How do I learn copywriting?

Read, study, practice.

Study sales and psychology. Look at winning sales pages and do your own, either for friends or fictional companies. Study sales and psychology some more. Develop confidence in your ability to sell ice to an Eskimo, even if you're new. Then, finally, start looking for clients.

Hi Oleg,

Here are a few books you should ead to get you started.

The Copywriters Handbook -- by Robert W. Bly

Breakthrough Advertising -- by Eugene Schwarts

Influence:The Psychology of Persuasion -- by Robert Caldini

these will serve as a strong foundation, but remember, these authord can only give you tools and techniques to use. You have to learn to master them through practice and testing.

Mike

Oleg, if there's one thing I've learned from bitter, bitter experience is that you should be very careful who you model online. The more I studied direct-mail-style copywriting, the more I realized just how much BS copy I was exposed to in the form of over-hyped online sales letter.

It took me a long time to rectify the damage that did.

Also to consider: with online sales letters there are many other factors in play, like whether or not it's what the guru-of-the-week happens to be promoting. Even if it's a Clickbank number 1, it doesn't necessarily mean the copy is great.

If you're looking for sales letters to model I suggest you take a look at this issue of the Gary Halbert letter. He gives you a complete 30-day roadmap as well as a list of letters that are proven winners.

thegaryhalbertletter (dot) com /newsletters/zfkj_hands_on_experience.htm

[edit: it seems I can't post links since I am new here. OK, that's crude and ugly but you should be able to get to the page I'm talking about.]

I hope that's useful to you.

Best, etc,
Sammy

Hi there Oleg.

When I first started to learn about C-Writing, I did purchase a few reports about the subject and did some reading and research. For myself I found it pretty basic.

I just went to some forums, Yahoo Answers and such, to discover what people were questioning. I used this technique for practice.

Then I would use my knowledge-(it was sort of like a game to me), to write good and interesting copy to try to convey, and get my point across to the reader.

I did receive replies. From the replies I further fine tuned my approached to copy writing.

Oleg, depending on the topic, there are many different ways to become acquainted with writing copy. Oh so many.

The biggest practice method I could suggest is practice. It's just like article writing.

Do as I did. Post to forums and blogs to get a response to your replies. You can get an idea of how people understand what you are saying, by their replies to what you have said.

A good tip to start off with, just to suck out your ideas and get your point across on paper, is to pretend that you are writing to your best friend.

Try to speak from your heart. Put it on paper and then refine it to suit your needs.

So instead of looking at a blank screen and wondering to yourself, what should I write about a particular topic, pretend it's a question from your best friend or family member.

Go to Yahoo Answers and practice from the questions there.

-Don't treat it as a project or a job
-Don't think you have to write a bunch of facts
-------------------------------------------------
-Try to write from your heart
-Write about what you know, what you think or what may help
-Offer tips and advice
-Explain benefits and features
-Keep it interesting, maybe exciting, but not bland
-Use bullet points and sub-headers to express your main points
-Elaborate benefits and features

This is a good start. I have been writing copy for a good, I'd say almost 7 years now, and the world is my oyster, sort a speak.

It doesn't happen over night. There is no perfect copywriting. It all comes down to opinion and to make it as interesting as you want it.

I will close off by offering you this.

To me, there are some rules that must be followed in order to write good copy, but I also choose to look at it this way:

To me, like great authors of our time, (lol), writing copy is like a painting artist who has at their disposal many colours and a vivid imagination to create, and get their point across on canvas, in as many ways as they want.

Unlimited.

I hope this does give you an insight into the fun world of writing copy and gets your creative juices flowing madly. It is wide open.

In the near future, I will have compiled all of my experience with copywriting in the form of a downloadable ebook.

Basically an ebook of information and tips to enable yourself to become a writer of copy or, a more advanced writer of interesting and intriguing copy.

I will post this information when my offer is complete. Other than that, just keep practicing. Period.

Email me if you want.

Trevor





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Hi Oleg,

An earlier poster recommended Breakthrough Advertising. That book is not for beginners, so hold off on that one for now.

Here are three books that will give you a great start. After studying them, you should be able to write a decent sales letter for your own product or service.

Each can be found at amazon.com ...

1. The Ultimate Sales Letter, 3rd Edition (2006), by Dan Kennedy, $10.18

2. Web Copy That Sells, 2nd Edition (2009), by Maria Veloso, $14.93

3. Ca$hvertising, 1st Edition (2008), by Drew Eric Whitman, $10.19

While you're waiting for your books to arrive, here's an excellent free resource on the web. In this ebook, Yanik Silver describes the 14 elements of a typical sales letter ...

http://www.surefiremarketing.com/14-...ysis_ebook.pdf

Alex

You could write more about on line gaming, like my...Not really just getting into the spirit of the other answers for a moment.

Easy answer is find sales letters you like the best and write them out by hand... to get better even faster, dictate them aloud... that way you'll look close enough to figure out why they phrased the copy they way they did.

