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Newbie at Copyrighting: Where to start?

by Starwind
19 replies
Hey guys!

I am very new to the copyrighting arena and I am not sure where to start. I pick things up quick, and want to have a sales page up in the next couple days. I get the general points to make, and how to make it look, but I KNOW I am missing a lot.

Is there anything you guys could recommend? Possibly something I can have on my side while i write the sales copy?

Thanks!!
#copyrighting #newbie #start
  • Profile picture of the author ARSuarez
    Hey Starwind,

    Think you mean "copywriting."

    Anywho, do you have some of the basic books? If not, I advise you go to...

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

    ...And remedy that problem.

    If you do have most of the basic books, I recommend you find a good checklist. If you go to dobermandan.com and sign up for his emails, you'll receive a rather comprehensive checklist for salesletters.

    If you have Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman, he has a really good checklist at the end. If you scour the The Total Package, you'll find a few checklists.

    Honestly, if you just started learning copy and want to get a page up, don't expect to have anything beautiful. But you can definitely use a checklist to help guide you to make sure the copy is "passable" and has all the "basics" down.

    Best,

    Angel
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    • Profile picture of the author Oxbloom
      If you go to Google, and type in "copywriting checklist," or "copywriting cheat sheet," you'll get zillions of free resources that will help you get an adequate sales letter up in a hurry.

      That's right: adequate.

      It's not going to set any conversion records, but if you have the ability to write a decent sentence, it shouldn't set any futility records, either.

      That's probably your best bet if you feel like you need to get a promotion together in a real hurry. You can begin serious work on your craft afterwards, if you're still interested once you've tried your hand at it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jagua
      Thanks for the tip ARSuarez
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      • Profile picture of the author pksirivolu
        Well, I am in no hurry, I do not have a product or service at hand to sell immediately, but I want to get into the profession of copy writing. I am currently working for American call centers ( Answering over the phone jobs ).
        I am basically looking for a career change, I have reasonably good knowledge of English and communication skills coupled with a bit of creative instincts,.

        Are these skills enough to kick start a career in copy writing, and where and how to start off.

        Experts please guide me.
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        • Profile picture of the author ARSuarez
          Originally Posted by pksirivolu View Post

          Well, I am in no hurry, I do not have a product or service at hand to sell immediately, but I want to get into the profession of copy writing. I am currently working for American call centers ( Answering over the phone jobs ).
          I am basically looking for a career change, I have reasonably good knowledge of English and communication skills coupled with a bit of creative instincts,.

          Are these skills enough to kick start a career in copy writing, and where and how to start off.

          Experts please guide me.
          Hey there PK,

          Best place to start: read some of the books in the thread I posted earlier.

          Go to The Total Package, The Gary Halbert Letter, and Marketing Bullets.

          You have Clayton Makepeace, Gary Halbert, and Gary Bencivenga. I'd also recommend going and digging up some Dan Kennedy material, as his swipes are really fantastic.

          Read and study that free material. Then, go to....

          - http://www.hardtofindads.com/home/br.../DAK/file.html

          - http://www.hardtofindads.com/home/br...ype//file.html

          - http://www.hardtofindads.com/home/br...ype//file.html

          - Info Marketing Blog | Direct Response Marketing | Copywriting

          You can find a lot of great swipe files there. Study them and handwrite about 1 a day, then go back through and analyze its core elements (how they build value, how they eliminate price resistance, build credibility, etc).

          So...

          1) Read books

          2) Readers e-zines and newsletters

          3) study and handcopy successful ads, also building your swipe file

          And then, of course, start writing up ads. Even if they are for non-existent products. Imagine they are real and start understanding the process of writing ads.

          Best,

          Angel
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        • Profile picture of the author MikeHumphreys
          Originally Posted by pksirivolu View Post

          I am basically looking for a career change, I have reasonably good knowledge of English and communication skills coupled with a bit of creative instincts,.

