Pen and Purpose Got a Makeover! Here’s Why.

Hey y’all! I’m so glad you’re here. Thanks for coming to check out my new look. I’m so excited about the work Kindly by Kelsea and I (cough – really just her) have been doing to reinvent Pen & Purpose. I started out thinking, “Sure, I guess my logo could use an update,” but this process has been so much more than that. It’s led me to consider who I want to be professionally, what I want my company to mean, and how I want to show up for my clients.


My daughter was born five years ago, and I started Pen & Purpose in search of more flexibility than corporate America is willing to give. Copywriting was a natural fit because I love to write and knew there was a need. As a marketer, I always needed more content than I had time to write. Sound familiar?


I didn’t have a strong brand identity because I didn’t feel strongly about my brand. I took jobs through referrals, did zero marketing, and worked on whatever client would cut a check.


I got some great experience, worked with wonderful people, a few of whom have become mentors and friends, and paid the bills. But something was missing. I was stressed, always behind, and felt isolated.


I was craving more human connection and a sense of community. I wanted more from my job, but didn’t know how to get it.


I met Kelsea…

Kelsea and I met through Entrepreneurial Women of Houston, a local networking group of women business owners. This is a small group, which feels so much more about building relationships than generating business (although it does that too), and I love being a part of it. Kelsea and I instantly clicked, and it struck me throughout this branding process how passionate she is about her craft and how much she deeply cares for her clients. This is true of the other women in this group, ranging from photographers to lawyers. I wanted the same passion I saw in them for my craft and to build relationships with clients that felt less transactional and more personal.


I made a commitment…

If I wanted to change what I got out of my business, I knew I needed to change what I put into it. I would have to show up and put myself out there in ways I hadn’t before. That meant vulnerability and possible (public) failure. It’s scary, which is why I wasn’t doing it. Hiding behind my computer and my clients’ content was a comfortable place to be, but it wasn’t fulfilling.


This rebrand represents a new commitment: To serve my community with content like I ask my clients to serve theirs.


A commitment that means I have to be better at managing my time, prioritize tasks I can’t bill for, and most importantly, be proud of who I am and what I offer.


The bright colors in my brand embody this commitment. If I’m committed to helping my clients use words to stand out, my brand should stand out too, right?


What happens next…

You’re going to see more of me. I’m going to share more of my work and my life with you. I have amazing clients. I’d like you to see how they’re using words to engage and win customers. Whether or not we work together, I want to contribute to helping you do what you do a little better, like so many others have done for me.


A little gift for you…

I am looking forward to serving you, and I’d like to start by buying you a cup of coffee (it fixes everything). Sign up to be a P&P Insider (in the footer), and tag two friends on Instagram or Facebook in the comments section of the latest post, who you think might enjoy following my feed, and I’ll send you a $5 Starbucks gift card (I know. It may not even cover your fancy-pants drink, but it will give you a reason to go get another cup)!


If you’re conflicted because the thought of receiving another email gives you heart-attack-like symptoms, but you really want the coffee, let me tell you exactly what you will get. I plan on sending one email per month (that’s one more than I’ve sent to my contacts in the past five years, so big commitment for me) with free copywriting and messaging tips. I will not up that frequency without permission, and I will never share your email address. Thank you for visiting, and don’t be a stranger!



BTW, my fancy-pants latte costs $5.17. Heaven help me!


Pen & Purpose

ChatGPT: Copywriting Comrade or Competition

ChatGPT for Copywriters: Comrade or Competition?

