules, that you rule over.
Words First
from £1,235
We take the words you’re already using and make them better. And, I give you the tools to keep doing it for yourself, long after I’m no longer holding your hand.
This is a messaging intensive (workshop style) over one to two weeks - in person or online..
Write It For Me
from £475
For when you know how you sound (well, nearly) but you’d rather someone else held the pen. Because, quite frankly, you’ve got better things to do with your time.
If you’re not sure what you need, let’s talk about it. That’s exactly what our discovery call is for.
“I’ve just started working with Michelle on a new brand and it already feels great. What a privilege to be able to align values, vision and voice at the beginning of a project.”
Testimonial from Cate, LunaMère
“I am grateful for Michelle’s rigour, her warmth, and for the fact that she was willing to say the brave thing, every time.”
Testimonial from Sita, Settle Stories
“I know what I feel. I know what I do. I know the women I am here to serve. But finding the language that actually reaches them, that speaks to exactly the right person with exactly the right frequency, that is a different thing entirely. It is Michelle’s thing.”
Testimonial from Sarah, The heART of you
Some of my purpose-led clients have let me write up what actually happened. The problem they came with, the solution we found, and what changed for them.
Michelle May-Jones
I’m Michelle. Copywriter, former classical singer, reformed corporate marketing type. I’m older than I’d like to be, but still energised by a well-placed verb.
I take a small number of clients at a time so that I can really focus on your work. I will almost always suggest you say less… just like language, there are exceptions to that rule.
I find a ridiculous amount of joy in swapping nine words of waffle for one word that works. I could do that all day long. I do do that all day.
So let’s have a conversation
About you and what you need. No BS. Just simple, human to human connection.
You tell me what you’re building, how it’s going (honestly) and we’ll both know by the end.
Bring a cuppa so I get the coffee conversation version of what you want to say.
