Laura Belgray – Wild Business Growth Podcast #144: Talking Shrimp, Creative Copywriting Genius

Don’t make your audience enjoy your copy. Make your audience go BANANAS with your copy. See what a difference that small change makes? This week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest, Laura Belgray, is one of the best in the world at working her vivid, brand-new 4K TV, planetarium verbal magic. Laura is the Award-Winning Copywriting Expert and Founder of Talking Shrimp. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 144: Laura Belgray – Talking Shrimp, Creative Copywriting Genius

Laura Belgray, the Award-Winning Copywriting Expert and Founder of Talking Shrimp, joins the show to share her journey from appearing on Sesame Street as a 2-year-old to writing TV spots and copy for Nickelodeon, Bravo, HBO, and top online entrepreneurs. Hear how to make your audience go bananas with copy, create vivid imagery, build a brand around yourself, why the crumb scraper is Laura’s worst enemy, and how she screwed up her husband’s proposal. This episode covers everything from copywriting tips to eavesdropping. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How did Laura appear on Sesame Street
• What did she learn writing TV promo spots
• What are her top copywriting tips
• How do you build a brand around being YOU
• Why do jumans love storytelling
• What is The Steven Spielberg Test
• What is Inigo Montoya up to these days
• If Laura could hang out with any TV character, who would it be

Connect with Laura at TalkingShrimp.com and on Instagram at @TalkingShrimpNYC.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Laura on TV
  • [0:30] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:40] Connect with Laura at TalkingShrimp.com and on Instagram at @TalkingShrimpNYC
  • [1:41] Laura Fucking Belgray
  • [2:00] Rocky Theme Music
  • [2:25] BANAS! B-A-N-A-S
  • [2:37] How did Laura get on Sesame Street
  • [3:02] The Count
  • [3:13] Grover, Oscar
  • [3:18] Riverside Park
  • [3:47] Did people recognize Laura from being on Sesame Street
  • [4:18] How did she get the role at Nickelodeon
  • [4:35] Spec Script
  • [4:58] Spy Magazine, Graydon Carter, Kurt Andersen
  • [5:09] Intern, Editor
  • [5:29] Copywriter, Advertorial
  • [5:51] Dewar’s
  • [6:25] New York Magazine, Corporate
  • [6:40] The Famous “Over My Head” Signal
  • [6:56] YEDI (Year End Double issue), Abominable Snowman
  • [7:23] Nick@Nite
  • [7:29] Promos, VH1
  • [7:53] Creative Director
  • [8:13] Internet Startup
  • [8:35] Engaged Audience
  • [8:55] Facebook, Melrose Place, 90210
  • [9:52] The Munsters, VHS Tapes
  • [10:10] An unprovoked BANANAS!
  • [10:44] Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie
  • [11:10] I did not throw my microphone (against the wall)
  • [11:18] I Dream of Jeannie Song
  • [11:44] TV Land
  • [11:58] What’s the biggest lesson Laura learned from working with TV promos
  • [12:18] Tiny Toon Adventures, Steven Spielberg
  • [12:47] TBS
  • [12:56] Brand
  • [13:13] The Partridge Family, The Reuben Hair Shift
• The Talking Shrimp Story & Copy That Makes Your Audience Go Bananas
  • [13:47] I do like to abbreviate thi
  • [14:02] Hippo Direct
  • [14:07] Where did the idea for going out on your own come from
  • [14:31] Invention, SPANX
  • [15:00] Taxes, Accountant
  • [15:19] Incorporate, Independent Contractor, Payroll
  • [15:35] URL
  • [15:53] Funny Cry Happy, 14th Street
  • [16:17] TalkingShrimp.com
  • [16:40] Marie Forleo
  • [16:54] Opt-In
  • [17:15] AWeber
  • [17:25] Blog
  • [17:41] 5 Secrets to Non-Sucky Copy
  • [17:57] Emails, Entrepreneurs
  • [18:04] Word of Mouth
  • [18:14] Website Copy
  • [18:27] What a Weird & Wonderful Comment
  • [18:31] How often was Laura blogging at the start
  • [19:44] It is my home page
  • [19:51] Social Media
  • [19:56] What did the behind-the-scenes of crafting Laura’s brand look like
  • [20:18] Future Pacing
  • [20:48] SpongeBob SquarePants
  • [21:23] Service
  • [22:29] Sandy Cheeks
  • [22:32] How did Laura feel to finally become Laura Fucking Belgray
  • [23:17] Gayle King, Oprah
  • [23:29] Masterclass, LinkedIn
  • [23:57] Trademark
  • [24:08] Bart Simpson Chalkboard
  • [24:18] How do you make your audience go bananas with copy
  • [24:42] Content, Sales Copy
  • [25:29] Contractions
  • [25:53] Shoutout Mr. Apostrophe (and Big Bird (and Mr. Snuffleupagus))
  • [27:33] Doritos
  • [28:04] The Steven Spielberg Test
  • [28:11] Director
  • [29:54] Today is the day I wash my sweatpants.
  • [30:06] Podcast Episode, Blog Post
  • [31:41] What aspect of Laura’s copywriting technique do people love the most
  • [31:59] Laura’s Instagram Captions
  • [32:09] Call to Action (CTA)
  • [32:26] Why do humans love storytelling
  • [32:47] Villages vs. Towns
  • [33:12] History Museum
  • [33:18] Did humans and dinosaurs coexist
  • [33:42] T-Rex (Tyrannosaurus Rex), Woolly Mammoth
  • [33:54] The Flintstones, Flintstones Vitamins
  • [34:05] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [35:13] Creative Marketing
  • [35:20] The Princess Bride
  • [35:35] Marketing, Personal Brand
  • [35:43] Mandy Patinkin, Homeland, Inigo Montoya, Kathryn Grody
  • [36:57] Zoom
  • [37:35] Hollywood
  • [37:41] Influencers, The New York Times
  • [38:11] Shoutout the Mandels! Adam Sandler
  • [38:28] Steve Carell, Office Ladies
  • [40:01] Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels
  • [40:05] How do you be yourself before making videos online

• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [42:15] What is a weird talent Laura has
  • [42:26] Rubik’s Cube
  • [42:37] Woolworth’s
  • [43:10] Legal Team
  • [43:14] What is Laura’s biggest pet peeve
  • [43:23] Vulnerabullshit/Fauxnerability/Vulnerabrag
  • [45:03] The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
  • [45:30] Joe Pulizzi “The Godfather of Content Marketing” on the Wild Business Growth Podcast
  • [45:43] The Will to Die
  • [46:15] Exactly write
  • [46:26] What is a quirk Laura has
  • [47:07] Crumb Scraper
  • [47:12] Fetal Position
  • [47:41] Vivid Imagery, Max
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [47:58] Lupa
  • [48:32] How did Laura screw up her husband’s proposal
  • [48:49] Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith (Jaden Smith & Willow Smith)
  • [49:18] More Better & I-RON-y
  • [49:32] OneLook.com
  • [49:42] Thesaurus
  • [50:27] A Sneak Peek aka Nip Slip of Tough Titties
  • [51:05] The Real Housewives of New York (RHONY)
  • [51:58] Couldn’t resist
  • [52:23] Connect with Laura at TalkingShrimp.com and on Instagram at @TalkingShrimpNYC
  • [52:35] TalkingShrimp.com/SubjectLines
  • [52:53] What are Laura’s final thoughts
  • [53:24] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [53:34] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [53:41] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [53:44]  Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – Jungle Tribe – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Laura Belgray on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!