Instagram story viewer> @laurabelgray> Posts

Laura Belgray | Talking Shrimp

@laurabelgray

67.2K

followers

2299

following

Unapologetic Lazy Person & copy pro  Helping you get paid to be you
National bestselling author TOUGH TITTIES
🤫Get 5 Secrets to Nonsucky Copy
👇

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

I can smell these from a mile away. They reek of “trying too hard.”

Before you scream that I’m AI-shaming:

1 — I don’t think using AI is “cheating.” But writing that sounds like everyone else and/or like ChatGPT is a huge turnoff to me.
And even if it doesn’t turn off your ideal reader, it’s not going to help you stand out.

2 — I’m not telling you not to use AI to *help* you write.

I’ve been using Chat as a brainstorming partner and souped-up thesaurus more and more.

But if I have it write so much as a sentence *clause* for me, I almost always have to change it, almost completely.

In fact, I asked it to write me a caption for this post, and I think it’s trolling itself!
A ChatGPT self-own! Behold:

“In this carousel, I’m calling out the ChatGPT writing tells that make me want to crawl under my desk and live there.
From squirrel jokes to “chef’s kiss” sass to that triple beat it can’t stop hitting—it’s all in here.
And hey, this isn’t about banning tools. It’s about knowing your voice so you don’t sound like you outsourced your personality.
Want to develop a writing style that doesn’t feel pre-chewed? Comment PUKE and I’ll DM you my 5 Secrets to Non-Sucky Copy.” 
How many tells do you count right in that passage?

👉Drop your most-hated Chat tics below.
👉And, yes, comment “PUKE” if you want my guide. taken in Greenwich Village by @laurabelgray

1k

1k

a year ago

Had to jump on this trend before it was done to death. Or maybe it has been!

What would your “doesn’t know it yet” from 5-10 years ago say? Or longer. Or less. Mine’s from 2017.

PS - RIP that t-shirt. The synthetic 2% did not mix well with sweat. by @laurabelgray

1k

99

2 years ago

Time for an intro post! Why? Because I did a shoot & want to use this new pic.

Some fun facts about me + 1 fun lie:

I’m a bestselling Author! 1st book, TOUGH TITTIES, is about a misfit (me) coming of age in 80s/90s NY & late blooming into an unconventional life & career. Or, as my husband calls it, “Loser Sex & the City.” Order at toughtittiesbook.com & I’ll send you free writing trainings!

I’m also a Copywriting Expert, Email Storyteller, & Unapologetic Lazy Person - in title case bc I pasted from LinkedIn, Where The Vibe is Very Title Case.

I cocreated the hit copywriting course The Copy Cure w my pal Marie Forleo. We met in 2003 in hip hop class at Crunch.

👉My emails inspire you to write better emails. My free guide, Non-Sucky Subject Lines, helps get them opened. 🔗bio or talkingshrimp.com/subjectlines.

In my biz, Talking Shrimp, I help you achieve the holy grail of work: getting paid to be YOU.⁠

I consider my business “couch driven” and have set it up for a #nohomeworklife.

I like stripes.

Truffle oil makes me gag, bc it’s nasty. The devil’s seasoning. The truffle fries are all yours.

I started my copywriting career in magazines, then TV promos. Dream job. After decades of that, I segued into this magical, amorphous world we call the online space. Or just "The Space."

In 1994, I wrote VH1 Countdown scripts for Moon Unit Zappa, creator of the valley girl voice in the song “Valley Girl.”

They say the magic happens outside your comfort zone, but most of my magic happens squarely inside it.

I grew up in NY when it was filthy and full of muggers & pervs. We kids carried “mugging money” in case we were mugged. We didn’t carry “pervert money.” Go figure 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was on Sesame Street at age 2.

I don’t drive. Or cook. My job: salad.

In the 90s, 2 friends & I reluctantly spooned w a world-renowned filmmaker in his hotel suite, but escaped before it went further. It’s in the book.

In 2020, I was punched by a stranger in front of CVS on 5th & 14th Street.

My husband & I recently became urban homesteaders and have a chicken coop on our roof. We’re so in love with our poultry babies!

📸@ericmichaelpearson
@chonglihair
@kwcmakeup
@karynstarr taken in Greenwich Village by @laurabelgray

2k

269

4 years ago

PROBLEM:
You can’t get paid to be you (my holy grail of work) if people don’t know who you are.
And they don’t find out who you are if they don’t see you.

I have no block around visibility. I don’t hide. I’m not afraid to be seen. I’m not like Luann, shoving my way into the front and center of the group photo, but I like being in your sightline. (If I look good.)

And I love sharing who I am. I’m a TMI queen. I prefer dishing it out via writing (subscribe to my emails if you want the dirt — link in bio) but I enjoy making these walk ’n’ talks, too.

I just wish it didn’t take so much time and effort and keep me addicted to the socials, you know?

So yeah, call a waaambulance. World’s tiniest violin, etc. 🫰🎻
Told you I’d whine.

