My Clients Had Big Wins in 2024 — Here Are 11 Strategies You Can Steal for 2025
I’ve pulled the data — here’s what the most successful solopreneurs in 2024 had in common + how you can make these strategies work for your online business.
If you told me back in January how unpredictable 2024 would be, I probably would’ve laughed nervously and poured another coffee.
Because let’s be real: 2024 didn’t pull any punches for online biz owners. Let’s see… we had election email overload to contend with, a mature + crowded digital market, and audiences that were more wary than ever…
(who can blame ‘em?).
And I’ll be honest — not all of my clients hit their goals. Especially in the back half of the year when inboxes were stuffed with donation request emails and holiday deals.
But the ones who did kinda crush it?
Who kept their courses sold out, their client rosters full, and had their best revenue-driving years to date?
Well, they all had a few things in common.
So, I pulled the data, and here it is: 11 strategies my most successful clients used—and simple steps to help you apply them in 2025.
Let’s get into it.
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**pssssst - want a behind the scenes walkthrough of the exact emails I used in a flash sale with a 10% conversion rate? Drop your info below and I’ll send it over.
1. They Talked to Their Clients (Recently)
Here’s the thing about audiences: they’re human… and humans evolve.
What kept them up at night two years ago might barely faze them today.
My winning clients knew this, which is why they didn’t rely on old intel. They went straight to the source—real clients—because guessing is expensive, and data wins.
How’d they do it?
We ran interviews. We asked better questions. We pulled out exact phrases that made their audience think, How did they get inside my head?
And all of that led to higher open rates, more clicks, and ultimately, more sales.
One of my clients used VOC data to create a newsletter so resonant that a reader actually thanked her in person for writing it.
Cool, right?
⚡ Try this:
Ask five clients or leads one question: What’s your biggest challenge right now? Write it down. Use it. Watch what happens.
2. They Didn’t Sugarcoat Pain Points
You know when you go through something really hard—a breakup, a loss, a diagnosis? Often, what happens is that people avoid you. Not because they don’t care, but because they don’t know what to say.
But my most successful clients in 2024 knew better.
They didn’t shy away from the pain points their customers were facing—they talked about them with the specificity of someone who gets it.
When your audience says, “Save me from the endless Google rabbit hole,” they don’t want you to reply, “Here’s how to streamline your workflows.” They want to hear: “No more Googling. Ever.”
That level of precision proved to their audience that they understood exactly what they were going through, and that they were therefore, the perfect person to solve it.
For one client, adding more specific pain points doubled conversions for her opt-in page.
⚡ Try this:
Take your top three benefits and ask: What unpleasant thing does my audience get to avoid because of this benefit? Then weave both into your messaging.
3. They Treated Marketing Like an Experiment
The most successful clients this year didn’t see their marketing efforts as set-it-and-forget-it tasks. They treated marketing like a lab, always testing, tweaking, and improving.
When launches didn’t go as planned, they didn’t spiral, they asked:
“What worked? What didn’t? What do we try next?”
And they weren’t afraid to pivot their messaging if the data pointed in a new direction.
Not every idea will work, and that’s okay. Scientists don’t cry when their beaker explodes (usually), and marketers shouldn’t either.
One client hires me quarterly to audit her emails. Together, we tweak the bottom 25% of performers — reworking subject lines, tweaking copy, and experimenting (because heads up: what’s working in marketing changes).
The result?
Her open rates and click-through rates climb more and more every year.
⚡ Try this:
Set aside 30 minutes this week to review your last launch or marketing campaign. What worked? What felt flat? Write it all down and choose one thing to improve.
4. They Spoke to Hearts First (Brains a Close Second)
You’ve heard it before: people don’t buy software or courses or even services — they buy the feeling they’ll get when their lives are better because of their purchase.
Relief. Confidence. Pride.
My most successful clients nailed this balance in 2024 by speaking to emotions first, logic second.
Because people don’t buy “workflows” — they buy the pride of clocking out on time, the relief of a clean inbox, or the joy of reclaiming their weekends.
It’s like a good rom-com: yes, the plot has to make sense, but it’s the emotional payoff that makes you cry in your popcorn.
How did we find these deep desires in their audience? You guessed it… interviews.
⚡ Try this:
Take one benefit of your offer and ask, What’s the deeper feeling this delivers? Add a sentence that speaks directly to that feeling in your next email or sales page.
5. They Mastered the Art of Clarity
Cleverness is fun, but clarity wins — always.
My most successful clients this year trusted me to toss out their clever-for-clever’s-sake headlines and get laser-focused on clarity.
Titles like “5 Steps to Triple Your Client Retention” replaced “Unlock Your Business Breakthrough Blueprint” (what even is that?)—and one client saw a 30% jump in opt-ins within days of making the change.
Think of your messaging like directions to a party — if it’s vague, no one’s showing up. But if it’s clear—‘7 PM, 123 Main Street’—you’ll have a full house.
⚡ Try this:
Write three versions of your next headline. Show them to someone outside your industry. Use the one that doesn’t need explaining.
6. They Used Social Proof (even if they didn’t have testimonials)
In 2024, audiences were skeptical. They didn’t want you to tell them you’re good—they needed to see it.
That’ll be the same in 2025. I guarantee it.
My clients sprinkled social proof everywhere: emails, landing pages, even Instagram captions. They don’t need to be long testimonials, either.
