How to Write Marketing Messages That Work in a Small Town (The Found Framework Part 3: What Do I Say?)

Before I ever wrote a marketing message for anybody, I spent years with a red pen in my hand. And the note I wrote most in the margins of freshman essays was four little words: What's your point? Four pages of beautiful sentences and thesaurus words found at 11 p.m. the night before...and one idea buried somewhere underneath it all. I still think about those essays, because I read small town business marketing every single day. Websites. Facebook posts. Flyers on the bulletin board at the cafe. And a whole lot of it (bless it) needs that exact same note. This is Part 3 of The Found Framework, and it's the question every Founder hits once they know who they're talking to: what do I actually say? We get into why your message has a different job in a small town, the potluck test, a fill-in-the-blank sentence you'll use for years, the lost-to-found shape that makes a story stick, and that "who does she think she is?" voice that keeps so many of us quiet. You'll walk away with the bones of a messaging house you can actually live in. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR Why small town marketing isn't an introduction, it's an update to a story people already believe about you The three messaging mistakes Molly sees again and again: being vague, being too polished, and being afraid The potluck test: could your aunt explain what you do in one sentence? The "I help ___ do ___ so they can ___" formula, with real examples from a bookkeeper and a photographer Why naming your prices, your hours, and who you don't serve is a kindness in a small town The lost-to-found story shape, plus the three kinds of stories every business or organization already has What years of How It's Made reruns taught Molly about behind-the-scenes content The "don't get too big for your britches" fear, and why talking about your work isn't bragging How to build a messaging house: your one sentence, three pillars, a story bank, and a running list of customer questions THE FOUND QUESTION This one lives in the What do I say? question. Once you know who your people are, this is where you find the words that help them recognize themselves (and you). RESOURCES AND LINKS Small Town Founders Workbook, including the one-sentence page, story arc pages, and the messaging house page: https://mollyknuth.myflodesk.com/smalltownfoundersworkbook Found, Molly's 12-week advisory program: https://mollyknuth.com The Found Framework, Part 1 (How Do I Do This?) and Part 2 (Where Are My People?): https://open.spotify.com/show/5YACTbRulN4NooX32NgzgV Molly's Story Forge app: email [email protected] with the word APP to test it out! FREE RESOURCE Grab the free Small Town Founders Workbook, your 2027 business and marketing strategy, with pages built for every episode of The Found Framework: https://mollyknuth.myflodesk.com/smalltownfoundersworkbook GO DEEPER WITH FOUND The Found Podcast introduces the five questions. The Found advisory program is where you work through them for your own business or organization over 12 weeks, including finding the words that sound like you and building the messaging house you'll actually use. If you've been staring at your website for two years thinking "this doesn't sound like me anymore," start here: https://mollyknuth.com LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5YACTbRulN4NooX32NgzgV Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-found-podcast-with-molly-knuth/id1530616432 SHARE THE EPISODE Know someone whose website could use a red pen and a little love? Send them this one. And once you write your one sentence, send it my way on Instagram. I want to read it. Website: https://mollyknuth.com · Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollyknuth · Email: [email protected]