Episode 143: From Teacher to Copywriter with Meredith Cooley of Page and Purpose

After spending 17 years in education, Meredith Cooley decided to try something new: copywriting. She started Page and Purpose after the pandemic and leveraged her experience as a teacher into helping ed tech companies craft their marketing. Finding success quickly in her new business, she wants to help other educators try copywriting with her new online course, “Classroom to Copywriting.”

In this episode, Meredith and I discuss why she left teaching and jumped into marketing. She describes how she applied her teaching experience to copywriting, and the process of starting a business… Lots of helpful information in this one!

Join the waitlist for Classroom to Copywriter: https://pageandpurpose.kit.com/classroomtocopywriter

 

Topics Discussed:

  • The difficulty of teaching while being a mom

  • The importance of going through the process of starting a business

  • Adjusting to a new work life after teaching

Resources mentioned:

Related episodes and blog posts:

 
 
 
 

Read the transcript for this episode:

Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.

Drawing from her experience as a classroom teacher and Orton Gillingham-trained literacy instructor, Meredith Cooley works as a copywriter for B2B education and ed tech companies. She helps these companies clarify and ground complex ideas in their content marketing in order to reach their target market and ultimately help educators to maximize engagement and student learning goals. Welcome Meredith, so nice to have you here.

Meredith Cooley  0:23  

It's so nice to be here. Thank you for having me. 

Lily Jones  0:27  

Absolutely. So I'd love for you to take us through your journey as an educator.

Meredith Cooley  0:32  

Yeah, you know, I kind of ended up as a teacher by default, a little bit, which I've learned is is kind of common amongst a lot of the educator friends I have. I wasn't an English major in college a long time ago, and I always loved writing. But when I came out of college, there wasn't really an online marketing world or a digital content world at all. So I tried to get jobs with advertising agencies early on, and just nothing ever panned out. So it was kind of a windy road, but I eventually ended up going back to school and getting a master's in education and taught middle school English for a long time. I kind of bounced between fifth and eighth grades. I've taught in schools, from charter school, you know, my actually, my first teaching job ever was in a charter school in southeast Washington, DC. It was quite a way to learn on my feet, but it was. It really actually taught me a lot. And I've taught abroad. I taught in Ecuador for a year and and then kind of ended up in New York and back in Washington, DC. And eventually I, you know, I there were things I loved about classroom teaching, but there were things that I knew I didn't want to do forever. So I eventually ended up getting a literacy specialist certification, and kind of moving into more intensive intervention, reading intervention work. I did a Norton Gillingham training probably five years ago, and that has actually influenced the work that I'm doing now, which is, which is pretty great, but, yeah, I back kind of right after the pandemic, which, again, I think happened to a lot of people, I just knew that it was time for me to to move on and to start figuring out what was going to be next for me in my life, I became a mom in 2019 and I it became difficult for me To be teaching all day and come home and be the kind of parent that I knew I wanted to be.

Lily Jones  2:45  

Yes, absolutely. I mean, I know people do it all the time, but I felt the same way when I had my daughter being like, I'm not sure if I can do this, being around students all day and coming home and using that same part of my brain. So I think that's a common experience too. So talk to us about what came next. Why did you decide to focus on copywriting? Was it immediately clear for you, or what was the process like?

Meredith Cooley  3:14  

It wasn't immediately clear. You know, as I kind of mentioned, I had always loved writing, and I always felt like I wanted to find a way to do it professionally, but I really didn't know what that was going to look like. I think I started poking around. You know, I probably did what a lot of people do, which is turn to Google and start searching. You know, What can teachers do when they don't want to teach anymore? You know, what are the jobs that they can do? And once I did that, I started seeing things on social media. I started getting ads on social media about copywriting, and mostly about copywriting, and that was intriguing for me, just the idea that it was something I could do at home, that it felt like something I that wouldn't be like a lot of overhead to start a business, you know, you just, you know, people do it even without a website sometimes. So I really took a lot of time to poke around and and try different things out. I took some different courses. You know, there's a lot out there that that claims that they're going to give you the skills they need, and some do and some don't. But I really it was a bit scatter shot in the beginning for me, kind of trying things out and then saying that stuff doesn't really feel like what I want to do, and turning to something else. But yeah, eventually I really landed on, you know, not only copywriting and content writing, I do a lot of long form content writing as well, but I landed on this idea that I really wanted to build something new on top of my, you know, 17 years of experience in education. Uh, I just couldn't, I couldn't reconcile with myself, the idea of walking away from something that not only I was passionate about, but that I had put a lot of time and energy and effort and money into, uh, learning about and, you know, into getting degrees for, so that it was a it was definitely a kind of a moment of clarity when I realized I can stay in education in some way, but I can angle myself and my expertise differently in order to have my day to day life feel different.

