Jemilla Mills-Smith
Messaging Strategist / Conversion Copywriter
Toronto, ON
Q What do you do?
“I help women-owned & BIPOC-led small business baddies stand out, connect, and sell with research-fuelled, high-converting, snaps-to-that copy and brand voice development. ”
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
From going to school for fashion to transitioning to a marketing degree because it was "safer" (yes, I want to scream at my younger self to take the risk too, but time don't go backwards), to simultaneously freelancing while working for a multi-national creative agency to deciding to freelance full time — because corporate could wait! But the baddies that have a gamechanging offer? They need help right tf now, and I want to support them.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
Let's be honest, there aren't a lot of Black women copywriters. Not a lot of Caribbean woman copywriters. And a lot of BIWOC small businesses feel more comfortable working with people like them, who GET them. On top of that, I've written one way or another my entire life. Whether it was writing short stories in elementary school, performing slam poetry in college, or self-publishing my first book in 2020. Combined with my marketing knowledge, I know how to turn the written word into an engaging asset.
Q What are you working on right now?
Call me Ms. Flying Fingers 'cause I've got four open projects — developing the brand voice & messaging and writing web copy, emails, social copy, and sales assets for baddies from different industries
Q What’s your style?
I do what I like to call story "selling" which is visceral, conversational, and cultured af. It hits you where the spirit resides, sparks your senses, while still being clear enough to fully understand. You can check out the website for 6 Figure Chick Consulting, Atabey & Co. (launching soon), and She Found Power (launching soon) to get a feel for the vibes.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Acting! I started officially last January, and I wish I had more time to developing my acting skills
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Tech automations — the Virgo in me HATES that I'm not great at something, but I'm just not a techy girlie.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Create a content marketing plan & develop the assets — I love Canva as much as the next person, but I don't want to have to do it ALLLL the time, y'know? I've got important things to do!
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
IT'S OKAY TO FAIL! I'd say that to any version of younger me, I was always so scared at being bad at things I'd either 1)Not do the thing or 2) Quit once I sense too much struggle. There's beauty in the struggle (except the struggle Black women have to go through literally EVERYWHERE, that shit needs to go).
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Marketing strategy — I started working with a business friend who's an expert in this area and I just watch her in awe on every call. I wanna be like her!
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Full-scale brand voice & messaging development, and brand asset & marketing copywriting for app creators, artists, fashion designers & stylists, content creators, culture uplifters, product-based brands
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
Working with a woman of colour with a mission rooted in uplifting the culture or other marginalized communities (i.e., women, 2SLGBTQIA+, disabled folx, etc.). Someone that needs a shit ton of copy, so I can keep working with them and admire them closely behind my screen 👩🏾💻. Creative service providers will always have my heart, but I also want to work with app creators, artists, fashion designers & stylists, content creators, culture uplifters, product-based brands. Working with 6 Figure Chick Consulting, Atabey & Co., and She Found Power felt like that 💗
Q: What is your rate?
In my Copy Retainer, you can get any copy you need done in 15 hours ($1,800), 25 hours ($3,000), or 50 hours ($6,000). It's by far my most popular service 'cause it gets them a shit ton of copy for oodles cheaper than my premium packages (in this economy, I gotta help the people, y'know?!). The only limit is time — in the 15-hour retainer, you get 30 days to use all 15 hours. In the 25-hour retainer, you get 60 days. And in the 50-hour retainer, you get 90 days.
Brand Voice & Messaging Development ($3,000) gives you a comprehensive brand voice guide with all the stuff you need to maintain a consistent (and cool) brand voice
Premium Website Copy Package ($7,200) is a white-glove service that gives you all the copy you need for your website launch: up to 10 pages of search engine-optimized web copy, social launch copy, a welcome sequence, a free copy audit, and more. P
Premium Offer Launch Package ($7,200) is the luxury-baddie service that gives you all the copy you need to launch your course, digital product suite, or any other key offer: a high-converting sales page, a comprehensive 8-12 sales email sequence, 10 social launch posts, a free copy audit, and more.
Copy with the Quickness ($420) is a 90-minute intensive call where I can write any short-form copy you need — social copy, emails, a quickie copy audit — or I can provide guidance for your marketing or DIY copy.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Please fill out my contact form and tell me about your brand, what you stand for, who you do it for, and why you need copy: www.storytellastudios.com/contact
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Reveal Studio Co. — A great copywriter with great DIY products. She's the template!
Between the Lines Copywriting — She's great at using storytelling in copywriting, and a whiz when it comes to content marketing
Lexicon Copy Co. — The brand voice maven
Monforte Studio — Her website in a day service always creates FIRE work - my favourite is her work with The Suppa Club
The Blossoming Sun — I found her after doing a deep IG dive, and her work has been FANTASTIC revamping my ShowIt website, taking what I had in my brain and putting it on the page
Copy with Spice — She does exactly what her brand name says - she's great at writing spicy copy for the spicy business product-based business
The Bemused Studio — A fab designer and our AI auntie
Nshaps Productions — A videographer that creates MAGIC with the camera
Gratiana Prince — She's super talented and is really showing up and showing out for Black service providers
Natalie Bergfalk — Her work always makes we want to jump on a flight to NYC just to shoot with her
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Fun nails, trying new restaurants & bars in the city, reading books by BIWOC authors, Pinterest
This member profile was originally published in July 2024.