Today’s co-host is Eman Zabi, launch strategist and conversion copywriter. Eman is the founder of copywriting agency Scribesmith and, more recently, the creator of Terrain, a new course platform that’s shaking up the way people sell and market courses.
In simple terms, Eman describes copywriting as writing words that get people to do stuff.
Eman has successfully built her copywriting business from the ground up, despite family obligations, growing pains, and a few bumps along the way.
Working heavily with course creators, she realized her team has collectively spent $20,000 on bad courses with fabulous marketing. So she decided it was time to change the course business and create a platform of her own.
Enter Terrain. Terrain vets each course and markets the course for creators at no additional cost. Whether you’re a famous name or an industry newbie, your course has the same opportunity for success.
In this episode, Eman talks about the importance of market research, how to re-engage lost leads, and why building a business on word of mouth is terrifying and fantastic.
“We decided that we wanted to create a physical product and we created the conversion kits, pre-sold them, and shipped them out this year. And I think having that kind of space is really important to find new things to do and stay relevant and stay top of mind. But, also, to kind of change the way people think of you. You’re not just a service provider after that, you’re somebody who’s innovating in your industry and innovating in your niche and I think that really helps you get to the point where you're booked out. It helps you get to the point where you’re able to charge rates beyond what you would've imagined when you were just starting out.” ~ @eman_zabi
Main Takeaways
- Until you’ve interviewed your audience or done message mining, you haven’t done the proper market research. Don’t put marketing spend behind feelings and hunches about what your audience wants or needs.
- When you’re launching a product or writing any sort of persuasive copy, always use the voice of your customer.
- A powerful strategy for writing persuasive copy is finding your audience’s biggest pain points and positioning your service as the solution to those problems.
- If you’re trying to re-engage lapsed leads, pitch a solution for one of the problems they previously expressed. Adding free value is a great way to secure clients.
- Having a word of mouth business is terrifying because it means you can’t track when you will get your next client. Rather than constantly putting energy towards prospecting, innovate in your space and work on building your reputation so prospecting becomes easier.
- The Scribesmith
- Eman Zabi on Twitter
- Eman Zabi on Instagram
- Zapier
- Bubble
- Terrain: Join the Terrain waitlist and use code JASON 100 to get $100 off your first course
Links and Important Mentions
Stay in Touch
Season 9: Building a Profitable Service
More episodes in this season:

S09 E01 - Prioritizing Process, Delegating Smart, and Doing What You Love with Austin Church

S09 E02 - Staying Curious, Capitalizing on Your Network, and Adding Value with Samar Owais

S09 E03 - Intentional Parenting, Handling Social Media, and Scheduling Me-Time with Rob Roseman

S09 E04 - Finding Your Niche, Building an Audience, and the Art of Podcasting with Joe Casabona

S09 E05 - Doing Your Research, Communicating ROI, and Innovating Outside Your Niche with Eman Zabi

S09 E06 - How To Pivot, The Secret to Great SEO, and Why Business Is More Important Than Craft with Tom Hirst

S09 E07 - Stacking Power-Ups, Maintaining Focus, and the Art of the Steal with Eric Siu

S09 E08 - Understanding Emotional Data and Listening to Your Audience with Adrienne Barnes

S09 E09 - Launching a Business, Finding Balance, and Staying Valuable

S09 E10 - How Specialties Lead to Priceless Referrable Moments with Chase Dimond

S09 E11 - Differentiation, Reputation, and Pivoting From the Top-Down with Peep Laja