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Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 196 - Words Matter (now watchable on YouTube, don't forget), we were a lil' late - and that's because Heather thought she had a bad night's sleep but was actually 🤢 sick-sick and never left her quarantined room for 3 days and nights.

But better late than never, the show must go on... Friday. The message still stands though - your words matter (even if they're three days late).

✍️ Copy is best summarized as any writing that's meant to help you sell or advertise something. That could be the caption on your Facebook post, the text in your email (hey, like this one!) or the ad you took out in the local kids PTA newsletter.

If it's written to sell = it's copy. 💸 And if it's copy, it has to be intentional. Gone are the days of, "Thanks for your order, Cheryl," and here to stay is compelling copy intended to get a person to part with their cold hard cash.

💊 There's no "magic copy pill" that, if swallowed, moves mounds of money (trust me, if there was, I woulda swallowed 1,000 pills by now 💊💊💊). But there are strategies you can mix and match to serve as a guide 🗺️ to finding copy that compels - meaning copy that when read makes people want what ya got.

🪝 Start with the Hook

Consider the hook - you know, that first part they read before social media companies "truncate" (aka anything behind the ...See more text) the post. The first few words in a post that capture the reader's attention to stay beyond just glancing at that stunning photo.

Examples of hooks could look like:

• 🪝 "My inability to count is your gain! ...I overbaked and have some extra cookies!"
• 🪝 "I'll NEVER do this again! ...This is the LAST time I'll reopen pre-sales for latecomers!"
• 🪝 "I've got bad news... I've only got 1 cookie class ticket left."

Hooks, 🐺 much like the boy who cried wolf, have to be used sparingly, or eventually you'll exhaust your audience. Additionally, hooks don't have to be dramatic. A simple hook like, "Okay guys - let me give it to ya straight" can even capture someone's attention. 🛑 Don't be afraid of using emojis on social to stop that scroll!

📝 Follow a Formula

Copy formulas can help guide your vibes. I use them so often that I don't even realize they've become a natural style of writing for me. AIDA is a great one to start with. Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Let's try it out:

"🆓 Get a FREE transfer sheet! How about a free sheet every week? All you have to do is sign up! ✅ Here's the link: [link]"

Let's break that down by the AIDA formula:

• ➡️ Attention: 🆓 Get a FREE transfer sheet!
• ➡️ Interest: How about a free sheet every week?
• ➡️ Desire: All you have to do is sign up!
• ➡️ Action: ✅ Here's the link: [link]

The AIDA formula is a fan-fav because it walks the user through a really short copy funnel with a clear call-to-action. It's a great foundational formula to start with - highly recommended.

📞 End with a Call

End with a Call-to-Action that is (don't worry, I hate calling on phones too). Call-to-actions (also called CTAs in marketing jargon) tell your customer where to go and what to do (like give you their money).

Some CTA examples for bakers would look like:

• ☎️ "Subscribe to our YouTube channel"
• ☎️ "Sign up for class!"
• ☎️ "Click here to learn more."

Copy missing a clear call-to-action doesn't accomplish a goal. So tell your audience what you want them to do next.

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In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 195 - The TikTok Ban, continuing with last week's theme - ❌ the TikTok ban went into full effect on Saturday night for... ⏰ like a few hours?

It was odd as the platform kinda shut down features over an hour then a pop-up blocked access for some, then others, then it came back, but not. That said - it did happen though, which is the topic of conversation in our podcast (which - ahem - you can now watch on YouTube - heads up, you still won't be able to read these lips unfortunately).

😤 "Never downloaded TikTok and never will..." no - that's not what we're talking about. 👂 And frankly, if you're saying this, you definitely aren't using TikTok as a lead source which means you're even less diversified.

What we're talking about is this: 👋 You don't own any platform from which your business gains leads - and that's evident by this TikTok ban.

📧 Your emails can be blocked, your Facebook page hacked, your YouTube shut down, your Instagram suspended, your TikTok banned, and your best word-of-mouth lead source can move away.

🥚 So what do? 🧺 We diversify is what we do.

📊 First, we need to understand our current marketing landscape. Yours won't look like mine. 🤔 Where are most of your leads coming from? If you don't know, start adding that question to your intake form - the data you get from it is worth its weight in marketing gold.

🔍 Once the data comes in - how diversified are your lead sources? If 90% of people are coming from your Facebook page - 📈 guess what, you're not diversified. I'd like to see at least 5️⃣ 5 channels (3 if you're too busy) bringing you in leads. And note - not all those channels can be owned by the same company (ahem - Meta). 👻 Remember, not only did TikTok play Houdini, but so did CapCut (the editing software folks were using even outside of TikTok but also owned by TikTok's parent company, Bytedance).