Lily Jones  5:37  

Absolutely. And I love that too, of thinking about all the different ways that our education experience can be valuable, that it's not completely starting over, it's what the next chapter is going to be. And figuring out this, like meld of something you've done before and something that's maybe different can be a really great way forward. So can you tell us a little bit about the types of projects you do now, or the types of clients you take on.

Meredith Cooley  6:02  

Absolutely so, you know, in the beginning, I will admit I took any client that I could to get experience. I knew I needed to build a portfolio. I knew I needed to, you know, kind of prove the model, as they say, to prove to myself that I could write and that I could make money writing, that people would pay me to write. So in the beginning, I was doing a lot of blog writing in different fields, and then I moved quickly into doing customer stories and case studies, and that has remained a big part of my work. I really love having the opportunity to speak with teachers and administrators and to be able to actually hear about the impact that different products or services are having on their student body and on their teachers. It's been like one of the things that has kept me, I think, anchored and grounded to continuing to work in education and be able to be close to the source, if that makes sense. So customer story, case studies, I've done a lot of ebooks and kind of guides or playbooks. I've, in the past year or so, done more email writing, email campaigns and social media and and kind of found a way to bundle them, so writing a piece of content and then also being the person that's writing the promotional email and social copy for those giving them the, you know, the person that's closest to the work. It's it's interesting. I have found that two things. I have found that there aren't a lot of people actually that like to do both, that like to write long form content and also write shorter form ad copy. And because of that, it has made me valuable, I think, to certain companies who like to have somebody that can see across the different types of writing and that then has an expertise in certain things. So I've done, you know, kind of a little bit of everything, which has been wonderful for me. It's given me the opportunity to see what I really enjoy and what I don't like so much, and then be able to move in one way or another, depending on what I find there. And in terms of clients. Now, I have done quite a bit of work with different literacy clients. It's really benefited me, obviously, because that's what my depth of of education and experience is in. So it really allows me to, I think, feel confident in what I'm doing just based on my knowledge base. I have done some other things. I've done some writing for a science ed tech platform. I've done some I've worked with a few different sort of consulting, consulting agencies that are then, you know, it's kind of like sub subcontracting in a way. So it's been a little bit of everything, which has been nice. It's given me a breadth of experience.

Lily Jones  9:05  

So interesting. And I love hearing about all the different types of projects and types of organizations you've worked on. And I can imagine through that process too, taking on anything at the beginning and then getting clearer on what things felt like a good fit for you. It didn't have to be something you had 100% figured out from the beginning, but could really learn through the process of it,

Meredith Cooley  9:27  

Right? Yes, I'm a really great example of someone who has really learned through the process of all of it. Just, you know, had had some, you know, definitely I would. I would, you know, find myself somewhere where I could learn a little bit about the format I was doing, and then be able to do it and and then, hence, learn in every iteration and different client and learn with each different client that I'm working with, which has been really great.

Lily Jones  9:53  

 I think that's so helpful for people to hear too, because often people get so paralyzed feeling like it has to be completely planned out. Out, and we have to know exactly the next steps we're taking. And I think particularly teachers. Sometimes we're planners, you know? We want to have things planned out. It can feel just so all or nothing, you know, where I think the biggest advice I always give people is just like, try it out on a very micro scale, right? See what it feels like imperfectly, to do it and get more data that way?

Meredith Cooley  10:23  

Yes, absolutely, you know. And I definitely struggled with that at the beginning, this idea of like, you know, but I don't have a degree in copywriting and but I don't have a certificate, you know. I don't, I don't have all these official things saying I am this person. And I think that is also common with teachers, you know, we're academics, and we really value something that shows what we've earned, or feel that we maybe more that we feel that we need to have that in order to be taken seriously. And you know, it can be a hard thing to overcome, but I have really found that the ability to show up and be willing to take that risk and put yourself out there, coupled with the fact that teachers are so skilled and often aren't taking all of the myriad skills they have into consideration, really, to me, has shown me that people really value what you're coming to the table with even, like, even and especially when it's not a degree or a certification. 

