Alyce Greer beat out 1400 other hopefuls to become the Westfield insider, where she became fashion commentator and brand ambassador. Now, she heads up her own copywriting agency, Bossy Copy, where she collaborates with brands like Running Bare, Solid State and Melbourne Central. In today’s episode, Alyce and I talk all things copy, the importance of telling your brand story and whether brands can be successful *without* social media.
Key Takeaways
- Brands often talk too much like brands and not enough like people.
- Your copywriting is what carries your brand personality through all aspects of your business, from social media to website, to packaging.
- PRs are starting to work with copywriters to put together actual articles to distribute to journalists, instead of just writing traditional press releases.
- Research is everything – press releases and articles that are written in the tone of voice of the publication are more likely to get coverage.
- Being polarising can be a secret weapon for brands.
- Social media is just one part of a larger marketing ecosystem.
Podcast Transcript
Claire Deane:
Thank you everybody for joining me today. So today, I have Alyce Greer from Bossy Copy. Welcome.
Alyce Greer:
Hi Claire. How are you?
Claire Deane:
Good. Thank you. Thanks for joining me.
Alyce Greer:
Thank you for having me. I’m excited.
Claire Deane:
Awesome. So I’d love you to kick off by telling me a little bit about yourself.
Alyce Greer:
Yes. Okay. I have 1,000,001 job. So my first and my main job is Bossy. I am the director and head writer of Bossy and we are a copywriting studio down in Melbourne. I also do lots of freelance writing on the side. I write for fashion journal quite regularly. I also have a podcast which is called The Bossy Type and I’m also working on a course, which I’ve just been telling you about off-air, which is taking over my entire life and that’s coming out the end of the year. So that’s kind of my other full-time job.
Claire Deane:
Awesome. Well, I discovered you via art fashion journal by some articles that you were writing there, but tell me, how did you come to launch bossy copy in the first place?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah, so I guess I’ve always been into writing, but growing up, I had no idea what copywriting was like only really known what copywriting was when I started Bossy, which is hilarious. I guess in terms of like my writing career, I did journalism when I was at uni and then my course was really traditional. So I always thought I was going to be like a news reporter, which is just hilarious. And then when blogging kind of kicked off, I was a big blogger. Did a lot of freelance writing and then for most of my twenties I worked with Westfield. So I was kind of their like official blogger and stylist. So that was really good. Cause it gave me a chance to kind of combine fashion writing, which has been my thread the whole way through my career. And then it wasn’t until I was 29 that I started Bossy because I felt I had my writing style was my, I guess my big point of difference. And I wanted to try and figure out a way that I could kind of barge my way into copywriting and bring that to brands. BecauseI felt like everything was really dated really traditional people always had like a really, yeah, I guess traditional sense of what copywriting was. So that was just a way of kind of bringing it to brands that wanted to have a little bit more fun and embrace a bit more of a bold personality. And now Bossy has just turned five.
Claire Deane:
Amazing. I saw that on social media just before this call, like oh congratulations on the fifth birthday. Very exciting.
Alyce Greer:
Exciting. I know it’s very exciting.
Claire Deane:
How would you define your way of writing or your tone of voice?
Alyce Greer:
Voice? Uh, very cheeky. I kind of, I guess the main thing for me is just talking like a real person, which is something that I feel like brands often lack. I feel like a lot of brands talk too much a brand, which is a bit contradicting, but yeah, I guess my personal writing style, definitely very conversational, very witty, a little bit sweary at times and it’s a bit more fun than most. So I feel like that’s the writing style I’ve always had throughout all of my freelance writing and blogs and things like that. So yeah, I guess was just my way of bringing that into copywriting rather than just having, you know, just for the freelance writing and the blocking side of things.
Claire Deane:
And how do you find, or do you find any brands are really doing it well from a copywriting perspective that is talking more like a brand rather than, uh, talking more like a person rather than, than just like a brand?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah. I mean, it’s hard to think of it, me off the top of my head, but there are so many brands I feel like probably more on social media. I feel like obviously social media, you can connect with your audience a little bit more. So I feel like most brands are a little bit more willing to be more loose on social media, but then I find even website copy, for example, is usually where people get a bit stumped, where as I’m all about trying to make sure your personality filters through every single part of your brand, whether it’s like an email to someone in your team, write down to the packaging on your product, write down to your Instagram caption. So just like figuring out what your brand personality is and what makes you different and making sure that filters through everything rather than just the really important bits like your, of packaging.
