Check Out Marine’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marine.

Hi Marine, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I went to a science and technology high school. It was not the place you’d expect someone to fall in love with writing.

But I did.

In film class, I loved all of it — the camera work, the craft of putting a scene together with different angles, and even the editing. But what pulled me in most was the story underneath it all. Finding the words that made everything else make sense. So when it came time to choose a major, Literature was an easy answer. Between fiction and poetry, I chose poetry. Poetry was the only choice that felt honest.

My first few years out of college had nothing to do with any of that on the surface. I worked in finance — and I’m glad I did. It taught me how to think analytically, how to understand a business from the inside out, and how to speak the language of people who are serious about growth. But even then, I was writing. Copywriting found its way into everything I touched, whether it was officially part of the job or not.

Eventually I moved into advertising agencies, and found the place where all of it came together — words, strategy, business, story. In 2021 I published my first poetry collection, The Moon Taught Me. Copywriting has been part of my life for 13 to 14 years now — and for the past three, social media marketing and content strategy have become part of that too.

I get to use everything I am in this work. The poet. The analyst. The storyteller.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road by any means.

The financial and emotional weight of entrepreneurship is real. There were stretches where I took positions at agencies or in-house teams to stay stable — not as a step back, but as a smart move. Knowing when to do that is its own kind of skill.

I also navigated toxic work environments and harassment along the way — experiences that were hard at the time but clarified exactly why building something of my own mattered. When you’ve been in rooms where you don’t feel safe or respected, you stop taking for granted the ones where you do.

What I’ve learned is that building something for yourself rarely goes in a straight line. There are seasons where the business grows fast and seasons where you have to be patient. I’ve learned to tell the difference — and to keep going either way.

Today I work with a team I genuinely respect, doing work I believe in. That didn’t happen by accident — it happened because I kept going through the seasons where going felt hardest.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a copywriter, marketing strategist, and social media manager. I help small business owners and entrepreneurs find their voice online — and use it to grow their business.

My work spans copywriting, email marketing, social media strategy and management, and content creation. I’ve written for global brands like Mazda, Toyota, AAA, and McDonald’s. And for the past several years, some of my most meaningful work has been with small business owners — the personal trainer, the realtor, the financial advisor, the chiropractor — helping them communicate what they do in a way that actually sounds like them.

What I’m most proud of is two things.

First, my books. I published my first poetry collection, The Moon Taught Me, in 2021. Holding something I built from nothing — my name on the cover, my words on every page — that’s a feeling that doesn’t get old. And earlier this year I released my first ebook, Marketing Without Performing — for business owners and content creators who are tired of feeling like they have to go on camera or write a caption and perform a version of themselves that doesn’t feel real.

Second, watching the businesses I work with grow. I’ve helped clients go from starting from scratch to hitting six figures within two years through social media marketing. That kind of result doesn’t come from creating more. It comes from creating with intention, consistency, and a real understanding of who you’re talking to.

What sets me apart is the combination of things I bring to the table that don’t usually show up together. The analytical mind from years in finance. The creative instinct from a literature degree and a decade of writing poetry. The strategic thinking from working at ad agencies. And a genuine love for the people I work with and the businesses they’re building.

To do this work well, I have to understand the person behind the business first. And then go even deeper — into their audience, what their goals are, what keeps them up at night, and how to solve their problems. The copy and the content all flow from there.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Reading poetry is non-negotiable for me. It keeps my writing sharp in a way nothing else does. When you study how a poet uses one word instead of five to make you feel something — that carries into everything. Copy, captions, strategy. Poetry is the discipline underneath all of it. My favorite right now is Mary Oliver’s Felicity — there’s a simplicity and an honesty in her work that I keep coming back to.

For content creation, I live in a few apps: CapCut for video editing, Captions for clean subtitles and on-screen text, Edits for quick mobile cuts, and Canva for graphics and design. Between those four I can produce pretty much anything I need without a full production team.

And I pay close attention to creators who have their voice completely locked in — Gary Vaynerchuk, Mel Robbins, Alex and Leila Hormozi, Joe Rogan. Not to copy what they do, but to study how they do it. I follow what they post online more than anything else. When someone’s voice is that consistent and that recognizable across every platform and format, there’s something to learn from the architecture of it. I reverse-engineer that for my own brand and for the clients I work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.copybymarine.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marine.ashnalikyan/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marineashnalikyan/

Image Credits
Tina Mit Photography