Simple Messaging, Big Impact 🐘

Hello Reader,

👉 Quick ask: I'm considering running a non-summer edition of my SEO/marketing group program, but I'll only do so if there's enough interest. Let me know here!

I've been working on messaging for over 20 years, but you'll rarely see me use that word in my marketing. Why? Because it means a hundred different things to a hundred different people, and I cannot stand when concepts get lost in translation.

Agencies love to hand off 100-page "messaging guides." (Fun fact: On forums I lurk on I hear a lot of these doorstopper guides these days are being quite obviously generated by ChatGPT and clients are very unhappy.) Others might give you a single page, or lump it in with "brand voice." None of these are wrong; they just prove how confusing the concept of messaging can be.

Frankly, we don't need this level of confusion, so let's break down what works in the real world.

My Messaging Method is Simple—And it Works

I've simplified decades of experience into a dead-simple framework perfect for busy business owners and solo consultants. It's built on a modified "fishbone" model, which connects cause and effect, which you can see in the super fancy sketch below.

Here’s how we find your core message, moving from left to right:

1. Start with Two Core Questions (This is Your Message):
   • Why does this matter? (The cause—the problem you solve.)
   • How are we doing it? (The effect—your unique solution.)
2. Stress-Test Your Core Message with Three Filters:
   • Is this true? (Is it factual and authentic?)
   • Is this meaningful? (Does it resonate with your audience?)
   • Is this distinctive? (Does it set you apart from the competition?)

The Secret Ingredient: The Double Stress Test

Here's where my approach really breaks from the traditional models: You run this stress test twice, through both your clients and yourself—yes you matter here.

The message needs to resonate with both your audience/clients and you.

That "you" factor is critical. If your message doesn't click with you—if it doesn't feel natural to say—you won't use it consistently, and you’ll never become fluent in it. You won't be able to train your team in the messaging. The list goes on. That makes your job hard, and we hate hard!

The Message is the Foundation

So, where's the final, polished message?

It's in the answers to those first two core questions: Why it matters and how we do it.

When I co-create frameworks with clients, we nail down these two truths first. The rest of the framework—and your confident, repeatable message—comes directly from those simple answers, provided they pass the True/Meaningful/Distinctive test every time.

Is it simple? Absolutely. Is it effective? Absolutely.

Messaging simplicity is a feature, not a glitch.

Talk soon,

Sarah

P.S. I have a few remaining spots for new and returning clients through 2025. Reach out if now if the right time to team up.