          Are these skills enough to kick start a career in copy writing, and where and how to start off.

          Experts please guide me.
          Maybe.

          I know several highly-paid copywriters that American English is not their first language but write smoking good copy consistently. One of them is a former protege of mine, Dean Dhuli.

          Unless you want to earn peanuts as a cheap copywriter, you are going to have a long hard road ahead of you. You will have to learn to write like people talk, not what the universities and colleges teach as grammar-perfect English.

          You're going to have to prove to prospective clients that you can write copy that converts and that does take time. Time to build a portfolio and a track record.

          It's doable but you're going to have to work hard to develop your copywriting, marketing, selling, and "slang" English skills.

          Hope that helps,

          Mike
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          • Profile picture of the author pksirivolu
            Thanks for those responses, and guidance, dos a world of good to me , particularly for a newbie entering the forum and aspiring to learn the nuances of copy writing.

            Now does it mean copy writing is all about selling?
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          • Profile picture of the author Bill Eliott
            QUOTES:

            "You will have to learn to write like people talk, not what the universities and colleges teach as grammar-perfect English."

            I have found David Mamet to be a great study of what Mike mentions above. Thanks Mike.

            "You're going to have to prove to prospective clients that you can write copy that converts and that does take time. Time to build a portfolio and a track record."

            I would like to find out more, the route one would pursue to get his sample writing out to those that may have an interest.




            "It's doable but you're going to have to work hard to develop your copywriting, marketing, selling, and "slang" English skills."

            Interesting point Mike.

            Bill
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  • Profile picture of the author DougHughes
    Wait, before you do a bunch of looking around and research do this. Think deeply about who you are selling to. Think about what that person wants and how and why your product fills that need better than any other product. If your product doesn't fill it better than any other product are there other benefits users experience from your product they may not from others.

    Are you selling an information product, physical product, or service? If you're selling information (even if you created it), go through the information a few times writing down every benefit and every interesting point you find.

    If you have a physical product think of all the ways the product can be used and what the benefits are to the end user - not you. Write everything down.

    Service - all the benefits. There will be times when you aren't much different from a competitor but...when you explain everything you do in great detail and how it benefits your prospect it will help you stand out from the competition.

    The benefits you get from these exercises may be used in your headline.

    Next, think about your ideal prospect. If you were him/her what would the best testimonial they could possibly give you be. What are the best things they could say about your product or service. Write that heart felt testimonial down. You have to totally put yourself in that person's shoes and just write down all the great ways your product helped them.

    Next, try to think about all the problems with your product or service and why your person isn't going to buy.

    Tell the truth and respect your prospects. They are intelligent just like you. Don't make the mistake of writing hyperbole just because you see other people using it. Don't use web copywriter cliches. Do your own work and think about your product, features, benefits, and reasons why and why not and you'll be fine.

    Overprove everything. Come with way more proof than you need. Try to prove all your claims people are on the lookout for B.S.

    Keep your paragraphs short. Never say it with two when one will do. Don't write long just to write long. Make every word ring in your prospect's ears.

    You don't have to be overly obvious or sales like at first. You could start your sales letter with something like "10 tips to save money with free advertising" or something along those lines "How to Make Money with Inexpensive Space ads" or something like that relevant to your market.

    Then, once you've told them the tips or how to do whatever it is, wind things back around to your pitch and close the deal by presenting the benefits and asking for the sale.

    The more value you can add into your piece and the more mystery and suspense you can create the more successful you will be.

    Close strong and ask for the sale.

    Start there.

    P.S. One more thing - keep the letter moving along with short interesting paragraphs. Mix in stories, bullets, questions, etc... to keep the story moving.
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  • Profile picture of the author Starwind
    Wow! I am truly great-full for all that information. You all have helped me so much, I could not have asked for more!

    Ha! Yes, sorry I did mean "copywrighting"

    It is an informational product geared towards a specific niche in the nutritional realm. I wrote it all myself. I will go through it and do as you said.