Claire Deane:
I think, too, that I really love, which you might also agree with is, Go-To Skincare. I feel like their copy is just, they do such a good job and it just feels so on brand throughout everything, even from their, “your product is shipped” emails to their social media, to everything. I feel like they do a really awesome job.
Alyce Greer:
Exactly. That’s a good example. They just kind of weave everything through. It’s funny because every single client that we get at Bossy when I ask it’s always Go-To skincare. But yeah, it’s a great example of just like embracing your brand personality and filtering it through everything. And even down to their Instagram, I was actually looking at it last night and they have such good, not just captions, but content like really educational, lots of carousel posts that really explain a lot of their ingredients and yeah, you’re right. Even down to like their emails and the materials in the box, like everything is so thought out and has such a strong voice that is kind of the backbone of the whole brand. So I feel like not many brands can say that their tone of voice or their personality is the backbone of their brand, but I feel like Go-To is definitely one of those.
Claire Deane:
And I feel like that’s a good sign if everybody’s coming to you and using them as an example, then they must have nailed it. And I feel like, I think a lot of beauty brands do a good job, but Frank Body I think was maybe one of the firsts to kind of have that really, you know, cheeky, bold tone of voice.
Alyce Greer:
Definitely. For sure. I feel like they kind of, when I try and explain tone of voice to people, I often use Frank Body as an example, and people click and they’re like, oh, okay. I know what you mean by tone of voice, because that’s like one brand that really kicked it off. And they were the same, you know, everything down from their emails, their packaging, everything filtered through with that really strong character, which is what I love to do as well.
Claire Deane:
Awesome. And how do you think that tone of voice can come across for PRS in like press releases and those kinds of things which traditionally have had, you know, a certain format or a certain structure that you have to follow?
Alyce Greer:
I feel like it’s kind of changing a little bit, like I’ve actually worked on a couple of projects recently for brands who needed to write press releases and rather than just getting their publicist or someone in house to write it for them, they’ve actually engaged Bossy to write their press release in more of like an article format. So thinking about broadsheet or pedestrian TV or urban list and trying to figure out what they would respond to and writing really unique press releases that are more of an article format that would get picked up by them. So I thought that was really interesting thinking about, yeah, just like the old school press release a little bit more creatively and yes, I feel like in PR we always and think of the Hawk or what’s going to really draw the reader in and it’s very similar and copy my thing is always trying to come up with like a really interesting Hawk or a really interesting angle or a creative concept and starting the copy like that. So I feel like if you take that view into press releases as well, you can start thinking of it a little bit more uniquely, a bit more creatively, a bit more modern as well.
Claire Deane:
And I guess also too journalists at time port, particularly at those digital publications. So if you can write something they can copy and paste, then you’re much more likely to get coverage than if it’s just something they have to completely recraft.
Alyce Greer:
Yeah. Especially if you have done your research and you’ve figured out what their tone of voice is or their writing style. So I feel like research is really important. Having a look at what your main target is or who you really want to focus on, how do they write all of their content and copy. And can you kind of replicate that in your press release to make it a bit more on brand rather than just going straight in the bin, they might actually read it. And even if you can get like one tip I always think of is for me copywriting, and this would apply to press releases as well is trying to get someone to read past the first sentence. And then once they do that read past the second sentence, so what can you do to like really hook them in really catch your attention and show that you’ve done your research and really understand their brand
Claire Deane:
Definitely personalize rather than a blanket mass market approach. So you’ve done work for Westfield, Running Bare. You regularly write for fashion journal. What do you think it is that brands need to do to set themselves apart with copy?
Alyce Greer:
I think people need to put a little bit more time into figuring out what makes them different and what their brand personality is. Because I feel like, like I said, a lot of brands just speak like brands that haven’t actually thought about how they want to communicate and how they wanna be portrayed by the public. And at the end of the day, if you’re putting content out there, putting products out there, then people perceive you in a certain way. So I feel like it’s really important to just spend a little bit more time and effort into figuring out how you wanna shape that story. So really figure out what makes you different and unpack your brand personality a little bit more and use that to kind of guide every single thing that you do, and really embrace your personality, whatever it is. I feel like a lot of people are a bit scared to repel customers or they’re afraid of being polarizing.