By Emily Lewis • 20 Sep, 2023
Two years ago, I tried the marketing and copywriting AI tool Jasper (at the time branded as Jarvis). I concluded it and similar AI tools weren't worth my time or investment because the output was generic, repetitive and sometimes nonsensical. Then in November 2022, ChatGPT launched and quickly went viral on social media as users shared examples of the impressive ways they were using it. For content creation and copywriting, it was more advanced than any other AI tool I’d seen and free! The AI Copywriting Revolution 🚀 Fast forward to today, AI ( thanks to ChatGPT ) has evolved. It's now the hottest trend in town, with many media outlets predicting AI-tools will revolutionize business practices across every major industry. So, what's behind this meteoric rise in popularity? Let's break it down: Efficiency & Speed: AI tools like GPT-4 have turbocharged the writing process. A first draft that once took a writer 1-2 hours can now be done in minutes. Consistency: AI tools maintain a consistent tone and style regardless of who is inputting the information. Scalability: Not only do AI-tools enable you to create content in a fraction of the time you could do it manually, they allow you to outsource creating it to anyone that can input information. At least in theory. Top AI Tools for Business & Marketing 🛠️ While I don’t believe copywriting AI tools are a good replacement for a human writer of any skill level, they have drastically improved since 2021, and today’s AI tools are absolutely worth investing in. When coupled with a human, these are my favorite AI writing tools: GPT-4: I used it to generate this post. While I did a lot of editing, it gave me a first draft, which likely would’ve taken me close to an hour to write without assistance. Feed it a prompt, and it'll churn out a draft in minutes. The better and more detailed your input, the better output it delivers. And you can give your tool feedback to keep editing the draft. Grammarly: The free version spots grammatical errors and helps you enhance readability. Grammarly Premium does everything the free version does, plus checks for plagiarism, offers recommendations based on over 400+ writing styles, and has an AI writing assistant (although not as sophisticated as GPT-4). SurferSEO: Using AI to analyze top-performing content in your industry, SurferSEO helps you craft SEO-optimized copy based on keyword searches and queries. There are hundreds of AI tools available and dozens specifically for copywriting. Pick a few that work for you. Trying to use too many tools can easily derail your efficiency and productivity. AI needs you to function, not the other way around. Maximizing the AI Advantage 🚀 Now that you have your favorite AI tools in hand, how do you squeeze every last drop of potential from them? Here's the playbook: Customize, Don't Compromise: Don’t expect perfection. AI is not a mind-reader. It’s an interpreter of the knowledge and experiences you give it. It also pulls from other sources around the web to complete your request. The content you publish becomes your digital portfolio, so don't let AI tools diminish the quality of it. Quality Control: Always have a human check the output and edit as needed. I've never published an AI-generated piece that didn’t require edits. Feedback Loop: Get feedback from your marketing tools, audience, customers, or team on AI-generated content. If they report a decrease in quality, relevance or effectiveness, try changing your input or editing processes. What AI Can't Replace 🧠 AI can’t replace you. Because while it can put words on paper for you, it lacks: Creativity: The AI may paint by numbers, but the canvas is still your domain. Innovative ideas, storytelling, wisdom, and expertise gained from experience are firmly in your human court. Empathy: AI doesn't have a heart. It can't truly understand your audience's emotions and respond with the compassion and empathy that only a human can provide. Strategy: Crafting a content strategy that aligns with your business goals requires human finesse. AI can execute, but the roadmap is your creation. There's no question that AI has drastically impacted the marketing and copywriting industries. But like any other technology, it doesn’t function on its own. AI can’t replace a skilled human writer, but it can improve their productivity and efficiency in unprecedented ways. The new era of copywriting and content marketing is not driven by AI, it’s driven by humans leveraging the power of AI.

D-I-Y SEO Tips For Small Business Owners

By emily • 08 Sep, 2021
What's new with SEO and how can you DIY your way to better page rankings as a small business owner?

10 Traits of the Unicorn Email Newsletter

By emily • 28 Jun, 2021
  Raise your hand if you want another email newsletter! Nope? Me neither.  We'd sooner expect to see a unicorn in our inboxes than an email newsletter we actually want to read.  But unlike unicorns, they do exist! I've managed to collect a few over time. Here’s what makes them so good (and rare).  1. [...] The post 10 Traits of the Unicorn Email Newsletter appeared first on Pen & Purpose.
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