HOW TO WRITE YOUR HOMEPAGE so it says what’s most meaningful
A guided, step-by-step writing process + workbook for people and small organizations doing work that matters
I know there is a reason you do the work you do, and it’s important.
Important to you. And important for others.
I want to help you put it all to writing in a way that honours the story, meaning, and value of your work.
Under late capitalism, scaled-small commerce based in reciprocity is radical. And these stories need to be told. Website homepages can be one of the places we tell them well.
While it’s in the form of a workbook, How to Write Your Homepage So it Says What’s Most Meaningful is really a complete, concise homepage writing course. What I am teaching is the methodology and process I use with my own clients when writing for them.
Through a thoughtful, researched, and practiced mix of reflective and writing exercises, you will write a website homepage that:
- meaningfully and clearly articulates what you do and for whom
- makes total sense to someone new to your work
- aligns with your values
- doesn’t miss any of the important details
- is compelling and empathetic and enjoyable to read (and write!)
- nurtures genuine connection and kinship with the reader
- helps more people benefit from what you offer (which, in turn, makes your practice more sustainable for you, too)
Some of the most difficult writing is the writing we do about ourselves, by ourselves.
It is just hard, writing without support. Hard to see and describe ourselves and our work from the outside. Hard to know what to include and what to leave out. Hard to unknow what we know in order to explain it. Hard to get started. Hard to keep going. Hard to finish.
When the work you do is meaningful to you and of benefit to others, finding the words for it is profoundly rewarding. And with guidance and support, it’s so very doable.
This writing process and workbook is for the helpers and carers and knowledge workers and creatives, those who provide services for others, because the world needs to know about your work and I want you to have meaningful, resonant language for what you offer.
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It is such a personal gift when you land on the words that describe what you do. The ones you feel in your bones. My favourite, favourite part of my work is when I write for someone and can reflect back to them this is how I see you and this is what you do and this is why it matters and they feel seen and understood. It isn’t that I’m magic and it’s not just down to writing skill and experience; it’s that I draw out my clients’ own knowingness, and then show them in words. I want to help you do that for yourself.
In completing How to Write Your Homepage So it Says What‘s Most Meaningful, you will have a more conscious awareness of the larger message of your work, your purpose as expressed through your work, and you’ll have content for a detailed homepage for your website.
This succinct homepage writing course comes in workbook form as a PDF, appropriate for device viewing or for printing. It is 62 pages.
After years of honing this writing process, I’ve finessed it down to its fewest, simplest, most elegant steps. I want the practice of intentional writing to be easeful and to feel good.
Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, I know you can write an excellent homepage with words people connect with.
It is important to me that these exercises don’t just give you the desired outcome – a really compelling, well-structured, and effectively written homepage that helps grow your practice or small business – but that the process of completing these exercises should feel easy and supported and unlonely.
My intention in writing How to Write Your Homepage is that its guided process will…
- save you time – there are no “bonus” files or extra videos to watch or tabs to click; just the essential text to read and exercises to complete that will have you quickly drafting and completing your homepage
- reduce or eliminate decision fatigue – the writing process is guided and ordered so you always know what to do next
- reduce mental load and the burden of overthinking – as someone adept at overthinking (which has its place but is not so helpful in creative endeavours like writing), I needed to design this process for myself by having a flexible but firm structure to follow; it keeps me from thinking about things I don’t need to think about in order to complete this task
- decrease distractions – this writing process is designed to mine what you already know (you are the best expert on your work), keeping you engaged with yourself and not needing to look elsewhere for information or inspiration
- result in writing that draws more people in – communicating to create genuine connection feels good and expands your circle
- leave you feeling companioned through the process as I guide you (and maybe while you imagine the community of unknown-to-you writers also reflecting on the same questions and finding their own answers in their copies of the workbook …)
I’m Carrie Klassen, and I’ve been a professional writer and award-winning communicator for more than two decades. Through workshops, online courses, and workbooks, I’ve taught writers – and people who didn’t know they were writers yet – all over the world, the practice of intentional written communication. Read more about my work →
My approach to pricing may be a little different.
There are three different prices for the exact same workbook. The standard price for individuals is lower than the standard price for organizations because freelancers and one-person-shows usually have smaller budgets than small businesses and organizations. The adjusted price is available for individuals from structurally marginalized groups to select, recognizing we don’t all have the same access to income and credit for reasons of racism, ableism, classism, and other forms of injustice.
At all prices, using How to Write Your Homepage So it Says What’s Most Meaningful is much less than my fees for one-on-one website writing services, and my hope is that this DIY option is helpful and makes producing compelling writing accessible to many people and small organizations doing good work.
Note: If you’re self-employed, be sure to save your receipt and track this as a taxable expense.
Standard price for individuals –
$148 usd
This is the price for freelancers and other solo, self-employed individuals.
Adjusted price for individuals –
$98 usd
This adjusted price is for members of structurally marginalized groups.
Standard price for organizations –
$248 usd
This price is for orgs/businesses with more than one team member.
“I’ve waited for years for Carrie to release this work. In 2010, I came across Carrie’s first version of it. It was the best resource I’d ever found to help my clients write a clear, compelling and credible home page for their website. Something professional and yet, also, human. I recommended it to thousands of entrepreneurs. They loved it. I got rave reviews and ‘thank you’s from my clients galore. It made me look so good to my clients that I would even know about it. And then, she took it off the market. People went to her website and it wasn’t there. She was rewriting it. I never found anything better. For years, I’ve had nothing I could send to them. But now she’s done her rewrite and somehow, impossibly but not surprisingly, it’s even better. Imagine that: a simple guide that can help you write a homepage you are proud of and to which you can return over and over. This is the one.”
