• Who: Nicola Moors
• Website: nicolamoors.com
• Course Topic: Copywriting
• Interesting Stats: 23 people bought during the first month

Who are you and what course have you created?

I’m a launch strategist and copywriter helping business owners optimize their products and course launches, so they can maximize their revenue (and profits).

My specialties are in full-launch support and funnel optimization-where I audit my clients’ launches and funnels to help them increase their profits. My clients often receive higher-than-average conversions on their copy because I heavily focus on their data, research and infusing their personality into their marketing and sales copy.

I sell a $365 digital product, called the Brand Voice Buddy, which helps business owners document their brand voice into a brand voice guide for their team.

What market does your online course serve?

Brand voice is widely said to be one of the biggest objections when hiring writers or a team – it’s hard to find someone who can embody your voice, personality, and tone without spending hours training them.

So the product helps online business owners, who have a team or hire contractors, to understand their voice and document it.

The majority of my students are copywriters who want to understand the process of mimicking their clients’ voices.

Later this year, I’m developing the course to help business owners create the brand voice from scratch and strategically, based on their personality, positioning, and messaging.

What’s the biggest benefit of taking your course?

It’s a quick and easy way to understand what your voice is (or if you’re a writer to be able to mimic your client’s voice).

As a business owner, you’ll understand what your voice is and how to explain it to your team members. This means you’ll minimize any edits with your team, have consistent messaging throughout your platforms, and be able to connect more authentically with your audience (because your copy feels more like you).

For copywriters, it gives them the boost of confidence they need when working with new clients to write copy that actually sounds like them and the intel needed to create brand voice guides.

How did you get into the market?

It was completely by accident. Before I was a copywriter I worked as a journalist at a press agency, where we wrote for over a dozen national publications – each with their own style and voice.

So I developed my own system to write in the specific publication’s style to keep the editor happy. When I started my own business, I naturally continued my process with my copywriting clients. Soon I was getting rave reviews from clients who said I sounded just like them, leaving my fellow copywriters wondering how I did it and asking me to explain my process.

In early 2021, I started training copywriters on how to write with personality and sound like your clients. Since then I’ve trained over 1,000 business owners and copywriters.

Why did you decide to create an online course in the first place?

In March 2021, I was booked to be a guest expert in a fellow copywriter’s group training program. Instead of promoting a freebie like a PDF or downloadable, I wanted to offer something valuable that gave a tangible transformation (instead of a lead magnet that’s rarely looked at).

So I decided to create a digital product to give the audience a deeper way to continue their training with me.

Did you have any moments of doubt before you created/launched it?

I have worked on over 20 launches and funnels with my clients so my expertise lies in creating profitable products. Due to my experience and the little time I had to create the product and funnel, I created a minimum viable product within two days. This lack of time meant I didn’t have the time to feel doubts or nervous, I had to implement.

What’s your online course like?

It consists of 8 pre-recorded video training with transcripts and slide decks. There are also PDFs, and Google Documents which are designed to help students get quick wins and start implementing instantly.

However, in September, the product will be re-branded with more content, training, and processes to help business owners nail their messaging, positioning, and brand voice.

How long did it take you to create your course?

I created the course in two days, literally. I was hosting a guest expert training in a fellow copywriter’s group program and wanted a paid offer to present at the end.

I’d already known exactly what I wanted the course to look like, so I turned off all notifications, closed Slack, and hunkered down to create a minimum viable product.

At this point, I’d already researched my audience, understood their struggles, and had a plan for what the product would look like.

During the first day, I filmed the training videos and created the worksheets, bought ThriveCart (a checkout cart), and wrote a draft of the sales page.

Over the second day, I created the sales page on my website, wrote the onboarding emails, connected all the technology, and edited the copy with fresh eyes.

Even though I created my product so quickly, it was still transformative for my audience and the positioning meant that my audience knew if it was right for them.

Tell us a little about the process of launching your course and getting your first sale(s).

I released the product on evergreen first – ironically, even though I’m a launch copywriter, it took me six months before I sold the product via a live launch.

Because I created the product so quickly, I never had an official launch. Instead, I posted in the Slack group for the mastermind I was a member of and a Facebook group of fellow business owners.

Now I would never advise my clients to release a product like this. Usually we would do a pre-launch of at least 30 days before a live launch, and then turn it into an evergreen funnel. This way you can test the product with your audience, improve it, and then you know it’s likely to be successful once you start sending traffic into the funnel.

The week I released my product, four people bought it.

Getting those Thrivecart notifications was the best feeling!

Then those people posted about it in their communities which led to 23 people buying during the first month.

I believe this happened for several reasons. One: the power of social proof and people genuinely recommending a product they loved. Two: I positioned the product as being the quickest way to solve their problems. Three: I optimized the product to solve all of their questions, so it felt like a no-brainer for them. Four: the price point was $47 so, again, it was a no-brainer compared to similar products which were being sold at more than $1,000.

Once I saw the success and rave reviews the product was receiving (so it had a product-market fit), I doubled the price to $97 and updated the sales page to include in-depth testimonials from students. And the sales page conversions increased from 8% to 13.5% (the industry standard is 1-3%).

Ever since the product has been selling organically on evergreen.

I added buyer surveys to the onboarding email sequence so I could get feedback and keep improving the product.

In September 2021, I ran my first live launch – by then, the product was at a $297 price point and I enrolled 24 new students.