Alyce Greer:
But for me being polarizing has been like my biggest secret weapon, just having like a little bit more personality, being a bit more fun, not being afraid to take risks. They’re the things that I feel like have set Bossy apart from other copywriting agencies or studios. And I feel like that’s something that brands could spend a little bit more time on instead of just trying to please everyone really figuring out who they are, what makes them different, who their customer is, and then drilling down to that and speaking to them directly rather than just trying to please everyone.
Claire Deane:
What advice do you give to brands to help them identify what is different about them?
Alyce Greer:
Well at bossy, we spend a lot of time doing like a bit more of a briefing questionnaire or brand questionnaire. So really diving into who your customer is and drilling all the way down. So not just like, what are their ages? Are they female? Are they male, but really are thinking about, what keeps them up at night? What are their pain points? What are their dreams and desires? What other products do they love? What’s their favorite cocktail. So even thinking like write down as specifically as you can to really figure out who it is. and I also love brand personality traits. So really thinking about what makes you different and what’s important to you in terms of values. And I feel like when you start combining those two, in terms of you as the brand and then your customer, you can start shaping a bit of a picture as to who you are and how you wanna come across. And that for me is kind of like the basis for everything. Once you have that you can kind of shape your own story and make sure that your speed can directly to those people and you’re aligning with your brand as well.
Claire Deane:
So what do you think is the key to telling a really great brand story?
Alyce Greer:
I actually just released a free workbook on this exact thing. So kind of how to write a really good about page or a bio. Cause I feel like that is one thing that people get so stumped by. And I fully understand because I feel like when we try and write our own brand story, people hate writing about themselves. And I feel like you open the document and you’re staring at the blinking cursor and you’ve got no idea where to begin. So for me, I guess in a nutshell, my process is, like I said before, really trying to figure out what that book or that attention grabbing storyline is. But first really thinking about doing some planning. So for me, I try and envision what my brand story is even going to look like on my website.
Like how is it going to be laid out? Doesn’t need like a really catchy header or a tagline. And then does it need to be a really long story or is it gonna be broken up into a few different sections? Cause I feel like once you even focus on that, it becomes so much less daunting to figure out what gaps you need to fill. The next step for me is what I call function. So really figuring out like what the functional elements do you want to talk in first person or third person. So do you wanna be really personal or do you wanna be talking about your brand from above? The third thing for me is the framework. So figuring out what you’re going to cover, are you going to talk about yourself as the founder? Are you going to talk about the brand or are you going to talk about both?
So just trying to figure out what your angle is and then any other points that you want to include. So even when we write a brand story for a brand, we’ll ask them to bullet point every single meaningful message or bullet point that they want us to include in that. And then we can make sure that we weave them throughout. And then the last bit is what I call flavor. So bringing it all together in a really engaging, memorable tone and making sure that it’s really bang on with your tone of voice. So it’s kind of striking a balance between having all the important info and figuring out what your big attention-grabbing hook is and making sure that you kind of wrap it all up in your tone of voice. So it’s still consistent with everything else.
Claire Deane:
Awesome. So then translating that story into a great press release or a great piece of editorial or a great blog post or social media post, how do you recommend people do that?
Alyce Greer:
I would probably focus again on that opening hook or that story. So even thinking about that on its own, that can be such a good mini-story for say social media, or it can be the lead into a really interesting article for your press release. So again, thinking about who it is you’re sending this press release to or who it is that’s reading your social media post and then how can you recraft your brand story that you’ve written to be appropriate for those people? So maybe they would be really interested in that opening hook. That’s what’s gonna really grab their attention. So using that for say you, yeah, social media post or something like that, or it could even be more of the content that you’ve included, focusing that on that say press release. So just thinking about who it is that you’re targeting, and what’s the point of sending it out to people like what’s the story here and how can you really grab their attention?
Claire Deane:
So speaking of social media, you recently wrote an article for fashion journal, which was how I came across you about, how to prepare for an age when Instagram isn’t the be all and end all like that death of Instagram that people talk about a lot. Can you tell us a little bit about what motivated you to write that article?
Alyce Greer:
Yes. So I feel like I’m psychic because I wrote this article and then a week later, Instagram came out and said we’re no longer a photo sharing app. But for me it was more, just a personal thing. I felt like I have been getting so over Instagram and I don’t know whether it’s a lockdown thing or maybe I’m just a hundred years old and I’ve been on Instagram for too long, but I was just getting a little bit sick of it. And I was having conversation with friends and even clients. And we were all kind of talking about the same thing. And for me it was a lot of time wasting.
