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If you're just joining in, this is the second episode in a three-part mini series answering the question: What do I need to prep BEFORE I write a single word of copy? Last week's episode on Voice of Customer was the first; if you missed it, you can catch up here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-ep-5-what-to-prep-before-writing-a-single-word-hint-voc/id1504011822?i=1000565705402 Today we're talking about nailing our core transformations. Your product or service may have several benefits and even more features, but what's the ONE change that your customers will experience when they buy it? Listen for two examples of a product and a service, plus three exercises that'll take you through crafting a brand transformation of your own. There's one more episode to go in this mini series; subscribe so you don't miss it! And if you liked it, if you found it useful, come hang out with me in my email newsletter, Chai in my Inbox. I send it out twice a week, with copy inspiration, writing tips, and funny stories from my life. You can sign up through this link to get a free checklist of the 12 things to do before you send your next email: https://www.cuttingchaistories.com/12emailcomponents

There are a BUNCH of ducks you need to have in a row before you can start writing your copy (if you want it to be successful, that is). The list is too long to cover in its entirety in one episode, so this is the first of a short series about what to prep before writing your very first word. Today's episode of Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora focuses on "Voice of Customer." What is it? Why is it important? And how do you as a fledgling marketer figure out what the voice of YOUR customer (even before you have a single one). Thank you Yana, Angela, and The Cupcake Carriage for asking me this question and sparking the idea for this episode! If you want to see real-life examples of marketing in the wild, hear zany stories from my life and the business and copy lessons I draw from them, and generally be in touch more often, sign up for my twice-a-week email newsletter, Chai in my Inbox. No spam, easy unsubscribe, and a shot of my signature masala every Monday and Thursday. Subscribe here: https://www.cuttingchaistories.com/subcribe

In the very first guest interview of this season, I speak to pre- and post-partum fitness coach Reena Parekh, who is killing it on Instagram. She doesn't think of herself as a writer, she doesn't use templates, and she abandoned the "rules" ages ago. How does she do it? Key takeaways of this episode: Have a purpose. Reconnect with who you're doing this FOR. Representation matters. When you become human, you become more relatable to people. It's all interconnected; our businesses are political. You have to be willing to have hard conversations, because when you're putting yourself out there, you're opening the door. Even the best creators take a break. Writing is a skill. The more you share what feels right to you, the more it will resonate with people. Best aha moments: “I had this pivotal moment when I was going through my feed, and I realized everybody I followed was a young fitness professional who was white, thin, able-bodied…they all had that kind of similar lifestyle—it looked nothing like mine.” “That was when I realized I had to diversify my feed. I had to find more people that looked like me, that kind of lived a life that I lived, aligned with my values and my beliefs – that’s when I started talking about why representation matters.” “When we start sounding like everybody else, and talking about the same things as everybody else, you just become part of the noise.” “The more that I started to share what felt right to me, that aligned with who I am and my values and my beliefs, the easier the words flow. And the more I find that resonates with others.” “We have to know what we’re putting out there, WHY are we doing it, what is the purpose, what is the impact that you wanna make, how do you wanna use your voice on social media? We have been given platforms to use our voices—that is a gift.” About Reena: Reena Parekh is a business owner, pre- and postpartum fitness specialist, speaker and mental health advocate. She is a proponent of change in this space, encouraging her clients and community to embrace their bodies and pushback against postpartum bounce back culture. Connect with Reena: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/itsreenaparekh (www.instagram.com/itsreenaparekh) Baby2Barbell™️ Core + Pelvic Floor Basics: https://www.reenaparekh.com/b2blevel1 (https://www.reenaparekh.com/b2blevel1) Free Resources: https://www.reenaparekh.com/free-resources (https://www.reenaparekh.com/free-resources)

If you're stumped at the thought of using stories in your marketing, and what's holding you back is the thought that you have nothing exciting enough, nothing worthy enough of sharing, well, I'm about to banish that thought by reading you an email about the most boring thing I could imagine, to the most boring outcome. Listen to this episode for a demonstration of how to use stories in your marketing -- and, this is key -- make them RELEVANT and INTERESTING to your audience. Subscribe so you never miss an episode! And if you listen to this and think, I need more of this in my life, I am taking 1:1 clients for copy coaching, and storytelling is a HUGE part of the work. To see if we're a good fit, email me at jayati AT cuttingchaistories DOT com.