Tad Hargrave, founder of Marketing for Hippies
How much time does it take to complete all the exercises?
Writing and thinking times really vary across writers. To complete all of the exercises, I've heard everything from two hours to eight hours over a few sittings, but most report having their first draft of their new homepage completed in about three or so hours.
What kinds of websites is this homepage writing process best for?
I designed these exercises primarily for writers of websites describing services - people and collectives doing work that helps others in some way. The content structure is ideal for coaches, therapists, health practitioners, multi-disciplinary clinics, trainers, music teachers, tutors, caterers, cooking schools, professional organizers, cleaners, and many more.
It wasn't specifically designed for retail-focused businesses with product-driven homepages, although the reflective and writing exercises could definitely be worthwhile for drafting content that adds depth and meaning to other pages of the website - a few lines might be appropriate on the home page, a few paragraphs might make sense on an Our Story page. The process would be useful, but the content map at the end wouldn't match a retailer's needs so they would have to adapt that part themselves and choose their own content placement.
Other than the workbook, what do I need to complete the exercises?
If you’re able to handwrite ...
- One or two free-flowing pens that feel good to write with
- A print-out of the workbook or a device for reading the workbook on screen and a journal or notebook to write in
If you’re writing by voice-typing …
- A device for reading the workbook on screen, or a print-out of the workbook
- A device with voice-typing functionality (I use Google Docs’ voice-typing feature but there are other dictation tools you may have and use)
What are some of the accessibility considerations of this workbook?
This document is one PDF. I understand from some friends who use them that screen-readers don't always get along well with PDFs so this may be a consideration.
The paragraph text is 12 pt serif, dark on light or white background.
The Flesch Kincaid Grade level assessed online is for tenth grade, meaning readers with at least a tenth grade education should be comfortable with the content. (I think this is probably higher than the reality because the bot treated the long bulleted lists of examples throughout the text as long sentences, and long sentences tend to raise the grade level.)
What is the refund policy?
There are no refunds. If you feel uncertain about How to Write Your Homepage So it Says What's Most Meaningful, please honour that uncertainty. Our guts tend to be pretty reliable and it may mean this isn't the right resource for you at this time.
Can I send this as a gift for someone?
Yes! The checkout includes the option to gift How to Write Your Homepage So It Says What's Most Meaningful. You just need the email address of your person so that the download link can be sent to them.
I purchased How to Write Your Homepage So It Says What's Most Meaningful but I didn't download it at the time. What to do?
It happens! You can click here to recover your order.
Do you offer supported pricing for people facing financial insecurity?
Yes. I am experimenting with a new managed sliding scale, and we'll see how it goes.
$148/$248 is the standard, actual price, calculated based on the cost of my monthly business and personal expenses and what I need for my practice to be sustainable, anticipating a balance of individuals and organizations who will support this work.
At this time, each month, three copies of How to Write Your Homepage So It Says What's Most Meaningful are available for 70% off, and two copies are available as gifts.
Sliding scales can often be stressful. It can be hard to know where to place ourselves. Especially if you have been socialized to give and not receive. And if you weren't raised discussing money and class.
I really appreciate Alexis J. Cunningfolk's thoughts on the sliding scale as a tool of economic justice and how she helps her clients orient themselves on her sliding scale. She writes: "Recently, someone shared with me the idea of sacrifice versus hardship when examining access. If paying for a class, product, or service would be difficult, but not detrimental, it qualifies as a sacrifice. You might have to cut back on other spending in your life (such as going out to dinner, buying coffee, or a new outfit), but this will not have a long term harmful impact on your life. It is a sacred sacrifice in order to pursue something you are called to do. If, however, paying for a class, product, or service would lead to a harmful impact on your life, such as not being able to put food on the table, pay rent, or pay for your transportation to get to work, then you are dealing with hardship."
If a purchase of How to Write Your Homepage would be a sacrifice, the standard price would fit. If the purchase would cause financial hardship and make it so that someone cannot meet basic needs, then one of the supported options would be appropriate.
You do not need to prove your financial circumstances. The beauty of sliding scale is that it is based on trust and also the consideration and care of strangers. Paying the actual price when you can afford to do so, upholds access for those who really need the financial flexibility.
Use the coupon code BORAGE for 70% off.
Use the coupon code YARROW for 100% off.
If the coupon codes do not work, it means all of the copies have been claimed for a given month.
I have a question not answered on this page.
Please feel welcome to reach out to us with your questions at hi@carrieklassen.com and Christine or I will respond. We are a teeny tiny team - it's just the two of us - and because we work flex hours to also honour our outside-of-work responsibilities, community and care work, and rest, it may take us a little time to reply.
“My homepage went from ho-hum to brilliant thanks to Carrie’s workbook. The entire process was so clear and nurturing, and when I put all the copy together I was overjoyed by the result. Finally, I have a homepage that sounds like me, highlights my best work and I feel thrilled to promote! This is already making a huge difference in my marketing efforts, and I am so grateful for Carrie’s guidance and wisdom.”
Leah Kent, Book Coach LeahKent.net
Each month, a portion of all workbook sales go to health programs for Indigenous women, a helpline for LGBTQ2S+ kids, books for people who are incarcerated, support for teen parents, and the work of freeing prisoners of conscience.