I would literally pick up my phone and be on Instagram and I had no recollection of picking up my phone or I would be comparing myself to other businesses or other people. And it just made me feel really guilty. I would get to the end of the day and realize that I hadn’t achieved as much as I wanted to. And I could usually pinpoint it down to just scrolling on my Instagram. So I kind of gave myself a little bit of a social experiment where I just cut myself off Instagram for a week or two. And I just wanted to see how I felt and I felt a million times better just knowing. And I think also from like a business point of view, you feel really torn because you feel like you should be on social media and you need to be posting all the time, showing your face showing up.
But then at the same time, you don’t feel very good when you’re constantly on your phone and scrolling Instagram. So yeah, I was just feeling a little bit torn about that and yeah, and just was talking to other people and so kind of having conversations around, well, if Instagram died tomorrow, what would we all do? Because eventually it will die. Like MySpace, MySpace died and there’s always going to be some other social media platform that will come along. So yeah, that’s pretty much what inspired that story.
Claire Deane:
And so tell me what, a some, what’s the summary of it? Like what do you think we should do to prepare ourselves for the ultimate demise of Instagram?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah, so I think a, a lot of brands and people definitely put all of their eggs in the one basket. and that’s something that I’m really trying not to do, but it’s funny cuz social media is so like seductive, you can’t help, but not think that you have to be on there. And it’s really fun for me. Social media or my Instagram in particular is kind of like a condensed version of my brand. I really use it as a way to, show off my brand voice. All of my captions for me are like an audition for copywriting. Cause you never know who’s going to see it. It’s a visual representation of my brand, but at the same time, I know that if Instagram closed down tomorrow, I would lose those followers. Cause I, we don’t own that audience. So for me, I think one really important thing is focusing more on other channels. So things like your email marketing, cause that’s obviously a list that you own or an audience that you own. and just thinking about other ways, like that’s, when another reason I started the podcast was to just not put all my eggs in the social media basket and try and grow an audience and a following in other ways that aren’t just reliant so much on social media, just in case we wake up tomorrow and it’s gone.
Claire Deane:
And how have you found that that diversification has changed your marketing?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah, really. and I think it’s funny because, and a bit ironic because I, with the podcast, for example, that has given me more follows on social media. So I feel like everything just kind of works in tandem and I try and think of everything more of a ecosystem rather than just thinking about everything in a silo. So thinking about what I can offer through my emails or how I can get more people onto the podcast and just thinking about it more as an ecosystem has been really helpful, not just for building an audience in other platforms, but still on social media as well, because obviously having a lot of different areas that you’re in obviously makes you look a little bit more like an expert in your field, which is exactly what people want I think
Claire Deane:
Particularly for professional services like copywriting or PR exactly. A few of the other guests that I’ve spoken to who have podcasts of their own. Talk about the fact that having someone actually hear them talk gives such a different level of, of expertise. Like people sort of really relate where they can hear someone talk and that kind of the whole advent of clubhouse and, you know, audio being such a strong component of their marketing these days, as opposed to just, you know, the traditional social media channels, I guess.
Alyce Greer:
Yeah, definitely. And it’s even the same, you know, you think about stories versus posts on Instagram. It’s so much more engaging to watch someone talk to the camera and even if it’s just giving a few of their tips for the day or whatever their expertise is, rather than just reading a caption, there’s something so much more engaging about kind of having a conversation with someone, even if it is via Instagram or the podcast. So you’re right. I definitely agree that people, I feel like have been more inclined even reach out and start a conversation with me once they’ve heard me talking on the podcast. It’s just really interesting. I feel like it’s a little bit more engaging and you’re able to have more of a dialogue with customers or clients or, your audience versus just talking to them via your Instagram posts for example.
Claire Deane:
What about influencers? Do you think they are still relevant?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah, I do. I definitely think influencers have their place for sure. And I feel like we can all learn a bit from influencers in terms of their engagement and how they talk to their audience because they all have such engaged following, even if they don’t have a huge following, their audiences are quite engaged and it’s because they’re able to have like such deep and meaningful conversations with people and they’re real people versus say a brand probably isn’t gonna have those really deep conversations, like an actual person that influencer would be. So yeah, I think we can definitely learn a lot from that. And there’s still 100% a place for influencers.
