Writing Together

Meet the LinkedIn profile you didn't know you had. It's called The Throughline.

You already have the story.

You've just never seen it on the page — not the way the people you want to reach will see it.

Most personal brand advice hands you a formula: the keyword list, the "proven" template, the structure everyone else is using. 

You follow it, and the result is technically correct and completely unlike you. That's the problem The Throughline exists to solve. 

I've moved hundreds of professionals from a profile that lists what they've done to one that captures who they are — the through-line running underneath the whole career, told in a voice that's unmistakably theirs.

What I do that a template never will is read between the lines. I get to the heart of your story and say the things you can't quite say about yourself, then put them where your people will feel them. For a personal brand — where you are the business — that's everything. No bot-speak. No borrowed language. Just you, made legible.

This is focused work — your core profile, the sections that carry your personal brand, rewritten with intention. It is not content strategy, engagement plans, or Sales Navigator. It's the foundation everything else stands on, done right.

Who this is for

 • You are your brand. The work has your name on it. When someone lands on your profile, they're deciding whether to trust you — not a company behind you.

 •You're an independent expert — a consultant, coach, founder, author, or speaker whose personal brand is the business.

• You know your value. What's missing isn't confidence or credentials; it's a profile that says out loud what you already know to be true.

•You've felt the gap. If you've ever read your own profile and thought that's accurate, but it isn't me — that gap is exactly what this closes.

This is not for you if…

 • You want SEO tricks and keyword stuffing. That's the opposite of why this works.

Your people connect with a voice, not a keyword density score.

• You're primarily job-hunting. This is built for personal brands and small-business owners using LinkedIn to attract clients and build authority — not to optimize for recruiter filters.

 • You want the whole LinkedIn machine — content calendars, engagement strategy, Sales Navigator, lead funnels. This is deep, focused work on your core profile. It's the foundation the rest stands on, but it's not the rest.

• You'd rather not be in the room. The Story Session is the whole engine. If you want to hand off a brief and disappear, I'm not the right fit — the magic depends on one good conversation.

Two ways to work together

Both begin with the Story Session — one conversation where your through-line surfaces. From there, the writing is mine to carry.

Signature:

Everything in Essentials, plus the two things that make it last:

A Voice & Positioning Brief -- a one page distillation of your throughline, signature phrases, and the soul of how your personal brand shows up, so you have your own voice on paper to reuse everywhere. 

A 30-day tune-up after launch, so once your profile is live and working, you refine anytrhing that needs it.

Essentials:

A full rewrite of the sections that do the heavy lifting for your personal brand: your Headline, About, Featured, and the lead Experience that anchors it all -- plus banner copy, a polished custom URL, and cleaned-up skills.

Also includes your Story Session, one structured revision round, and a walkthrough video explaining the thinking behind every choice. You leave sounding like the truest version of yourself.

The Brief is the piece most people didn't know they needed — and the one they come back to long after the profile is done.

A few honest questions, answered

• How much of my time does this take?

Very little, by design. A short intake, one 60-minute Story Session, and a look at your draft. That's it. The recorded conversation does the heavy lifting so you're not writing, editing, or deliberating over word choices — that's my job.

• Why a recorded call instead of a questionnaire?

Because you say things out loud that you'd never write down — the aside, the story, the way you describe your work when you forget you're being "professional." That's where your through-line lives. A form gives you polished answers. A conversation gives me you.

• What if the draft doesn't sound right?

It usually does — that's the point of the Story Session — but you get a structured revision round to refine it. One focused pass, not an endless loop, so we sharpen what matters without diluting it.

• Do you just fill in a template?

No. Every profile starts from your actual story, in your actual voice. I've moved hundreds of professionals off templates precisely because templates are why their personal brand felt generic in the first place.

• Can you guarantee more leads or followers?

I won't promise numbers I don't control. What I promise is a profile that finally sounds like you and reads the way your best clients already think of you. For a personal brand, that trust is what everything else depends on.

• What's the real difference between Essentials and Signature?

