Copywriting: Talent or Learned

[nontemplates]

Originally Posted by Kyle Tully

Copywriting isn't about writing.

It's about sales.

Did you mean "copywriting isn't about grammar"?

because if you didn't thats wrong. I've been the door to door salesman and I am a writer. the human motivation to buy a product is the same whether its written or spoken. All that changes is the style. The buttons I am looking to touch are the same. Writing is much more about understanding human motivations and aspirations than it is the words. Good writing is always a sales job whether its novel, scripts, plays or business presentations.

I think the OP IS on to something. A good writer knows how to move people with words. They can reach inside of a person and touch the buttons they want to. Expert copywriters must do the same and thats a skill that isn't specific to marketing. You can learn the marketing part a lot easier than you can the skill of touching people's buttons.

[Paul Hancox]

Someone once said, copywriting is salesmanship in print. In other words, writing copy is a combination of WRITING and SELLING.

I'm just in the process of writing a series of blog articles on the skills required to be a copywriter, and so far I've got the following listed, as in little "hats" that a copywriter has to wear...

Psychologist
Researcher
Information Gatherer
Feature Converter
Desire Magician
Attention Grabber
Shoewalker
Salesperson

For example, just the Psychologist "hat" is quite a big one. What makes people tick? What are the deeper reasons people buy $50,000 cars (for example)... it's not just because it gets them from A to B, is it? Why did a selection of 6 jams sell far more than 24 jams, in the classic jam experiment? Or why do some things sell better at a higher price?

Just to wear the Psychologist "hat", I've had to read books like Influence by Robert Cialdini (for the weapons of influence), Persuasion Engineering (for the NLP angle) by Richard Bandler and John La Valle, The Science Of Influence (for more buying insights) by Kevin Hogan, Predictably Irrational (to show how and why buyers don't act rationally) by Dan Ariely, Time Lines (for reframing anything) by L Michael Hall... and so on.

Copywriters need to know this stuff because it gives them insight into how people think and what really moves people to buy. It's like these books have taken a chisel to the buyer's brain!

So you definitely can teach a writer to become a copywriter... it's just about developing the skills, and acquiring the right knowledge... and then practicing.

[ecoverartist]

I think that at some point, there's a foundation for natural talent there, but continuing to learn the trade and PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE is what makes the difference. If you have a natural talent for writing, you'll probably go farther than someone who doesn't - but only if you don't rest on your laurels and keep learning.

[keivn2]

By the way, does reading and hand-copy people's sales letter/article/copywriting help in the progress of learning?

[Kyle Tully]

Originally Posted by nontemplates

Did you mean "copywriting isn't about grammar"?

because if you didn't thats wrong.

No.

I meant exactly what I said.

[Jo_Shua]

Originally Posted by Paul Hancox

Someone once said, copywriting is salesmanship in print. In other words, writing copy is a combination of WRITING and SELLING.

I'm just in the process of writing a series of blog articles on the skills required to be a copywriter, and so far I've got the following listed, as in little "hats" that a copywriter has to wear...

Psychologist
Researcher
Information Gatherer
Feature Converter
Desire Magician
Attention Grabber
Shoewalker
Salesperson

For example, just the Psychologist "hat" is quite a big one. What makes people tick? What are the deeper reasons people buy $50,000 cars (for example)... it's not just because it gets them from A to B, is it? Why did a selection of 6 jams sell far more than 24 jams, in the classic jam experiment? Or why do some things sell better at a higher price?

Just to wear the Psychologist "hat", I've had to read books like Influence by Robert Cialdini (for the weapons of influence), Persuasion Engineering (for the NLP angle) by Richard Bandler and John La Valle, The Science Of Influence (for more buying insights) by Kevin Hogan, Predictably Irrational (to show how and why buyers don't act rationally) by Dan Ariely, Time Lines (for reframing anything) by L Michael Hall... and so on.

Copywriters need to know this stuff because it gives them insight into how people think and what really moves people to buy. It's like these books have taken a chisel to the buyer's brain!

So you definitely can teach a writer to become a copywriter... it's just about developing the skills, and acquiring the right knowledge... and then practicing.

I just started reading Cashvertising by Drew Whitman. It is a great read so far! Cialdini's book and Kevin Hogan's book are on my list to read next.

When you finish your blog posts let us know. It will be an interesting read

[activetrader]

I think it's a learn skill. I knew nothing about copywriting when I started. Now I have decent conversions from my own copy (after re-writing several of my sales pages several times I have noticed that simple rewriting of the headline can increase conversions by 5 to 10 times)

[DougHughes]

Originally Posted by megaresp

It depends. Here's what I think...

• If it's response copy - results. Poor results (assuming the copy has been exposed to a sample of at least 500 pairs of eyeballs) signifies poor copy. Consistently poor results over multiple campaigns signifies a consistently poor copy writer (assuming the place the copy appears is otherwise known to work).
• If it's brand or awareness copy - style. How well does the writer convey the brand values the client wants conveyed? This is much harder to find out. It's also quite common for the client to be unable to judge how the intended audience has reacted. Focus groups and research solicit and obtain opinions. My view is, these opinions don't help.
• If it's an article - readability. Does the article read well, and communicate effectively? Do you get bored as you force your way through it, or arrive at the end sooner than expected?

In all 3 cases, clarity is of premium importance. Nothing else matters more. The piece must deliver its intended message into the minds of the intended audience as quickly and simply as possible.

Thanks Megaresp, That is one of the things I notice here in WarriorForum. Most people refer to copywriting only in the form of sales pages.

Copywriting can serve many different functions/purposes such as brand awareness, public relations and credibility, sales, disinformation/misinformation, relationship building (for whatever purpose), etc...

Among these different purposes are different groups such as B2B, B2C, Non-Profit, Government, etc...

In all cases, it is my humble opinion that good copy is the combination of strong concise writing coupled with a good knowledge of psychology.

Pyschology is important regardless of the purpose. At all times in order for copy to be effective, the writing must match the audience with the media to market message.

Writing at a "seventh grade level" may work for many markets...especially in traditional mass markets(diet, credit, bizopp) where you are targeting a more colloquial audience.

However, if you are targeting university proffessors, software engineers, or other jargon driven demographics, writing in a "conversational" style will mean different things.

Interesting post, thanks.