Claire Deane:
Are you seeing any brands doing influencer marketing really, really well?
Alyce Gree:
To be honest, it’s not something that I’ve really noticed. I feel like I have been spending a lot of time in my Bossy account because in trying to stay away from my personal Instagram account, cause I’m a huge time waster and procrastinator. So I’ve been kind of looking at the same brands and I probably focus more on, their content and how they write their captions and just seeing what sort of things they’re posting. But I definitely know there are some amazing brands, especially in, the beauty space and even, you know, the slow fashion space that are working with some amazing influences. And I think starting really good conversations as well. It’s not like influencers in the old days where it was just, you know, you look cute posting this picture. I feel like there’s a big push towards pushing boundaries a little bit more, having a more tough conversations and really turning everything on its head, and forcing people to think more about their actions as well, which I think is important.
Claire Deane:
So if you were advising a new brand today or even, you know, existing brands, some of the big, fashion houses are deciding to move away from social media, but how important do you think it is for brands to be on social media these days?
Alyce Greer:
I think it’s definitely still key, but for me it is still only one piece of the pie and I feel like that’s always been the case. Yes, it is really, really important. And for me, I would love to not spend all day on Instagram, but I know that I can have really good conversations with people on Instagram. People often ask me questions about copywriting and I can give them little tips or free advice. But at the same time I feel like, yeah, it’s just one piece of the pie. So really thinking about it more as part of the ecosystem, you know, you’ve got your marketing, you’ve got PR you can be doing things like podcasting rather than just thinking about everything has to be on social media and I have to be Instagram famous and that’s the only way I’m going to sell my products or my services. Because I just don’t think that’s true anymore.
Claire Deane:
How do you think brands can do it really well as opposed to just adding to that noise and that kind of feeling from all of us that we are wasting our time?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah. I think that for me, kind of comes back to doing the work at the beginning. Doing some of that pre-work so really figuring out what you can offer that’s different. And what is your unique point of view? What is your unique selling proposition and thinking of everything a little bit differently? So for me, even when I’m working, you know, trying to bring out like a freebie or an ebook or a competition, or this course that I’m working on, I really try and pull everything apart and think about how bossy would do it versus just what any brand would do it. So I think if, if brands can start thinking about it like that, even if it is as simple as an Instagram caption or their content, and really focus on their brand personality, really focus on what they’re bringing to the table that’s unique and what their brand personality is and thinking about everything differently, they can kind of cut through the noise and speak directly to their, their customer or their audience rather than just thinking, oh, I have to post once a day. so yeah, that, that’s probably what I would recommend. And what
Claire Deane:
About the customers that are feeling, I mean, you mentioned you’ve, you’ve gone through this, social media withdrawal. Withdrawal’s not the right word, this self imposed and I did this. I’ve done the same thing. I’ve taken social media off my phone because I just reached my phone constantly. And I find even now it’s been, it’s been nearly a month and I still reach for my phone automatically. Even though I don’t have those platforms on my phone anymore. So it’s such an ingrained habit. How do you think brands can make consumers not feel like that? Do you know what I mean? Like that we’re actually doing something with our time or that we’re actually gaining something from engaging on these channels rather than feeling that fatigue.
Alyce Greer:
Yeah. I think one thing would be definitely opening the floor to having those conversations. Working with influences that are starting really important conversations as well, more inclusivity, super important. So we’re not just saying the same things on everyone’s page. And also adding value, you know, people I know for one, when I post even a copywriting tip on my Instagram, that is my most saved content. That is my most shared content. And it’s the content that people really engage with and comment on. Whereas if I’m just posting something because I’m showing off, you know, a past project or something that I like, it doesn’t really work. So I feel like for me, adding value is such a huge one. On top of, yeah, all those other things like inclusivity and conversations.
Claire Deane:
And I think it’s probably like from an agency perspective, it would be easy to think about how you could add value, because you’re a service provider, but what about brands? How can they add that value?
Alyce Greer:
Well, even, you know, talking back to go to that, was it really? Sorry. Sorry. I have to stop for a second.
Claire Deane: That’s all right.
Alyce Greer:
I’m not in my office. Can you hang on one second?
Claire Deane:
Yeah, for sure.
