159. Does Your Message Feel Messy? Start With Strategy Before You Start Writing

Clear messaging doesn't start with better writing — it starts with stronger strategy.

If your message feels messy, scattered, or hard to articulate, the problem probably isn't your writing — it's your foundation.

In this solo episode, I (Katie Mleziva - Real Food Brands) build on the recent episodes with Clint about Sales and funding growth through grants. You'll hear me talk about why clear messaging starts long before you or your team ever sit down to write, and how returning to your brand strategy gives your words the structure they need to finally "have a place to land."

Through a few of my own stories (including a real-life garage + basement cleanout), I will show you how clutter in our physical spaces parallels the mental clutter that happens when your strategy isn't fully defined. Without shelves, racks, or systems, everything in your closet becomes a jumbled pile — and the same is true for your message.

You'll learn:

• Why messy messaging is a symptom, not the problem, and how to get to the core issue
• How brand strategy acts as the structure your words depend on, and make it so much easier to find the right words
• The foundational questions that bring clarity back into focus
• The role of brand pillars in creating consistency - a structure you can rely on
• Why clarity leads to confidence, which in turn fuels smart growth.

Whether you're writing for buyers, consumers, investors, or grant reviewers, this episode will help you reconnect your message to your mission…before you write another word.

Episodes Mentioned:

--Ep 8. How to Identify Your Ideal Audience Using Personas (from 2018, but still a good one...warning I sound a little stiff! And you can see my original podcast art)

--Ep 65. Setting Your Food Business Apart Step 2: Identifying Your Ideal Consumer

--Ep 83. Understanding the Difference Between Features & Benefits

 

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

1. 📧 Sign up for my Friday Newsletter, which includes a Weekly Worksheet to help you apply these ideas directly to your food business. Sign up here.

2. 💬 Join the Conversation! Tune in to the podcast, then join us in the Real Food Brands Marketing Round Table - a free food & farm business owner community - to ask questions and meet other people who love producing real food as much as you do!

3. 📞 If you're ready to talk about building a clear, cohesive brand or integrating your brand + sales strategy, you can Request an Intro Call to discuss the ways we work with food, farm, and natural product brands.

Thanks for listening – let's go shake up shopping carts!

Katie Mleziva

Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands