If you've gotten to Day 3 of the 5 Day Website Challenge you've seen that I recommend Brandgasm 101* as my go-to copywriting and design resource.
At $197, I've had a couple of BFFs reach out to me via email to ask me if it's worth buying. Here's the short answer: for me, Brandgasm 101 was worth it times ten. As soon as I bought it I knew it was going to help me immensely, save me time, money and frustration and I wanted to share it with my BFFs.
The reason that I even bought Brandgasm 101 in the first place was because I stumbled upon Ashley Ambirge's website, The Middle Finger Project and immediately connected with her tone and how she presented her info – and I felt like it could really help me.
That was no accident. Once I dug into the content I can see that I’m her target customer and she’s writing specifically to me.
So that’s what she teaches – how to identify your audience and how to write to them, as if you're speaking only to them and their deepest needs and desires.
And it’s pretty methodical in my opinion (even though the first couple chapters are theory-ish.)
This little excerpt is a great representation of what she’s teaching (and why I’m totally buying into it):
“You aren’t marketing stuff. You’re marketing meaning.
Nothing happens in a vacuum. Every single word you say, move you make, action you take, and color you use says something about your brand. But here’s the thing–it isn’t just about you and your brand. It’s about how those words, moves, actions and colors make people feel. How they make your customers feel. And how they feel about something determines what meaning they assign to it.
As we talked about in section 1, if you can find a way to help people feel more like themselves, or the person they want to be? That means something to them. And your product is no longer just a product; it’s a totem pole. A totem pole that they can happily hang their underwear on and say, “This is me.” Because when they can clearly say that your product or service helps them declare that more than someone else’s product or service? You’ll win the business, every time.”
Isn't that the connection we are all trying to make with our customers?
There are two parts – one on copywriting and one on design.
I haven’t focused much on the design part, although it did guide my color choice. It teaches how to use Photoshop and how to get it for FREE, and design theory, how to use white space, what fonts to choose and so much more.
I haven’t even gotten all the value out of the copywriting section… There’s a whole section on sales pages that I haven’t even started on yet, and another on social media that I want to dig into.
So do I think Brandgasm 101 is worth $197? I've already had to make an emergency business name change, and I was able to step through the How to Name Things So They Sell section and methodically drill down into the best new name for my business, then go to the design section and figure out how to re-work my logo – and that took me just a couple hours. I don't know what I would have done without that guidance.
Should you buy it? That's up to you and your budget. But as your BFF I'll never tell you to buy an outfit that doesn't look fabulous on you, and I'll never recommend a product that I don't think you will find super-useful for your business.
* this post contains an affiliate link. If you make a purchase I earn a commission at no additional cost to you. You pay the same whether you use my link or not 🙂
