HEY THERE, I´M TANYA

Tanya Ponton is the founder of 5 Hundred Words. Prior to copywriting, she practiced law in London and New York. She has a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from The Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas at Austin, where she was a runner-up for the Keene Prize. She holds a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Harvard University. She is currently working on a screenplay and her first novel.

This About Me

IS REALLY ABOUT YOU.

Or at least it should be.

You’re here, trying to figure out if we’re a good fit. Do I seem smart enough? Friendly enough? Will I annoy the crap out of you?

Most importantly—can I tell your story? Will I get you? Can I sound like you—your best you? Still you, but on a great hair day. You in your nicest LBD with stylish-but-comfortable heels. Or maybe your most chill-but-together, laptop-at-the-beach, effortlessly on-it self.

I’ve been telling stories for a long time. But can I say the things you want to say, in exactly the way you want? Even if you’re not totally sure what that is yet?

Can I persuade people to listen? Keep them engaged, hungry for more? Make you sound clearer, sharper, and more compelling than the other options? Can I help you be approachable and authoritative—someone people trust and want to work with?

Can I help you sell it?

Down in this About Me, you’re not just looking for credentials and shiny sales words. You’re looking for something real. A connection. More instinct, more emotional. Less about the what, and more about the who. A gut feeling that says, this makes sense.

This is about who you are. And if I’m the one that just gets it. And I get that.

Because if you trust me to tell your story, it’s going to be all about them. That customer who doesn’t know you yet. That client who stumbles across the World Wide Web and reads your story. Can I convince them that you are the connection they’re looking for? You are the solution they need?

Let’s make sure they do.

Content that Connects

Young beautiful african girl in profile smiling sitting with laptop in chair.

What You Get

01

Honesty

You can rely on me to be truly helpful—as in, truthfully helpful. It’s legitimately hard to know when the writing is working. If it’s not, and you ignore it, it just gets worse. (I’ve tried.) If your sentence is weak, or your story is disorganized–I’m gonna tell you that your sentence is weak or story is disorganized. Nicely.

02

Sensitivity

Writing is highly personal. And it’s way (WAY) harder than it looks. Many of my clients have been blindsided by how emotionally draining it is to write. I’ll help you through this process. Not only will you get technical support, I can help you stay mentally resilient. That’s not a joke.

03

Humor

Cuz we have to. I am serious about the work, but not myself. We have to be able to breathe through this and remember that this project is super important and has to be just right and the clients will see it and it’s everything ever but also maybe we’ve had too much coffee.

04

You

You are the center of this project. Your name, your brand, your dream. You are the hero of this journey, and you decide whichever plot twists and cliffhangers and car chases we’re doing. You’re the spectacular view. I’m just the great window dressing that makes sure everyone notices.