Lily Jones  11:31  

Mm, hmm, yeah. I mean, I totally relate to that. And I think that, of course, I love education, right? Like, I love all degrees, like, go ahead. But I think I've definitely seen it be almost like a procrastinator. Procrastination strategy, where people are like, have to do this, and then I'll go out and market myself or and then I'll be ready to start my business. And it's like, doesn't have to be right? It could be both. It could be that you learn through doing it, but you don't need a certain piece of paper or a certain degree to get started.

Meredith Cooley  12:03  

Yes, exactly. That's exactly what I have found as iwell.

Lily Jones  12:06  

So I know in the beginning of your journey, you took our education business Foundations Program, and I'd love for you to share your experience in the program,

Meredith Cooley  12:17  

yeah, yeah. I'd be happy to it was really one of the very first things I did in terms of dipping my toes in this world of, can I have my own business? I remember, I remember getting an email about it and just feeling like, oh my gosh, this was made for me, you know, like starting an education business and all of these other people who are in the same spot that I am so it really, I think of it so fondly as like, part of the springboard for me, and it really was a huge part of for me, building confidence and also having that community of people to meet with every week was so valuable. You know, I remember really loving the format of it, of of getting to dive into like a little mini lesson, and then do some of your own work, and then come together and have people give you feedback on that. It was, it was just really such a great beginning for me to have a space to think about, what do I want this to look like in the future? It was also the first time I ever started thinking about, you know, what it would look like to market myself and to kind of create some of those materials and what it all meant. I really didn't know anything about that before being in that container with you. So it was, it was such a nice way to launch this work for me, and to feel like, you know, this is something I really can do, and so many others are also doing the same thing.

Lily Jones  13:49  

That's so great. Thank you. Yeah. I mean, I think that the community piece I found to be so impactful, because I've run the program in many different ways over the years, and having a community of folks who are doing these projects, who are taking these risks, who are putting themselves out there, we can often see these next steps for ourselves better in other people and seeing like, oh, this person did this like, I guess I could too, and really learning together through the process. So I appreciate that you pointed that out.

Meredith Cooley  14:21  

It was really impactful for me.

Lily Jones  14:22  

Yeah, so glad. And so going back to copywriting, I'd love to hear from you. Why do you think educators are good fits for being copywriters or for working as a freelancer?

Meredith Cooley  14:39  

Yeah, so many reasons. I think one of the biggest ones for me and realizing this about myself too, is that teachers are our experts. You know, they spend their days taking sometimes really big concepts and sometimes complex concepts and figuring out how to break them apart and. And present them in a way that's more digestible so that people can absorb and learn. And that is so much of of copywriting and content writing is starting with this big idea and figuring out, how can I present it? How can I, you know, put this in front of people using words so that they're going to get what we want them to get from from these words. You know, essentially, when I, when I think about copywriting and content writing, a lot of it comes down to educating people, to educating people about a best way of doing something, about a best way of serving their population in some way. So, you know, I just, I think that for teachers to be able to take that those skills, the, you know, being able to break things down, you know, teachers are some of the most hardworking people I know. And I know that also in this world, that can be a real benefit, you know, trying to be a freelancer and and having the work ethic that you have and that you're used to having is so helpful in a in a space where that really matters and isn't always the case for people when they're working with freelancers. So I think you know the hard working and and and being able to understand how to pull ideas apart and present them in a really digestible way, and then just, you know, this idea that at in their hearts and at the heart of their work teachers are project and people managers. You know, we work with so many different types of people, from students to parents to colleagues, to administrators. We're relationship builders, and that matters in everything you do. But I think when you're doing this kind of work, being someone that knows how to talk to people and can listen and empathize and kind of has all of those people skills, those are really valuable in building a business for yourself, and in having to talk to people when you're finding clients, when you are building relationships with clients. You know, those things have really, I think, helped me a lot in doing this work.

Lily Jones  17:18  

So valuable. And I think that teachers sometimes we don't have a chance to ever reflect on the things we've learned. And so realizing that we have all of these skills, we might not even know that we have like we might take them for granted. And so being able to articulate them and to know how they're valuable and unique, I think, is just a great way to see your skills in the context of so many different options.

Meredith Cooley  17:44  

Yes, I absolutely agree. It's it's amazing to when you look at all the things teachers do on a day to day basis, on a minute to minute basis, really, so many things. Yeah, it's incredible. It's really incredible. So

Lily Jones  17:58  

I know that you're now expanding your offerings to include an offering for teachers who are interested in copywriting. So can you tell us about your classroom to copyright our course?