I decided to switch up the positioning for this launch and hosted it as a live experience with a four-week pop-up Slack group where students could ask me questions.

Do you have a lead magnet?

Yes, I have a download that gives my audience an overview of free tools they can use to understand brand voice.

77 people have subscribed to this opt-in and 9 of those have bought my product. However, I am in the process of changing this opt-in as I think it’s more suited for copywriters rather than business owners.

When I sell on evergreen, I’m always looking at how I can tweak and improve my funnel- and this is what I do for my clients too.

What’s the traffic strategy that works best for you?

I’ve only used organic traffic since launching my course.

I sell my digital product in various places:

• At the end of my welcome sequence for my opt-in
• At the end of the onboarding sequence for people who buy my £47 digital product
• Direct sales page on my website
• Direct link in my Instagram bio
• Podcasts

I get a lot of students from my Copyhackers Tutorial Tuesday which has been watched by over 600 people at the time of writing. I pitched my voice tools opt-in at the end of the training and I sell my product at the end of the welcome sequence for this opt-in.

According to my Google Analytics, most people find my product directly so presumably from referrals or from places where the sales page has been shared.

What online course platform are you using?

When I first launched my course, I hosted it on Google Drive and then discovered Podia, which I bought an annual subscription for.

Now I use ThriveCart Learn+.

Do you like it?

I loved Podia and only switched to ThriveCart Learn+ because I got it for free since I’d already bought Thrivecart.

I love ThriveCart Learn+, it’s very easy to use although you can’t host videos on there, so I use Vimeo to host them.

Are there any features you wish it had?

I wish it had video hosting so I am looking at potentially going back to Podia.

What made you decide to use your chosen platform over others?

I’ve worked behind the scenes of dozens of launches so I’m familiar with most of the platforms on offer, I didn’t want something that I had to pay for monthly as it would eat into my profits.

What other tools do you use to run your online course business?

Thrivecart is my favourite- you can use it to create high-converting checkout pages and easily add upsells and order bumps to product sales.

I also use ConvertKit to send automated emails and the onboarding sequence.

My sales page is on my website (hosted by Squarespace).

What books or training programs have you found useful on your journey to a successful business owner that others might find valuable too?

Copy School by Copyhackers has been instrumental in giving me the strategy brain to create high-converting launches for myself and my clients.

Do you have any big mistakes you’ve made along the way that you’d be willing to share?

My main mistake is not installing Google Analytics when I first created the course. Google Analytics is great for understanding where your traffic is coming from (and which campaigns are selling your product). - Nicola Moors Click To Tweet

Another mistake is that I’m really bad about marketing my course on social media. Instead I focus on selling my one-on-one launch packages.

Please share some idea of revenue.

Since March 2021, my digital product has made me over $22,000. Since I’m a trained copywriter, I write all my own content and copy, and I use simple tech that’s easy for me to connect myself.

My only overheads have been Thrivecart, Podia, and an upgrade to Thrivecart Learn+ which means my profit margin is 94.2%. I’ve not included ConvertKit in this total since I already pay for that as part of my business.

I’ve made this money organically through my content marketing.

Please tell us a little about what the money you’ve earned from your course has done for you.

It’s given me so much peace knowing that I have a successful product I can sell. During the end of 2021, I had a slow few months with client work but I was able to focus on improving my business without any stress.

In addition to revenue are there any numbers you would like to share?

When I first launched my product, I had 303 subscribers on my email list. Now I have 570.

So it’s proof that you don’t need an email list of 1,000s of subscribers to have a successful digital product- the key is being intentional with the product you create to solve your audience’s needs.

Now my product has been bought by 131 students from 22 countries, a statistic I’m extremely proud of.

The copy in my funnel converts higher than average – the sales page has consistently converted from 7% – 13.5%, while during the launch, 34.5% of the waitlist converted into paying students.

While I’m proud of these numbers, I’m consistently looking at my funnel for ways to tweak and optimize.

Right now, I’m working on updating my product and improving the content to give even more value to my students. I’ve seen too many businesses that have great sales but their student churn rate is so high, because customer service is… Click To Tweet

So it’s really important to me that I look after my students.

What has creating your course done for you personally?

My confidence has grown with my clients but I have firsthand experience in creating, launching, and selling a digital product. And I think this success puts my clients at ease because it’s proof that I know what I’m doing.

Do you have a story of a transformation from any of your clients?

One of my students said this: “After Nic’s guidance and her digital product, I sold a voice guide for $1,000.

Buying her product has given me more profits in my business and a productized service I can offer clients.”

Seeing transformations like this (and it’s one of many) makes me feel incredibly proud. As business owners, we’re privileged to sell digital products and help people.

What advice do you have for people just starting out?

My advice for business owners would be to do your research first. Don’t create what you think your audience wants, interview them and actually pinpoint their exact needs and create a product that solves their problems. This is the best way to create products that sell.

My final tip is to consistently monitor your funnel and know which marketing campaigns are making you the most sales so you can ramp up those efforts. Evergreen funnels (and online courses) aren’t set and forget. I use Google Analytics to see where my students are coming from so I can double down on these efforts. Every month, I check my metrics and make tweaks to the funnel based on where the bottlenecks are and where I’m losing customers.

Learn more about Nicola Moors of nicolamoors.com:

• Website: nicolamoors.com
• Instagram
• Facebook