Claire Deane:
So the question was, so it’s easy for an agency. Yeah. It’s easy for an agency to, to come up with ways to be able to add value. I feel like because it’s, you know, service provider, they can give tips, they can give advice, but what about a brand? How can they add value to consumers when it comes to social media?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah. So I think that kind of reminds me a little bit of Go-To from earlier because they really, really nail it. So they think about, you know, their products rather than just thinking about the features of the product. And this is kind of like marketing 101 or copywriting 101, but really thinking about what the benefits are to that audience. But then for them, they kind of take it one step further and they really dissect all of their products and they give so much education around all of their ingredients. which I think is really, really important. So lots of carousel posts that break down skincare and what ingredients we should be looking for. And I feel like that’s perfect for them cause it’s really aligned with their whole philosophy of making skincare simple. So they really simplify everything for their audience. and they really talk about everything in a really approachable, conversational, and really fun way.
So you are learning and getting value, but at the same time you’re consuming content. That’s still really fun and engaging. Speaking of beauty, another brand that I love is Everyday Humans and they’re an SPF brand and they do a similar thing where they suppose a lot of educational content around, you know, what’s the difference between physical and mineral sunscreen and why should we care? So yeah, just thinking about what your product is. If you’re an E eCom business and thinking about it in a more creative way and really dissecting your product and how you can add value to whoever your audience, might happen to be.
Claire Deane:
What happens if you are, you know, like a more older or more traditional brand or, you know, like a, a Witchery or one of those kind of brands that sort of has had a long legacy of how they speak, how can those bigger brands bring a sense of fun into what they’re doing?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah. I think it really comes down to who your audience is at the end of the day. so while I do think that every brand could be a little bit more fun, I feel like there are a lot of brands who that might be their audience and that might be what their audience responds to. So when you look at yeah, the brands like which in country road, and you think about the audience or the shoppers that might be shopping with them, they probably do resonate with the tone of voice that country road and which we have. So I think first and foremost, yes, really important to be. And it doesn’t even have to be fun, but probably just more so, a little bit more conversational and speaking more like a human, whereas if you wanna take it all the way, yes, you can be very bold and fun and cheeky, but that might not work for your or brands. So I think definitely the most important thing is to think about who your audience is and try and be as specific as you can. And talk to that one person that you have in mind, cuz then when that person reads your content, they’re gonna feel like you’re speaking directly to them and also not being afraid that you might repel other people in the process because that essentially a good thing, even though it sounds kind of scary.
Claire Deane:
Definitely. So what about brands who’ve chosen not to build their social media following. So do you think you can still be successful if you’re not on social media?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah, I do. I think obviously social media is amazing for building a community and building a following and even making sales and things like that. But yeah, it is essentially just one piece of the pie. So I feel like if you have an amazing product, if your word of mouth is really great and you have amazing reviews and testimonials even before and afters can be so, so powerful, if you have amazing email marketing, if you have good PR, I feel like all of those things combined, even down to think like a product, one of my favorite brands is Bread Beauty Supply. And they don’t have a huge following on Instagram. I think they’ve got maybe like 25,000 followers, but their presence is so much more than how many followers they have. Their products are amazing. Their packaging is insane. They’re having all these really cool conversations and being really inclusive. and so yeah, I look at brands like that. And even though they’re not supers Insta famous, they don’t have millions of followers like other brands, do I feel like they’re doing it exceptionally well,
Claire Deane:
They’re getting a heap of press coverage too. I’m seeing them pop up all over the place.
Alyce Greer: Exactly.
Claire Deane:
So, which, you know, isn’t relying on the strength of their social media, it’s about the product and about what they’re creating and the story behind the brand.
Alyce Greer:
Exactly. Yeah. So just trying to think about, thinking beyond just social media a little bit and figuring up what you offer the world and what makes your brand and your product unique.
Claire Deane:
So what about any brands that are really killing it on social media right now? And why do you think they’re so successful?