Essentials gets your profile right. Signature makes it last — the Voice & Positioning Brief gives you your own voice on paper to reuse everywhere, and the 30-day tune-up means we refine once it's live and working. Most people choose Signature for exactly that reason.

“Marissa brings humanity back into digital profiles and resumes.

She has a thorough process to get to know you, your professional expertise and all those little details that represent who you really are and what sets you apart from other professionals in your field — no gimmicky keyword lists or weirdly structured sentences that make you sound like a bot.

She wove my professional story together so elegantly. It’s easy to read, to the point, thorough, professional, and most important of all, so very me.”

–Lydia Grossov, Creative Director at Expresso Design

What it is

Bios serve an important purpose for professionals. Whether you need to supply a bio to a venue where you are presenting, to a publication or media outlet where you’ll be featured, or to accompany pitches, how you represent yourself in words matters. 

One-sheets are a bit of an oxymoron (like jumbo shrimp), because they are often two sheets. But the idea of a one-sheet is to have a summary of who you are and what you offer on one document that can be emailed, downloaded, or handed out. One-sheets combine images and branded colors with text to convey your personality as well as your offerings, kind of like a brochure without all the folding.

Who it’s for

Bios and one-sheets are for anyone who needs to send a concise, attractive, well-written and--most importantly--authentic description of themselves to a venue, organization, committee, employer, publication, media outlet, publisher, etc. They are also for folks who want something that can be emailed or handed out at trade shows, events, conferences, workshops, and other virtual or in-person gatherings.

What it includes

● A discovery call to identify your needs

● Comprehensive intake including a brainstorming & strategizing call

● Development of the bio or one-sheet you’ve requested

● Consultation on and help finding images if needed

● One revision

● Final copy delivered to you as a PDF

Why it matters

Besides being required in many professional initiatives and settings, bios and one-sheets are part of your marketing toolkit when it comes to representing yourself and what you offer to the world. They are an effective and personable way to connect with your ideal audience, and provide people with something they can hold on to and remember you by.

What’s your investment

Bios come in various lengths, from 500 words all the way down to bylines which are just a sentence long. Many people use two or three bios of different lengths. For a quote on your bio or one-sheet, drop me a line so I can learn more about what you need and how we might work together. 

“Marissa is an absolute pleasure to work with, so professional yet kind and down-to-earth. She was able to take my work, education, and life experiences and communicate my story in writing in a way that felt very authentic to me.” --Linda Brophy, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Speaker

What it is

I‘ll work with you to either breath new life into your existing website copy, or help you draft copy from scratch that catches your readers’ attention and imagination.

Who it’s for

Website copy development is for you if you:

Have a website but don’t feel inspired when you visit it. Have a website that is not visited as much as you’d like it to be. Have copy on your site that you feel just doesn’t capture who you are or what you do. Are launching a new website. Are rebranding and need a shift in tone or focus.

What it includes

● A discovery call to identify your needs

● Comprehensive intake including a brainstorming & strategizing call

● Development of the website copy you’ve requested

● One revision

Why it matters

In the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Ali Baba stands in front of a seemingly immovable wall of rock…but then he utters the secret words, “Open sesame!” and the wall gives way to a chamber, filled from dirt floor to vaulted ceiling with gold and jewels and silks and brocades, treasure piled upon opulent treasure.

The right words are not a secret, but they can be magical. Whatever wall you are standing in front of with your website copy, I’ll work with you to help you find your right words. It’s time to start turning walls into open doors!

What’s your investment

Pricing for website copy starts at $500 per page, and varies according to the scope of work. For a quote on your website copy development, drop me a line so I can learn more about what you need and how we might work together. 

“Marissa is not only an exceptional wordsmith, but she also understands the subtle and intimate nuance that is necessary for the pure expression of someone’s essence.

She is a master communicator and creates an open environment for collaboration and expression of the best possible copy for websites, courses, and anything you could need on a page.” –Tricia Brouk, Director, Writer, Filmmaker