Episode 521: #Tashmas Day 12: Your messaging doesn't need an overhaul

This episode of the Heart-Centred Business Podcast is a bit of a curveball: I’m here to tell you not to overhaul your messaging. In a world where everyone’s shouting that you need to reinvent, revolutionise, or completely scrap your messaging, I’m offering something different. Nope, you don’t need to do any of that. Here’s why—and how to create messaging that grows with you.

Plus, it’s Day 12 of #Tashmas… which means there’s one last gift for you with this episode!

Wait… What is #Tashmas?

I do it for both my birthday (1-12 March) and pre-Christmas (1-12 December) every year! Every day from now until my birthday on 12th March, there will be a new daily podcast episode, with a hot tip or practical strategy as per usual… but you ALSO get a gift! I love sharing the birthday vibes, and what better way to do that?! The daily gift could be a freebie, a special offer, a competition… but there will be something for YOU every single day.

Let’s dive in!

Here for the links referenced in the show notes?

Firstly, don’t forget to reserve your spot at the Social Sprint Virtual Content Creation Day before early bird closes: tashcorbin.com/sprint

Secondly, grab my free Resonate workshop, so you can update your messaging to ignite action-takers: tashcorbin.com/resonate

Final chance for a bonus prize draw entry!!! Find the Day 12 #Tashmas post on my page: facebook.com/tashcorbincoaching.

EPISODE 521: Listen using the player below, or click the links to your fave platform to subscribe and listen over there:

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Why Messaging Overhauls Aren’t the Answer

I used to be all about messaging overhauls and makeovers. I even have old content floating around about how to “makeover” your messaging. But here’s what I’ve come to realise: Most heart-centred entrepreneurs (especially those in my audience) don’t need total messaging overhauls. What people actually need is steady, gradual improvement.

If you can talk about the needs in your market, speak to the experiences of your audience, and describe the transformation you help facilitate—guess what? You’ve got the foundations of a powerful message right there. But so many people are allowing messaging “experts” to strip away their confidence, making them believe they’re not good enough or that their messaging is fundamentally flawed. That isn’t true.

The Incremental Approach

Let me be real: yes, I refine my messaging. Yes, I change and tweak things all the time, even now. But it’s never a full overhaul or a dramatic “makeover.” It’s gradual. It’s incremental. And I recommend you take this approach too.

There’s a lot of pressure online to get instant results—big engagement, fast sales, immediate feedback. If your messaging doesn’t explode straight away, people say it must be “wrong.” But actually, those incremental changes, those gradual refinements, are what build solid messaging over time.

How I Work With My Own Messaging

When I do my quarterly planning, I review my core message. Are there pieces that need to be stronger? Have I neglected to talk about something important recently? My messaging meanders—sometimes I veer off course, but I know how to come back because I’ve kept track of what works. Consistent review lets me keep improving.

A Personal Story: When Outsourcing Backfired

There was a time I was really sick and had to outsource my sales page writing. Six months later, conversions dropped, and refund requests spiked. Why? The copy was written through someone else’s lens—it didn’t reflect the value of my Take Off program in the way I see it. I was feeling wobbly, doubting whether my words were right, wondering if a professional could do better. Turns out, the best person to write about working with me is… me.

Feeling Wobbly About Your Messaging?

If all this is resonating, maybe you’re starting to feel a bit more empowered. Maybe your messaging isn’t actually terrible—maybe you shouldn’t be overhauling it after all. Instead, look for opportunities to make incremental improvements.

Here’s my advice:

Practice Turning Core Message Into Content—Consistently

You can’t do this in a half day—it takes repetition. You need time and practice to figure out how to express your core message, how content and messaging actually differ, and how to keep tweaking as you go.

Get Long-Form Content Down First

To write sharp, short-form messaging, start long. When I talk about an offer, I usually start with something much longer, get all the angles out, and then refine. Sometimes I talk things out instead of writing. One of the best tips I got (shoutout to Aesha Kennedy!) was to make mini slides, speak them out, and record the result. I now handwrite mini slides on Post-it notes, record myself, then get a transcript via my phone’s Voice Memos app. It’s so much easier to revise from this than starting from scratch.

Use Your Messy Drafts!

I mess with messaging all the time—running webinars regularly helps me refine. Seeing what lights people up, what gets questions, what misses the mark—that’s valuable feedback. If you’re struggling with short-form messaging, don’t pressure yourself; get it all out in long form, experiment, then condense.

Don’t Be Precious About Content

I often write long-form sales pages for everything, whether it’s a webinar, opt-in, or offer. I never use them all—most get edited down, and the rest becomes promo material. Don’t worry about “wasting words.” If tossing out 80% gets you the right 20%, so be it.

Let Go of Old Content

Don’t cling to that video or blog just because you spent ages making it. Content serves its purpose for its time—sometimes it’s just done. Refresh and re-record with your new perspectives. Don’t let sunk cost keep you stuck.

Why It Takes Practice (and Feedback)

It often takes sharing your message in messy, scattered ways before you can refine it. Throw the spaghetti at the wall, and see what sticks. But here’s the trick—let yourself appreciate what worked, not just fret over what didn’t. Give yourself space to refine and improve. Over time, you’ll explain things with clarity, develop stories and analogies that connect, and get faster at diagnosing and expressing the value you offer.

How “Bridge Messaging” Came To Be

Back in 2013, nobody was teaching messaging for online business with “bridge messaging” like I do now. That came from years of figuring it out, refining, trial and error, and lots of learning. Not just for myself, but because teaching others forced me to break it down further.

How Clarifying Questions Helped Me Refine

Shoutout to my client Jodie Thornton! She’s always asking, “But why?” and has an amazing memory for everything I’ve ever taught. Her questions force me to clarify, improve, and explain things better. That’s how so many of my processes and analogies were born.

Don’t Let Criticism Derail You

If you share something and someone asks, “Hey, have you considered this angle?”—that’s not failure. That’s a chance to find gaps and refine. The problem now is that so much messaging out there tells you it’s critical, foundational, and if you’re not making sales it must be wrong. Instead of seeing feedback as refinement, too many people view it as proof they’re not good enough and start over. Please, don’t fall into that trap.

The Real Difference Between Messaging and Content

Messaging is foundational: your value proposition, the transformation you offer, how your process takes someone from before to after, bridge messaging, and your intellectual property. Content is the micro stuff—the social post, the tip, the blog. You might share a great piece of content that doesn’t land, but that doesn’t mean your messaging is bad. Just try another expression.

Think of Messaging as a Tree

Imagine your messaging as a big tree: the trunk and roots are your core message and foundations. The chunky branches are webinars and big content. The thinner branches are blogs and newsletters. The leaves and berries are your little posts and tips. Leaves fall, berries get eaten, but the trunk keeps growing stronger. Someone not liking a berry doesn’t mean the trunk is bad!

It Takes Time, Practice, and Audience

Creating effective, resonant messaging takes time and practice, plus real audience interaction. Refining only happens when you share it and see what lands. Don’t rob us of your refined message by always starting over!

It takes time to write effective messaging. There’s a big difference between your core message and the way you express it in content. The more you validate and refine your core messaging, the easier creating content becomes.

The problem is never you. Your messaging does not need a complete overhaul. It needs time, practice, and refinement. I want to see your content. I want to see you sharing.

Your Day 12 #Tashmas Gift!