💻 We'll also want to focus on a website, an email list, and a Google Business Profile. Yes - again, stuff we don't technically own, but hey - they work a lot different than social media algos, and they're owned by 🗽 American-based companies that aren't just Meta. Remember - it's all about d-i-v-e-r-s-i-f-i-c-a-t-i-o-n.

🥚 The less "single egg basket" our marketing is in, the more likely we are to weather any cybersecurity storm. 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚

⏰ Email aka a newsletter is an even better backup tool to have in your marketing chest because it's one of few marketing avenues that still work chronologically (meaning the emails are listed in the order they are received) unlike social media which is dictated by fancy hard-to-understand algorithms where only the best content gets the viral win.

If you only have time for one social platform, 2️⃣ try to borrow from the time spent on that sole source of leads to start working on a second social profile - that way if your primary source goes dark, 😢 you're not left in the red (bottom line, 💔 I mean).

As marketers, 🥺 we're merely slaves to the whims of social giants and social issues - and roll with the punches we must. 🪦 The graveyard of social media that "once was" grows every year, and leaves creators and businesses who were too invested in a single lead source in the dust. ⚰️

👂 Snag this podcast on any major podcast player (Spotify, Apple Music, Audible, Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube) by searching for Baking it Down - Episode 195 - The TikTok Ban.

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In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 194 - Meta Verified, TikTok is about to have a big, public breakup with its avoidant soon-to-be ex, the United States. And whether or not we like this coupling, it comes down to the Supreme Court's decision - who needs reality tv when you've got this?!

As we see content creators scrambling to dust off their Instagram backups, it may be a good time to consider standing out among the masses with Meta Verified.

Meta Verified is that neato 🔵blue check mark that you see next to some pages and profiles (go check out Sugar Cookie Marketing's Page for a real-life example). And it's more than just an icon, actually - which makes it a possible contender for your marketing budget in 2025.

Quick backstory on 🔵blue checks: Back when Twitter was, well still called Twitter, accounts that were verified as professional or famous profiles received a 🔵blue check next to their handles to signify that this was the legitimate profile of the business or creator. It was a manual application process and it was hard to get accepted into. Elon buys the failing Twitter and converts it to X takin' the 🔵blue checks away and offering them as a subscription to anyone who had about twenty bucks.

While verification is still required, the exclusivity is long gone. Meta followed suit a few months later for personal profiles and mid-2024 began offering 🔵blue check subscriptions to business pages.

Meta Verified pages do get some added perks though - so let's take a look at them (we'll focus on the plan I paid for to test this - the Business Plus plan - although all the plans include the 🔵blue check).

But first - let's see the pricing for these Verified tiers:

• ✅ Business Standard - $14.99/mo
• ✅ Business Plus - $44.99/mo
• ✅ Business Premium - $119.99/mo
• ✅ Business Max - $349.99/mo

Yeah - so, like not chump change at all - and this is per profile meaning that yes, Facebook and Instagram are considered two profiles even if the Facebook and Instagram accounts represent the same business and are connected. But the good news - there's a yearly discounted option, a bundle

✅ Meta Verified Business Plus - $44.99

1. ✅ Verified Badge
2. ✅ Impersonation Protection
3. ✅ Meta Verified Support (Priority)
4. ✅ Enhanced Facebook Profile - 3 Linked Accounts / 3 Locations
5. ✅ 2 Links in Reels
6. ✅ Featured Account

You're reading that right - you can actually email or chat with a support rep (for that one profile) if you sign up for Meta Verified. If you upgrade to Premium or Max, you can talk to someone over the phone - a rarity with these social media giants.

But there's more - you also get "enhanced" profiles on Facebook (if you pay for Verified on that platform) or on Instagram. Instagram will give Business Plus subscribers the ability to add pictures to their bio links as well as link 3 additional accounts in the area under the profile bio.

Facebook pages with the 🔵blue check will show up in horizontal scrolls in feeds as "Recommended Meta Verified Businesses." Hey - it's like a free ad included in your not-free subscription. Beggars can't be choosers, right?

Impersonation protection is a neat feature - basically no one can spoof your Business page. Does that mean that past hacked pages have a chance of being reunited with their original owners? Not a clue - but it's worth a shot if you've completely lost access to your Page.