Ep 61: Why Your Copy Sounds Like Everyone Else's (Fix This) with Colleen Florendo
If your messaging feels flat, repetitive, or like it’s blending in with everyone else’s, this episode is going to rewire how you think about copy. I sat down with Colleen to unpack what’s actually happening in the online space right now, why copy is starting to feel the same, and what it really means to create messaging that people don’t just read, but buy into. This is not about better words. It’s about better thinking.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
Why AI isn’t the problem, it’s just exposing the problem
How copywriting frameworks created a “same voice” internet
What embodied messaging actually means in practice
Why selling the outcome alone isn’t enough anymore
The concept of “propaganda” in messaging and why it matters
How your language attracts specific types of clients and behaviors
Why trends in marketing follow a lifecycle just like fashion
How to use market research and real data to create better messaging
Why Copy Is Starting to Feel the Same
There’s a reason everything online is starting to sound identical.
It’s not just AI. AI is pulling from what already exists. If it’s repeating the same phrases, it’s because the industry has been repeating the same frameworks for years.
The real issue is that people are more focused on finding the “right words” instead of actually saying something.
When messaging becomes about optimization instead of perspective, everything starts to blend together.
The Problem With Copywriting Frameworks
Frameworks aren’t inherently bad. They’ve been useful for a long time.
But the over-reliance on them has created predictable, templated messaging that sophisticated buyers can spot immediately.
When every sales page follows the same structure, the same phrases, and the same emotional triggers, it loses its impact.
People aren’t responding to the formula anymore.
They’re responding to what you actually stand for.
Embodied Messaging, What It Actually Means
Embodied messaging isn’t about sounding different for the sake of it.
It’s about selling your way of thinking, not just your offer.
Instead of focusing only on the transformation or outcome, you’re inviting people into your perspective, your beliefs, and your method.
It’s not just “what will they get,” it’s “how do you see the world.”
That’s what creates buy-in.
Messaging as “Propaganda”
One of the biggest shifts in this conversation is understanding messaging as a form of belief-building.
Not manipulation, but alignment.
What do you want your audience to believe?
What do you stand for?
What are they buying into beyond the offer itself?
When your messaging is clear on that, your content stops feeling like content and starts feeling like a movement.
The Role of a Common Enemy
Strong messaging often includes a shared perspective on what doesn’t work.
That doesn’t mean complaining. It means creating alignment.
When you and your audience agree on what you don’t believe in, it opens the door for what you do believe in.
This is something brands have used forever, and it works because it creates connection quickly.
The Words You Use Shape the Clients You Get
Language isn’t neutral.
The way you describe problems, outcomes, and experiences directly impacts the type of client you attract.
If your messaging speaks to overwhelm, confusion, and burnout, you will attract people in that state.
If your messaging speaks to readiness, ownership, and action, you’ll attract a very different buyer.
This is one of the most overlooked parts of copywriting.
Trends, Cycles, and What Actually Lasts
Marketing trends move in cycles, just like fashion.
Frameworks, phrases, and strategies will rise, peak, and eventually lose effectiveness.
What lasts are the fundamentals.
Clear thinking
Strong perspective
Real connection
Consistent messaging
The format might change, but the foundation doesn’t.
How to Create Better Messaging (Practically)
Instead of guessing what your audience wants to hear, go find it.
Use:
Comment sections
Threads conversations
Sales calls
Discovery calls
Look for patterns. Look for exact phrasing. Look for what people are actually saying, not what you think they’re saying.
That’s where specificity comes from.
And specificity is what makes messaging land.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro and guest setup
02:00 What is embodied messaging
06:00 AI vs industry copy trends
10:00 Why frameworks are breaking down
14:00 Messaging as belief and propaganda
20:00 Language and client behavior
27:00 Trend cycles in marketing
35:00 Market research and data
45:00 Practical messaging shifts
About the Guest
Colleen is a copywriter and messaging strategist behind Selfishly Expressed. She helps service providers move beyond templated messaging and build embodied, belief-driven copy that attracts aligned clients.
Connect with Colleen Florendo
Website: selfishlyexpressed.com
Instagram: @selfishlyexpressed
Interested in Being on the Show or Working with Emylee?
Are you a service provider with a bold perspective to share? Apply to be a guest.
Ready to transform your service into a productized, scalable offer? Apply for Sold Out Services.
If you’d like to see a library of all published episodes in a gallery with easy-to-find links to all listening platforms be sure to check out the Sell The Damn Service Episode Library.