You CANNOT write great copy without this one ingredient. If you try, you’ll sound indistinguishable from the crowds of your competitors. What is it and how do you inject it into your marketing to elevate your copy? Listen to Season 4 Episode 2 of Cutting Chai Stories: Write Copy that Feels Good for the answer. Subscribe so you never miss another episode. If you already subscribe, thank you! Sign up at www.cuttingchaistories.com/subscribe to get my email newsletter, Chai in my Inbox, so you can —learn how to use storytelling to sell your products and services —know when a new episode of Cutting Chai Stories comes out and —be delighted by weird stories from my real life and thebusiness lessons I learned from them

So let’s talk about it. What do you think the word “COPY” means? Because it’s hard to write copy when we’re unclear about where we’re standing. Copywriting ≠ copyrighting Copywriting ≠ journalism Copywriting ≠ content Coz we can't begin to start writing copy (let alone kickass, make-you-sit-up-and-pee-your-pants copy) if we don't know what the heck it is -- and what it isn't. In the kickoff episode of Season 4, a primer for you on what copy is, what it isn't, and examples of where to find it. Think of it as Step Zero on your journey to better copy. If you liked this episode, subscribe so you don't miss another episode.

Season 4 trailer: Hello hello, and welcome back to Cutting Chai Stories! I’m your host Jayati Vora, and I’m a recovering journalist turned copy coach. I got my writing and editing chops during my decade and a half of being an editor in two different countries. And built on that foundation with a WHOLE lot of ethical marketing and copywriting techniques. So that YOU, the online business owner, can get the benefit of all those skills in this concrete, practical, bite-sized podcast, Now renamed Cutting Chai Stories: Write Copy That Feels Good. Who’s this podcast for? It’s for business owners who are looking to upgrade their copy—their website copy, their email marketing, their social media presence, heck, even the way they’re introduced in podcast interviews! Cutting Chai Stories: Write Copy that Feels Good is conversational, comes with a shot of masala, and is as much about creativity and bringing that energy and personality that is yours alone, as it is about frameworks and case studies. There are no fill-in-the-blanks templates here. There ARE, however, interviews with business owners who have learned to harness the power of copy for themselves—business owners just like you, course providers, coaches, service-based businesses run by entrepreneurs who didn’t graduate with a degree in writing but EARNED their writing stripes over the years. If YOU are a business owner like that and want to be featured on Cutting Chai Stories, send me a DM on Instagram. New episodes drop on Thursdays. The next season is about to launch next week, but if you can’t wait that long, you can visit www.cuttingchaistories.com/podcast to binge on the last season, OR subscribe to my email list at www.cuttingchaistories.com/subscribe, and I’ll send you my mini course on how to get more engagement from your audience using your copy. Make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode, and I’ll see you back here next Thursday!

Welcome back to the fourth and final episode of this fiction mini-series by Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, which features two fractured fairytales. A fractured fairytale is a retelling of a story with some important parts changed, like the setting, or the reversal of the hero and villain. In today's episode, authors and voice actors Kimaya Desai and Anika Gursahani integrated real historical characters into their fractured fairytales of Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel. This mini series is the result of a six-week writing and podcasting course taught by Jayati Vora in November and December 2021. The children collectively decided on a theme, wrote their stories, with some editing help, and performed them. If you enjoy it, please do share it with the children in your life. We'll get back to the copywriting tips in Season 4, coming SOOOONNN!

Welcome back to the third episode of this fiction mini-series by Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, all about objects that come to life and surprise a podcaster trying to record an episode about traveling to Paris!  This series is written and performed mostly by children: Samika Kapadia, Samaira Parikh, and Riaana Bajaj. This mini series is the result of a six-week writing and podcasting course taught by Jayati Vora in November and December 2021. The children collectively decided on a theme, wrote their stories, with some editing help, and performed them. If you enjoy it, please do share it with the children in your life.  We'll get back to the copywriting tips in Season 4!

Welcome back to the second episode of this fiction mini-series by Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, all about children who discover magical portals inside their closets and go on an adventure in fictional and real story books!  This series is written and performed mostly by children, who also star in their own stories. Our heroes are Amay Maller, Aanya Somani, Sejal Bansal, and Samyra Chaudhary.  Additional voice talents include Jack Berengarten, Agastya Patel, and Suraj Andra. All the children, including Aadhya Guruprasad, helped make several of the sound effects.  This mini series is the result of a six-week writing and podcasting course taught by Jayati Vora in November and December 2021. The children collectively decided on a theme, wrote their stories, with some editing help, and performed them. If you enjoy it, please do share it with the children in your life.  We'll get back to the copywriting tips in Season 4!

Yes, this is Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, but this, the very first of a four-part fiction mini series written and performed mostly by children, is not about copywriting. In this episode, a meteor lands on earth and a cave full of mythical creatures is revealed.  Our heroes, Agastya Patel, Jack Berengarten, Aadhya Guruprasad, and Suraj Andra, each star in their own episodes. Additional voice talents include: Aanya Somani, Sejal Bansal, and Amay Maller.  This episode is the result of a six-week writing and podcasting course taught by Jayati Vora in November and December 2021. The children collectively decided on a theme, wrote their stories, with some editing help, and performed them, including some of the sound effects.  If you enjoyed it, please do share it with other children. 

In this break between seasons, stay tuned for a mini-series by my students, ages 7-12, of fictional narratives written and voiced by them.