You feel me? Do you find that posting consistently builds your list and helps your business? Or doesn’t matter either way?

BTW - def include that question in your welcome sequence. And if you don’t have a welcome sequence, I can help. Grab my Welcome Sequence Workshop at https://talkingshrimp.com/welcome-sequence or comment “WELCOME” and I’ll shoot it over. by @laurabelgray

74

33

2 days ago

Bracing for this to go viral! 🦠

Kidding. Waiting for the tens of likes that a post like this can garner.

I’m posting this email…

A) to remind whoever’s been eyeing Shrimp Club that doors close this Friday and

B) to show what you can do to make a sales email interesting for someone in your audience who might not be interested (yet) in what you’re selling.

My Shrimpers are into making their writing sharper. They’re also curious about AI: where it’s useful and where it BITES the BIG HAIRY ONE.

So I wrote this to engage them whether Shrimp Club is on their bucket list, or barely on their radar.

If you’re interested, comment “SHRIMPCLUB” (all one word) or visit https://talkingshrimp.com/shrimpclub. Or DM me! by @laurabelgray

38

3

2 days ago

Which would you click on faster, 1 or 2?

(My latest on Substack — laurabelgray.substack.com or link in bio or comment “SUBSTACK” to read) by @laurabelgray

14

6

8 days ago

🔥HOT TIP
Creativity is a numbers game.

By nature of averages, half your output will be below average... and half will be above average.

To create more that’s above average…
and some that’s actually GREAT..
You have to create more period.

Translation:
Sometimes you have to create a mountain of 💩 to find the gold.

Tag someone who needs this message! (AKA, a friend who’s too hard on themselves and everything they create.)

Want inspiration to get creating so much, greatness is inevitable?

Two ideas:

$$$$ Apply to join my mastermind AKA live mentoring party, Shrimp Club — DM me “Club” and I’ll give you deets.

$0 Get my free prompt guide:

⭐️ STORY GOLDMINE ⭐️
63 Surprising Places To Mine Your Everyday Life For Stories That Sell
The ultimate idea bank of binge-worthy stories for your newsletter & marketing emails, social media, or anywhere you share stories.

Includes bonus guide: How to tie your stories to a point or Call to Action

👉Comment “GOLDMINE” and I’ll shoot it over! by @laurabelgray

42

12

11 days ago

194

46

11 days ago

My top tip for posting consistently on vacation:

Don’t take tips from me!

Sometimes I just can’t, ya know? taken in Crete, Greece. by @laurabelgray

58

16

16 days ago

19 years, gone by in a blip. There’s no one I’d rather get photobombed, be plagued by yellowjackets, or spend the final decade of human existence (thanks, AI)with. taken in Crete, Greece by @laurabelgray

276

87

22 days ago

This is a true account, unlike some I’ve seen. Cough. No claims about firemen pulling me to safety.

It’s an update of my blog post from 2011, when I couldn’t believe it had been ten years. Cut to: an inconceivable quarter-century, and we’ve got a generation of grown-ass adults who weren’t even born yet. I’m seeing memories of that day all over social media from people who have much more remarkable experiences to share, but to most of the world, just hearing you were in the city that day is a wow. So here’s my story from fifteen years ago, when memories were much fresher. Now, recollections of three days ago are fuzzy as mohair, so I’m glad I recorded these back then.

Also glad I just revisited the comments, where I discovered one from my Dad — classic him. Included in slides.

Side note: anyone remember the city-wide maple syrup smell, which we thought was another plot against America?

Link in bio or at laurabelgray.substack.com.

And where were you (if you were even born yet)? Comment away. taken in Greenwich Village by @laurabelgray

69

22

a month ago

If you think your line of work is too sensitive and serious for humor in your emails or any other copy, here’s what I’ll tell you:

1 - You don’t *have* to be funny, especially not ha-ha “I’ll be here all week” funny, but humor does build connection and provide relief. So if you have a sense of humor in real life, you should use it in your business.

2 - We’re all dealing with the human condition, which is by nature funny.
There’s a humorous side to everything, no matter how grave or tragic.

So, you help people with cancer?  Think of all the wrong things people say when they’re trying to help: the “Everything happens for a reason,” the alternative cures gleaned from TikTok, the neighbor who diagnoses you in the elevator.

You coach people through infertility treatment?  They’ve got the officemate asking when they’re “finally” having kids, the Instagram ads for maternity wear that plague them for a year, and people asking when they’re due because they’re so puffy from the goddamn hormones.

You guide people building ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) for aging parents?  Between the potential in-law tension with your spouse, the depressing design of hospital equipment and grab bars, and the dad who falls over the ottoman at 2am after insisting he doesn’t need a nightlight, that’s a comedy goldmine.

If you want help coming up with those funny (or not) stories for your emails or anywhere else you speak to an audience, grab my prompt guide:

👉 STORY GOLDMINE - 63 surprising places to mine your life for everyday stories that sell

Comment “Goldmine” and I’ll shoot it over. by @laurabelgray

32

11

a month ago