Clearly the sticky titled "Top Copywriting Books... Ever" is too ambiguous for our friend Olar.

-Dan

Some excellent suggestions here but if you want to learn to write copy that will sell rather than become a copywriter you should take a look at Jason's Fladlien's 3 Hour Ad. Here's a (non-affiliate) link:

Stopwatch Copywriting

I love his stuff and he's a master at encapsulating just enough psychology to make your copy highly effective.

OK. I'm v e r y OLD school, but, copy writing isn't rocket science as YOU state it. Being old school means I believe in a LIFELONG study of the sciences and arts of persuasion, especially "salesmanship in print".

Being aware of what so many noobs want (instant success without putting in the time or effort to really learn) then I call your attention to the answer which is within your post...

If you want to learn to write copy that gets people to buy, like you say you do, then start writing copy that offers something someone CAN buy.

Reading books isn't going to work...we can tell from your posts you look for shortcuts and "bypasses", you play a sort of "chutes and ladders" game to get information online and use the technology...BUT, although that will get you much content, it won't take you any closer to being a copywriter, one who actually SELLS stuff, that is, gets people to buy, UNTIL...

you get people to buy.

So how is this done? Simple and FREE. Use both craigslist and eBay and start WRITING copy which sells something.

You can attempt to sell almost anything in both places, to test your skills as a copy writer, make whatever you sell much MORE expensive than everything else in the category. That and the number of bids or emails you get from people wanting to buy your offer, will tell you if your copy is working or not.

So, as a copy writer, what sort of things are you planning to sell? You'll find whatever it is being sold at either craigslist or eBay, so jump right in and start writing.

The only way to write copy that gets people to buy IS, "to write copy" "that gets people to buy". You don't have to worry about theory, copywriting technique, history or any of the boring mundane learning that comes with being a real student of the Art.

So Oleg, Try to sell us something. You haven't done a very good job selling yourself as indicated by some of the feedback here...so, let's see what you can do in the real world where the feedback is either money in your pocket OR not.

eBay and craigslist are excellent places to hone your copy chops...

Why not start writing for profits from day one?

gjabiz

I vote we send Comrade Cherkasky to the gulag for some attitude readjustment. Either that or stand him up against the wall.

I'm trying to learn.

Think the best way (and who'd listen to someone trying to learn is by reading sales copy, re-writting the sales copy (by hand) and then read some of the classics to start adding some logic to the mix.

I think it's so easy to buy a ton of books and course but ultimately that can't won't replace doing.

Al

Read the copywriters handbook and words that sell. People are also very visual so it's not just about the words. Screenshots of earnings and other proof that your product is worth it also help sell your products.

Let me share some tips


A copywriter is a sales person behind a typewriter.

This is the key when you are learning copywriting. You must learn to communicate with the audience in a way that persuades them to buy the product or service that you are writing about. There must be an initial connection that is made or else you'll find that you've lost the audience's attention.

The first key is to pay attention to the headline. The headline is read more often than copy at an exponential rate. If you cannot catch someone's attention with the headline, you have wasted the rest of your sales copy.

A sales letter essentially only has about five seconds in which you can grab a person's attention and the headline is one the most important factors in being able to pull that attention. This is just an example of copywriting and what you must look for.

In learning copywriting, look into the works of Dan Kennedy. He is one of the foremost experts on the subject and he has said before that he became better by continual development of his skills.

If you would like to learn more about any one of his books, look into the following title: The Ultimate Sales Letter. You will want to make yourself a lifelong student of the subject in learning copywriting because there is always something more to know.

I believe the best way to learn content copywriting is by practice. You will need to have the passion and desire to write articles. Make sure that you are a creative person first before deciding to be a copywriter. Second, you should love writing in order to be a successful copywriter. If you have these two traits, you will become an excellent copywriter.

Talk like the "shamwow" guy then write down everything you say!!

I'm not kidding!!

That is a good point!

What I feel is that copy writing is more of an art than a science and a lot of it happens on its own by birth, environment (the two together form aptitude) and experience. However, you can certainly learn some tricks of the trade and get going to survive in the industry.

First of all you must make sure that you master the rules of whichever language you plan to copy write in. Your grammar must be rock solid.

You must think openly and if required practice to be able to comfortable play with words and make sentences which are structured stylishly. Even simple words must appeal to the masses.

For this you can perhaps read good books, ebooks, sales copies, articles, web content etc.

If you want to go a bit further then you can perhaps enroll yourself in a course in Mass Communication or Internet Marketing or Journalism or perhaps plain copy writing.

Finally, your aptitude will play a major role no matter what you do. However, a lot can be acquired and improved upon with continuous time and effort and most of all, will power.

Regards

Aakshey

I wrote an article, English is not my native language but I intend to be affiliated with English products so I write in English.

I posted a link to my site but realized that I might get spammed.

And get a thesaurus as thick as Kirstie Alley's left thigh.

Then instead of describing someone as Gluttonous (and confusing people), you could just call them a Fat Pig!

