Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe-Anne Swink.
Hi Chloe-Anne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started out as an aimless blogger and poetry writer. I wrote about my travels on my own blog and pitched stories to larger publications and media hubs. Typically to little avail. Writing was my passion project, but I didn’t think I’d ever be able to monetize it.
Along came the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. I had just quit my bartending job–something I’d been doing for 5+ years–and now realized that I would’t be landing a new one any time soon. With lockdowns in full force and a lot of time (and little income) on my hands, I dove headfirst into learning how to monetize my writing.
As many small businesses were, Chloe-Anne Copy Agency was born out of the ashes (25% boredom, 75% necessity) of the 2020 global pandemic.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was absolutely not a smooth road! Don’t let Instagram fool you. This “entrepreneur thing” is no joke. Not only was the whole world learning how to navigate the pandemic, shutdowns, re-openings, and all the uncertainty. . . But I was learning how to run a business and be self-employed for the first time in my life at the same time.
There were peaks and valleys. Some of those valleys involved months on end of hoping I could pay my rent and having to lean on my now-fiance for financial–and emotional–support.
Building a network and a pipeline of leads was an ongoing challenge for the first year and a half. A lot of moments of self-doubt and losing faith in the process existed throughout that first year and a half as well. I think the biggest struggle of all was learning to cope with the stress of uncertainty from month to month. To tie a pretty bow on that period of tribulation, I’m happy to report that, today, it’s generally smooth sailing. The obstacles were all learning opportunities, moments of building resilience and trust in my abilities, each one worth the struggle.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m the Founder and Head Copywriter at Chloe-Anne Copy Agency, LLC. I’m a marketing copywriter and brand storyteller for the outdoor industry and holistic health practitioners. I know, that’s a mouthful.
The deep storytelling angle that I approach writing copy with causes me to shine among copy and content writers. Being in the outdoor industry and holistic health space, I work with a lot of companies and entrepreneurs who have high-end, very technical products or services to market. I specialize in building a story around those technical products and services to make them more relatable and appealing to the people they’re made for. It’s not just about the product, services, features, or benefits… It’s about the stories we tell our audiences. I paint the picture of what experiences or lifestyle the consumer stands to gain thanks to the product or service that my client is offering. I pour my passion for the outdoors, adventure sports, and optimal wellness into everything I write in order to evoke emotion from readers. I aim to convert my client’s ideal customers, of course, but even more, I aim to incite hope, inspire, and empower readers.
I accomplish this through various services that I offer. The pinnacle of my business is writing “launch stories” for technical gear and holistic health program launches. I’m in my client’s back pocket throughout the course of their launch planning and launch period. I’m available for consulting and I write and help develop funnels that allow the stories I tell around the offer to play out throughout the course of the launch. This looks different from one launch to the next, but often includes product descriptions, PR copy, sales pages, email copy and newsletters, blog posts, and social media copy to name a few.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My fiance, Corey, has been my biggest supporter. I can’t even say that without it sounding way too typical, but it is what it is and that’s exactly what he’s been. I started this business with zero capital, zero loans, zero month’s expenses in savings, and I didn’t make a penny until 11 months in. Ouch. He helped me financially when times got extra rough, but even more importantly, he somehow believed in me relentlessly no matter how much (or for how long) nothing seemed to be happening.
Also, Betty Gilbert is another outdoor industry copywriter with more experience than I. She believed in me, partnered up with me, and hyped me up when I needed it most. Sometimes, when self-doubt creeps in, you need to meet a totally new connection who sees in you the potential that you lost sight of, and then helps you seize it.
Last but absolutely not least I HAVE to credit my Mini Aussie and best friend, Nollie. I literally would not be anywhere I am or doing any of the things I’m doing today without her (it’s a long story, but couldn’t be more true).
Pricing:
- Consulting – $200/hr
- Copywriting and Brand Storytelling – Starting at $75/hr
- All projects are custom quotes. Please feel free to email me at any time to get a quote on your project.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chloeanne-copyagency.com/
- Instagram: @chloe.anne.copy
Image Credits
Corey Hendricks