Alyce Greer:
Definitely Bread Beauty Supply one for me. I just feel like I could look at their Instagram all day, and yeah Go To is another really great one. Especially for the educational content. I think educational content is so important, not even for just like it’s a little bit sneaky, but even just to help that Instagram algorithm, you know, I always make sure that I write really long captions, one huge rambler. I also know that when people stop on my post, they’re gonna be on my post for a while and Instagram recognizes that people are enjoying that content. So I feel like really long form, captions that kind of are a bit more real and conversational and educational can be really great. So yeah, I’d love Go To for that reason. Who else do I like? That’s a tough one. I feel like the beauty brands are really killing it at the moment. Both internationally and overseas, I feel like everybody is coming to terms with the fact that fast fashion is dying, a death slow and painful death. So, yeah, lots of really great slow fashion brands. But for me, I feel like the beauty brands and the really inclusive beauty brands that are having conversations are kind of taking the cake at the moment.
Claire Deane:
It’s almost like a swing back from, you know, back in the day where beauty brands were sort of this like aspirational, you had to look a certain way, you had to, you know, act a certain way. And now it’s kind of going completely the opposite way. It is much more open and, and inclusive and all those kinds of things
Alyce Greer:
Yeah. And celebrating people and what they look like naturally rather than I feel like it’s not even so much about makeup. A lot of the new brands, I love on Instagram, it’s always about skincare. and just having conversations that might even not be relevant to skincare, but they seem to suit those brands. So yeah. I, I really love all the beauty stuff at the moment.
Claire Deane:
Awesome. So if you had to build a business, we’ve spoken about this a little bit. But if you had to build a business without social media these days, how would you do it and how, what advice would you give to brands to stand out without those channels?
Alyce Greer:
Well, I’m biased. So I would say definitely tone of voice is super important. And like, just talking about, Go To. Again, that’s such a good example of how much your tone of voice can completely transform your brand. Like, yes, she’s got amazing products and the packaging is really cute. But what people talk about is the tone of voice. So for me, definitely investing in tone of voice, and really letting that drive your entire brand for me, even with bossy, my tone of voice is kind of inspired by my personal writing style, which makes it really easy for me to write content, but I make sure that that kind of frames every single thing that I do write down to how I name my eBooks, for example. so really thinking about how that can filter through everything you do, and also just thinking a little bit differently.
So, you know, you might not, need to bring out a podcast. But maybe that could be perfectly aligned with you and your brand or how can you offer, you know, really fun or unique emails to your customers or your audience, or even thinking about fun marketing activities. Like one thing I love is seeing like stickers slapped all around my area from all different businesses or like posters that look like band posters, but they’re actually for brands. So just thinking a little bit more creatively, a little bit more left of center, and none of that stuff is really reliant on having a really big social media account or really big social media following. So yeah, just being a little bit more creative and just brainstorming, get together as a team and really think about what’s important to you and how you wanna communicate moving forward.
Claire Deane:
Awesome. So final question. What was the last thing that you Googled for work?
Alyce Greer:
I Google the funniest things. OK. So the last thing I Googled actually was the best way, this is no word of lie, was the best way to dunk a cookie and milk.
Claire Deane:
Work-related? Not work-related?
Alyce Greer:
Actually it’s work-related. Cause I’ve come up with this brand. I’ve kind of designed a brand for my course Bossy Copy college. And it’s kind of like the resident brand that I use throughout the course is my example. And this brand that I’ve come up with though I think I have to bring to life now is company. So I had to write like a fake Instagram caption to show how I would do that. And it was around the best way to dunk a cookie milk. And I didn’t actually know so
Claire Deane:
Well, what is it? Tell us what is the best way to dip a cookie milk.
Alyce Greer:
Apparently, the optimum seconds is four seconds. So four seconds in the milk and not a second longer.
Claire Deane:
Right. That is very, very specific. Does it depend on cookie type or is it completely cookie agnostic?
Alyce Greer:
Yeah. Cookie agnostic works. Yeah. I feel like copywriters, if you look at a copywriter search history, it’s kind of scary, but we know lots of random facts that’s for sure.
Claire Deane:
Well, that’s awesome. So tell our listeners where they can find you.
Alyce Greer:
Okay. So obviously on Instagram, how ironic of us, I’m @bossy.copywriting, that’s where I spend most of my time. And then you can find me on the podcast as well. So that’s just the Bossy Type and soon and up I’m bringing out the course, which is called Bossy Copy college, that will be out probably in, around the end of November 2022. So you’ll see more of that on my Instagram if you’re interested.
Claire Deane:
Amazing. Well, thank you so much for joining us.
Alyce Greer:
Thanks, Claire. Have a good day!
Claire Deane:
Thanks!