Meredith Cooley  18:09  

I am, yes, I'm so excited about it. This is really, you know, it's been like this little seedling of an idea for a long time, and it really comes from, I think, like so many other things, just the thing that I wish I had when I was starting out, you know, somebody that could, could look at me and say, you know, I know it seems like you have no idea what you're going to do, or maybe, you know you want to be a writer, but you have no idea how to start and just, you know, kind of setting out a really step by step path where you can learn skills, where you can be surrounded by people who are doing the thing that you are doing, and can cheer you on, and can be with you in the moments where you feel unsure and you know, kind of move through The end to thinking about, how am I going to get my first paid writing job? You know, what does it look like to find the people that want to hire me and that are ready to hire me? It, you know, in the beginning, as I kind of told you when we first started chatting, you know, it didn't, it wasn't immediately clear to me what I could do or the path that I could take. You know, I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't know what that meant, or how to learn the skills that I needed to learn. And I think the beauty of this is that it's built by a teacher specifically for female teachers, and that it really is. It really lays out the steps and offers skills in both copywriting and in content writing, which, which gives options as well. So yeah, I'm, I really am, just, you know, hoping to be able to show teachers how to take. All of the expertise they already have, and just to be able to use it in a different in a different way that still honors their experience, still honors their education and but but really makes their day to day lives feel really different.

Lily Jones  20:16  

Mm, hmm, yeah, that's so cool. I can't wait to see it to take shape and take off and help so many teachers make that transition. And so as you know, starting a business is often a personal development activity. We learn so many things about ourselves as we take risks and as we try new things. And so I'm curious. So what have you learned about yourself through starting your business,

Meredith Cooley  20:45  

Yeah, oh my gosh, I've learned so much about myself. You know, I think the first, the first part that was felt sort of surprising to me was that I I really thought of myself as a confident person, and was really surprised at kind of how much mindset work I needed to do as I got into all of this, just to keep reminding myself that it was possible and that I I could build this life that I knew I wanted. So I think you know, knowing that it's never going to be a finished destination. And, you know, having that realization that every step that I took, I was going to have to keep reflecting on on all of those things, one of the kind of funny things that I learned about myself was that I am not as good a time manager for myself, as I thought I was relatable. You know, I kind of had this expectation that I was going to have these very structured days and that, you know, all of my time was going to be accounted for. And I really learned pretty quickly that actually, I had a lot to learn about that and that I would need to figure out how to schedule my days in the right way, to not, you know, also, to not feel like I had to sit at my desk from nine until four and and to figure out how to work in a way that makes sense with this new way, you know, this new thing that I'm doing and not being on my feet all day, you know, just the things that you that you don't know you don't know until you get into it. Yes,

Lily Jones  22:29  

Absolutely. And so along with that, what advice would you give educators who are thinking about starting of their something of their own?

Meredith Cooley  22:42  

I think, I think the best advice I could give would be to believe that you can to, you know, find a way to ground yourself in believing there is life after teaching and then to spend time with maybe it sounds corny, but like to spend time with that belief as much as you can. You know, if it's 15 minutes a day, to just be with yourself and remind yourself that it's possible, because it will be hard, but even though it's hard, it doesn't mean that it's not possible. And so to just remind yourself that it is possible and that you just need to keep going. You know, I did a lot of writing during that time. I did a lot of I kind of turned to a lot of, like, affirmations and just really knowing that I just had to keep taking one step at a time, and to not worry about when it was going to feel different and how it was going to feel different, but to just believe that it could.

Lily Jones  23:41  

Beautifully said, Yeah, I love that. Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not possible. And really sticking on with these pursuits that it is probably going to be hard, right? Doing something new, particularly doing something that you've dreamed about, it's going to be challenging. And so having that mindset that that it absolutely is possible is so important to help us, like weather the storms there.

Meredith Cooley  24:06  

yes, I definitely agree.

Lily Jones  24:10  

Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Meredith, it's been so nice talking with you. Can you tell people where they can connect with you?

Meredith Cooley  24:16  

 Yeah, absolutely. I spend, I would say most of my social media time on LinkedIn. You can find me at Meredith, rice, Cooley and and then also my website is www, dot page and purpose.com

Lily Jones  24:37  

wonderful places to find me. Great. Yeah, we'll put those in the show notes as well. Thanks again. Meredith,

Meredith Cooley  24:44  

Great. Thank you so much, Lily. It was such a joy to be here with you. 


Transcribed by https://otter.ai



Lily Jones