Quick wins. Bite-sized case studies. Screenshots from happy customers. All of those will work wonders.
Ever bought something just because your best friend couldn’t stop raving about it? That’s the power of social proof.
⚡ Try this:
Good news: I’m not going to tell you to pester 11 of your past clients and get them to write glowing reviews.
Instead, dig through your inbox or DMs for client love notes or quick wins. Turn them into screenshots or one-liners and sprinkle them throughout your messaging.
7. They Focused Each Email on One Juicy Idea
Trying to cram too much into one email is like giving someone directions with 10 landmarks—they’re gonna get lost.
My clients and I zoomed in on one idea per email.
One misconception, one objection, one benefit, one story.
This built momentum and kept their audience hooked.
This approach isn’t just clearer — it’s also more persuasive.
When each email builds on the next, it creates momentum and keeps your audience engaged, curious, and ready to take action.
⚡ Try this:
When you plan your next sales sequence, think of each email as a stepping stone. Pick the one thing you want your audience to take away for each email. Stick to that, and trust the sequence to do its job.
8. They Knew Their Competition (and Did It Differently)
Copying your competitors doesn’t make you stand out — it makes you blend in.
(I mean, you know this — but it can be so hard not to copy something that seems to be working for someone else, right?)
One thing I do, before writing any copy — is help clients analyze their competitors’ messaging getting eyeballs deep in the Facebook ads library, then brainstorming ways to flip those common messages on their heads.
That’s what you call a paradigm shift — and it’s one very reliable way to create a scroll stopper.
⚡ Try this:
Research your top three competitors. What’s their angle? Ideally, look for something they’re saying that you vehemently disagree with. Now ask: What makes mine different? Use that.
9. They Used AI (but Kept Their Voice Intact)
Every winning client used AI this year, but none let it replace their voice—or their customer’s.
The most successful used AI to brainstorm, organize, and draft content, but they still fact-checked, fine-tuned, and ensured every sentence still felt human.
For some of my "done-with-you" and DIY clients, we went even deeper.
After strategy meetings where we refined their messaging and incorporated their VOC data, I created custom GPTs tailored specifically to their brand. These tools helped them draft emails, captions, and other content that stayed true to their voice—getting them 85% of the way there.
By pairing AI with a clear messaging strategy, they were able to produce authentic, engaging content more efficiently.
⚡ Try this:
Try using AI to brainstorm ideas or draft a rough version of your next email. Then spend time editing it until it’s brimming with your personality. Bonus points if you add a quirky detail or story that AI could never come up with.
10. They Built a Funnel That Felt Human, Not Transactional
This one is so important. But when you’ve got $$$ on the mind, it’s so easy to forget.
Some businesses invested in stellar sales sequences but hadn’t nurtured their audience beforehand.
That meant they were sending beautifully written, expensive-to-create copy to an audience that wasn’t quite ready for it — in some cases to people who hadn’t heard from them in months.
But my clients who succeeded? They did things differently.
They didn’t think of their funnels as an upside-down triangle where leads “tumble” through sales stages.
Instead, we built systems where they became the wise guide in their audience’s journey, showing up at the perfect moment with exactly the message their readers needed to hear.
These nurture emails weren’t flashy or complicated, but they built trust, answered unspoken questions (that we got from the VOC data, of course), and made the eventual “yes” feel like the obvious next step.
The result? Warmer audiences, smoother launches, and higher conversions.
⚡ Try this:
Commit to one piece of nurture content a week for the next month. Share a story, answer a common question, or offer a behind-the-scenes look at your process. Show your audience that you’re in it for the long haul, and they’ll show up when it’s time to buy.
11. They Validated Their Offers
As famed copywriter, Eugene Schwartz* once said:
“Copywriters don’t create demand. We channel existing demand.”
In other words: even the best copy can’t save an offer that doesn’t solve a real problem — one that people would actually pay to have solved.
My most successful clients didn’t leave this to chance.
Before they invested in professional copy (or spent months writing it themselves), they made sure their offer hit the mark.
Validation wasn’t always glamorous. Some clients ran surveys or hopped on casual Zoom calls with potential clients.
Others offered beta versions of their program, refining and pivoting as they went.
One client pre-sold her course to a small group at a discounted price. Not only did she get invaluable feedback, but she also confirmed that her audience would pay for the solution.
By the time she hired me to write her sales page, she knew her audience wanted her offer, she just needed the copy to get it out there and persuade them to finally make the decision.
⚡ Try this:
Ask your audience directly what they’re struggling with. Bonus points if you get specific, like: “What’s the #1 challenge stopping you from [desired result]?” Build your offer around solving it.
Start 2025 With Strategies That Work
If 2024 knocked the wind out of you, don’t worry — you’re still in the game.
The best strategies aren’t just about being louder, they’re about connecting with your audience in ways that actually matter. And if that feels daunting, I’m here to help.
If any of these strategies stood out to you but feel hard to implement on your own, let’s chat!
There are lots of ways we could work together to make 2025 pretty awesome for you.
* as quoted by Bob Bly, as quoted again by Eddie Shleyner
“Nicole is an excellent copywriter. She was able to quickly get a feel for my brand and help me create great copy that reflected me. I look forward to working with Nicole again soon!
- Nancy John, CEO, Seed Leadership
