Reese Hopper
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“You know that feeling when you go to a company’s website and have no idea what that company does or how to do business with them? I help businesses avoid that problem in 3 ways.”
First, I write clear and creative words that explain the business well and inspire people to get involved. Second, I design websites that guide people towards making a purchase or getting in contact. Finally, I create and buy social media ads that help businesses connect with more people and grow.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I've been running social media ads for dozens of businesses for about 3.5 years. After doing this for a couple years, I realized there was usually one main problem: when my ads inspired people to go to a client's website, they were usually met with confusion or boredom on that website. I realized that ads were only one part of the customer experience and that the ads, the website, and the copywriting all needed to sing in harmony for things to really work. So I touched up on my Squarespace design skills, I kicked my copywriting into high gear, and now I'm ready to give businesses the whole package.
HOW DO YOU STAND OUT IN YOUR FIELD?
I help businesses present their services in a way that inspires customers and invites them to join in. I help them dive deep to discover their main keywords and phrases to describe their business. I also help them discover who their main customer is, what they're interested in, what they're afraid of, and how to speak their language.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I built a website for @Jacob and @ThatOneBlondKid to promote their photo + video workshops. I'm going to join them as camp counselor / team dad on these workshops, handling all the details to make sure everyone has a great experience. I'm also doing a website for a non-profit and hopefully a coffee shop soon.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I'm pretty pumped on the website I built for Jacob and Jeremiah's workshops because it has some of my strongest copywriting to date. The workshops are about $4k - $5k to attend, so people who want to go are really reading everything about it to make sure it's a good investment. Walking the tightrope of entertaining and informational has been difficult but really fun.
Another thing I'm proud of is this lead-generating pdf that I made for a CPA firm. It's got 5 power-packed business tips, and I designed it and wrote all the copy.
WE ALL HAVE MULTIPLE SKILLS OR WORK IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD FOCUS ON MORE?
I wish I could do more copywriting. Websites, Facebook ads, and pitch decks, are a great avenue to do all of this of course, but words are their own art form and can create a powerful picture when given the right amount of space to breathe. I guess it would be cool to write more blogs, resources, and emails for people.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
I want to find a solid workflow for getting leads. I feel like I've dipped my toes in the water of a few different methods, but nothing has stuck, probably because I haven't gotten through the dip of any of those methods.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
As strange as it sounds, someone to do my marketing. I have a great time marketing for other people but I feel sheepish doing it for myself.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I wish I could have told myself the value of education and tutorials. The first year of freelance I tried to figure everything out on my own, meanwhile maintaining clients and networking. You can imagine how the imposter syndrome felt. Later, I realized that I need to always be investing in myself because I'm the only asset that I really own. Even if its with free podcasts or paid courses, learning is the key to being successful in the long run. I wish I caught onto that sooner.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I want to know how people find and keep awesome clients. Every successful freelancer I listen to talks about how they fired their mean clients and found more awesome clients. Where are those clients? Most of my clients in the past either haven't trusted me, haven't been willing to pay enough, or haven't provided well-thought out feedback. It seems like I get one or two, but not the whole package.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I would love anything in the copywriting, web design, or social ads zone.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
I'd love to get involved with a consistent writing / blogging gig. I really connect with freelancers and young entrepreneurs, so ideally I could write for a company that serves those people.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
If I'm rewriting all the copy on a website, that's usually $2k.
If I'm rewriting the copy and designing a wireframe that drives customers to the sale, that's usually $4k.
If I'm copywriting, wireframing, and then designing + building the site on Squarespace, that's usually $6k-$8k, depending on how big it is and how many other resources I'm developing.
I would like to add more straight up copywriting projects, so I think some ballpark quotes here could be:
$1k for 4 blog posts up to 1000 words each.
$1.5k for a sequence of 8-10 marketing emails.
$1.5k for writing a resource / ebook up to 2000 words.
WHO IS A CREATIVE THAT HAS HELPED YOU ELEVATE YOUR WORK?
My man Ian Deloney crushes design stuff! He's the man, and he's super encouraging to everyone on Instagram. We chat all the time and share work even though we've never met haha
Also, Melanie Loon is the same way. She's super consistent and generous with her content creation and she's also super encouraging on Instagram.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
My website is a great place to start! People can schedule a call on there or reach out to my email. I usually will get more info from someone on email and then schedule a call to hear more. From there I'll send a pitch and a scope and we'll lock it in!
reesehopper.co
jreesehopper@gmail.com
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
I take 1 full day off of work, creativity, emails, and social media each week. By the end, I'm bursting with ideas!
This member profile was originally published in February 2019.