Copywriting bridges the gap between the art of writing and the science of selling. Your audience is smart, savvy and knows what he /she is looking for. Your job is merely to influence his/ her final choice.

I hope inspiration for copywriting topics is not what's bothering you. If it is, then you could start off by:
- making a mind map of various areas that interest you, picking one and getting started
- writing about interesting everyday things that happen in your life. These could be observations / analyses / or a simple anecdote, as long as you remember to keep it INTERESTING.
-reading up latest news articles and writing comment pieces / your take on them
- browsing through forums that interest you and trying to figure out answers to questions posed there
- digging into your school / college books, picking out a random topic from your favourite subject and hitting the 'write' track

Once you're done choosing what to write about, HOW to write effectively becomes the logical next step. Keep in mind the two basics of any written piece - style and content.

Content
- Ensure a catchy, yet informative headline. The reader needs to atleast have a vague idea about what's coming at him from the headline itself. Else he'll not bother reading further.
- Keep each paragraph small, with a maximum of 3 sentences. Give appropriate titles to paragraphs if required.
- Ensure the article is well researched and is factually accurate
- Include actual examples to drive home important points. Slice-of-life examples work as well as anecdotes of famous people.
- For complex explanations; add easy diagrams, flowcharts and bullet points that break the concept down into easily digestible parts.
- Accurate grammar, spellings and syntax are a given for a professional writer.


Style
- Don't talk down to him. Be his friend. Speak to him his language and watch him lap it all up. It's as simple as minding your 'french' while speaking to a priest and ensuring your lingo is 'with it' while chatting up kids from the 'hood.
- Keep your language as clear and easy to understand as possible.
- All copy needs to be customer centric. Tell the reader what is in it for him, instead of telling him how fantastic your product is. Lost? Think of the Axe deodorant commercial and get going!

Hope this helps!

Here are two great resouces to learn copywriting:

1 - I just completed the intensive Simple Writing System Homestudy Course by John S. Carlton. It's a great course for the beginner. I also got the coaching... which is not available right now. It was a sizable investment, but worth EVERY penny.

2 - Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. I have purchased two programs from them. This is a first-class company producing EXCELLENT resources.

3 - Dan Kennedy's book on the Ultimate Sales Letter is a great resource as well.

4 - Ryan Healy offers a very affordable monthly membership. I picked up his $35 ebook and getting clients. I would recommend his coaching based on the value I've received in his report and ezine.

Best,
Ramon

Re-read post # 24 by gjabiz- I'm gonna start doing that myself - anybody wanna buy a nice white refrigerator ? - cheap ?

"Kick Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel" , by John Carlton, not cheap but worth every penny ,
Eric

I recommend reading the following e-book.

MastersOfCopywriting.zip

Just write about your product or service (your Keyword/Keyphrase) in a conversational manner. Imagine you are sitting at the table having coffee talking to a friend. Then, tell him about your website. You might be amazed at what comes out on your page.

Don't make it harder than it has to be. Good Luck!

24kWing

Oleg-

Copywriting takes a lot of time and practice, and it's not something that you can cut corners on (not saying that you are, I'm just saying).

Get a stash of proven sales letters and start writing them out by hand. Do it. You'll learn how it "feels" to write amazing copy.

Get yourself a GOOD mentor, make sure they're ethical and that they'll stick by you and actually teach you things that you need to know. LISTEN TO THEM. There are a bunch of them available on here. Make the investment, it'll cut your learning curve exponentially.

Write copy for hypothetical products. Or find a real product and write copy for it. Anything to get your creative juices flowing and so that you actually have something to show a potential client who wants a sample. Start building a portfolio NOW.

All the great letters you can get your hands on go into a swipe file, and that swipe file is the first non-living thing you would grab if your house was burning down...

Good luck!

Hi Oleg

You can learn from one of the best Copywriters here: MagicWordsSell.com

In his book Trevor 'ToeCracker' Crook teaches you:

How To Write Kick Butt, Cash Generating Headlines . . . . . . Pages 4-5

12 Easy Rules To Writing Sizzling Headlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 6-9

8 Different Types Of Headlines . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 10-14

Trevor’s 9 Point Critical Checklist For Evaluating Headlines . . .Page 15

Proven Money Making Headlines For Your To
Model From . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 16-22
including:

Templates to get your copy started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How to use grabbers to get immediate attention (Plus samples) . . . . . . . . . . . .

Your first sentence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2 killer opening paragraphs guaranteed to get your copy read . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How To Edit For Profit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 23-26

How To Craft Winning Bullets Every Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 27

To Guarantee OR Not To Guarantee? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 28-31

4 Simple Rules To Writing A Compelling PS . . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 32-33

Telephone Script To Adapt To Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . Pages 34-36

Marketing And Copywriting Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ages 37-42

His book is pure content filled with valuable information to help you become a successful at Copywriting and creating Sales Pages that sell like crazy!

MagicWordsSell.com

All the best
Zoe

http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...ooks-ever.html

Just look up :p