    Thanks again!!!

    One more question... all of the sales pitch copys I have seen have the same type of format ie.. the big red letters as the headline, then text with bullets, etc.. are there any templates to use for this? Or should I make a template myself?

    Thanks!
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    • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
      It's true there's a lot of free information out there. But don't be fooled...there are a lot of people who create that stuff trying to position themselves as experts, but they lack the experience to guide you. The market is saturated with theoretical copywriting advice. If the person has no sales experience or reputation as a copywriter, avoid it or take it with a shaker of salt.
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      • Profile picture of the author Irish Intuition
        Originally Posted by sethczerepak View Post

        It's true there's a lot of free information out there. But don't be fooled...there are a lot of people who create that stuff trying to position themselves as experts, but they lack the experience to guide you. The market is saturated with theoretical copywriting advice. If the person has no sales experience or reputation as a copywriter, avoid it or take it with a shaker of salt.
        There is A LOT of this... just like with anything else to do with IM. It's
        like my Twitter followers. Most of them 'help others become successful'
        but not a damn one of them achieved it themselves.

        The Internets greatest asset is it levels the playing field. Someone
        can sound like Makepeace but have never wrote a lick of sales copy.

        Check out the person's advice you want to follow. Make sure they are
        successful in whatever it is you want to learn more about.
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        • Profile picture of the author Starwind
          Ah great point. I did not even think of that.

          I know EXACTLY what you mean. I guess this occurs in almost every field when it comes to online. My first IM product revolves in the nutrition field and I cannot even BELIEVE how much crap is out there, its unreal.

          Thanks again!
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        • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
          Originally Posted by IM Viper View Post

          There is A LOT of this... just like with anything else to do with IM. It's
          like my Twitter followers. Most of them 'help others become successful'
          but not a damn one of them achieved it themselves.
          Viper, you rock man! I agree 100% about Twitter...it's like a bunch of cannibals chewing on themselves.
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  • Profile picture of the author wvcopywriter
    I learned all my copywriting secrets and training from American Writers & Artisit Institution. PM me and I'll send you the link. All the info you need in one place.
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  • Profile picture of the author Starwind
    Thanks so much guys! Working hard to tweak with some things.

    I will PM you thanks for your imput!
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  • Profile picture of the author Starwind
    Crap. Need 50 posts before I can PM lol. Sorry. Anyway you can post link here?
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    • Profile picture of the author Oxbloom
      Originally Posted by Starwind View Post

      Crap. Need 50 posts before I can PM lol. Sorry. Anyway you can post link here?
      Just go to google and type in "awai". I'm sure it'll be the first link.

      Remember that suggestion I gave you above? About finding checklists and cheatsheets for writing successful sales letters? AWAI will charge you $200 for a fleshed-out version of this, that they'll ship you in a three ring binder, with a couple pages of explanatory text for each step. (ETA: and a WHOLE lot of upsell opportunities!)

      How do I know? I ordered it myself, years ago.

      That DOESN'T mean it isn't worth it. ANY product that teaches you the basics fairly well is worth it in spades...so long as you apply what you learn. It DOES, however, mean that you can find everything they'll tell you absolutely free.

      But the product itself has a nice sales page. That, in and of itself, is a kind of lesson.
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  • Profile picture of the author George Pierce
    Hi Starwind,

    Type "copywriting" or "free copywriting" into your search box for a long list of helpful information. Use AIDA formula and Dr. Abraham Maslow's list of human needs and the importance for triggers in your header, sub header and call to action. I have changed AIDA to AID(R)A, the R stands for reassurances...such as testimonials, proofs, and guarantees. Good Luck on your Internet Journey.
    Much Success,
    George Pierce
    PS. Type in "Maslow" for the list. Most decisions are emotionally based, the list will help you relate better to your visitors and to find the best buttons to push.
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