How viabler is autoresponder writing as a specialty?

[xpatflipper]

I have taken several copywriting courses over the last few years but one of them was on the autoresponder(ARs) market. It was one of the AWAI courses and the author was a guy named JayWhite.

Jay says that there's enough of a market in AR emails for people to specialize in just doing those. Anybody agree or disagree with that?

I was attracted to ARs because I lean toward the loose, conversational style that most of them have. I write like that naturally.

Another reason I like ARs is because it seems like a very 'mobile' copywriting gig...i.e. I could travel and still take my assignments with me.

Regards,
Art

[gjabiz]

This isn't personal Art, but why would anyone take ANY course if they didn't think the education and information they rec'd from it would be viable and useful?

Jay White has been around for a long time now. He knows what he is talking about. Why question him now, after you have already taken it?

It is hard to disagree with someone who is DOING it, isn't it?

That is like saying, Allen Says says you can make money with a forum. Anyone agree or disagree with that?

I'm trying NOT to be wise guy, but I really just don't understand your question.

Did you not learn in the course how to do it? If so, wouldn't better evidence of it's viability be to actually do it and find out for yourself?

Am I missing something?

It seems you want opinions from people on what they THINK rather than taking your new knowledge and putting it to work.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, ok?

gjabiz

Originally Posted by xpatflipper

I have taken several copywriting courses over the last few years but one of them was on the autoresponder(ARs) market. It was one of the AWAI courses and the author was a guy named JayWhite.

Jay says that there's enough of a market in AR emails for people to specialize in just doing those. Anybody agree or disagree with that?

I was attracted to ARs because I lean toward the loose, conversational style that most of them have. I write like that naturally.

Another reason I like ARs is because it seems like a very 'mobile' copywriting gig...i.e. I could travel and still take my assignments with me.

Regards,
Art

[krisfreindsnetwork]

Well this a good Micro Niche but a supportive Niche, Lets say that 98% of the IM'ers fail to build a list but the 2 % really have good skills as it is seen in their list building. hence i feel it can only be a supporting Selling USP and not sure if it has a standalone value.

[Cam Connor]

Originally Posted by xpatflipper

Another reason I like ARs is because it seems like a very 'mobile' copywriting gig...i.e. I could travel and still take my assignments with me.

Regards,
Art

All Copywriting Gigs are mobile.

But other than that... I mean sure, you can specialize in AR's if you want to. When people are on a budget, and ask me how to get the most bang for the buck, my reply is always the same... a great in opt-in offer will get you the MOST amount of sales for the least amount of $$. This is the case, because most people who visit a website, no matter how good the sales page is, aren't going to buy on the first round...

That means that with a well-done opt-in offer and a strong auto-responder series you can get WAY higher conversion rates than with a regular sales page... I've seen clients score conversions in the 15-25% range with a really solid landing page, and a great opt-in offer mixed with an amazing follow-up Auto-Responder series... and the most a sales-page will typically get is 5-7% conversion TOPS... so the rest of it, is coming from the "relationship" marketing.

I think you can definitely make good doing just AR's, but it's also good to be flexible... personally, I like being a 1-stop shop for all Web Copy needs, but it's really up to you. :=)

[GuerrillaIM]

I think its viable within the IM community. Taking it offline it will still work but you will have the barrier of people not fully understanding what it is or how it works.

[briancassingena]

Google my friend Kurt Johansen, he specializes in this stuff

[Dannyboy12]

his isn't personal Art, but why would anyone take ANY course if they didn't think the education and information they rec'd from it would be viable and useful?

Jay White has been around for a long time now. He knows what he is talking about. Why question him now, after you have already taken it?

It is hard to disagree with someone who is DOING it, isn't it?

That is like saying, Allen Says says you can make money with a forum. Anyone agree or disagree with that?

I'm trying NOT to be wise guy, but I really just don't understand your question.

Did you not learn in the course how to do it? If so, wouldn't better evidence of it's viability be to actually do it and find out for yourself?

Am I missing something?

It seems you want opinions from people on what they THINK rather than taking your new knowledge and putting it to work.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, ok?

gjabiz

I think its fair enough that OP puts foward a question about internet marketing on an internet marketing forum. Just because you have purchased a product, (in this case a course) doesnt mean you think its the be all and end all.

We're in the web 2.0 era baby. Everything has a right to be questioned.

[Jay White]

Hey Art--great question. One that I get frequently...

You can go about it two ways--specialize in ARs and make that your bread and butter or add this talent to your toolbelt. If you DO specialize, I always suggest going into a niche that you're passionate about and/have extensive knowledge of and try to "corner" it. This is where you'll find the lowest hanging fruit as an AR writer, IMO.

But for those first starting out, I would suggest adding this to your arsenal of copywriting tools. With this specialty in your corner, you can easily add another 30%, 40% or even 50% to your copywriting fees. And a lot of the time, it's basically saying something like, "Great, now that we've agreed on your sales page, how's your autoresponders working for you?" Probably all of your clients will say "could be better", which opens the door to adding the ARs to the project--and more cash in your wallet.

And of course, if they're not doing any email marketing at all, you can REALLY take the bull by the horns and set up the whole process (which means more money). Most businesses would absolutely freak at the results of even the most rudimentary of email marketing techniques, and ask for more (which means more money). To which you offer to manage the entire process (which means more money).

See a recurring theme here?

The key is to not just be the copywriter--be a marketing consultant. You'll have more value in the client's eyes. Which means more money.

BTW--I specialized in autoresponder writing because that's what Alex Mandossian said I should do. He cornered me at a Big Seminar in Atlanta and said, "Jay, you're an excellent sales letter writer, but your emails and autoresponders are the best I've ever seen. You need to position yourself as the go-to guy in this specialty and market yourself to the higher end IMers, because there's a huge need for what you do."

Needless to say, I took his advice and ran with it. And he was right. In only a few months, I had secured a list of A-level clients (see sig) and was turning away business. Eventually, I saw the potential for other copywriters began developing my product with AWAI to teach others how to do what I do. It's become one of their top sellers, which I'm extremely proud of.

Hope that helps--if anyone else has any questions about AR writing, fire away.

[Raydal]

If you look at the oDesk market there as many posting for
email marketing as there are for copywriting so it is a
viable field. Just that many business owners are more
familiar with the term "email writing" than autoresponder
series.

-Ray Edwards

[Jay White]

Good point, Ray. Most of us in the IM circles know what an autoresponder is, but those outside may have never heard the term. Email copywriting and email marketing are more common terms you'll find.

[wilmath]

You could sell your services to Advertising agencies. If you are good at what you do some of them would be interested and would keep coming back to you with different clients.

[Jay White]

Originally Posted by wilmath

You could sell your services to Advertising agencies. If you are good at what you do some of them would be interested and would keep coming back to you with different clients.

That's actually an "untapped" resource that I've been looking into lately. Moving beyond the IM world will really open up the opportunities--especially if you know a little something about putting together HTML emails.

Food for thought...

[KBookless]

Jay and Everyone,
I'm fairly new to copywriting -- so far only subcontract newsletter and web content work but am in the process of launching my own full-time freelance copywriting business. I'd like to find a niche right away instead of trying to be a generalist. Jay's AWAI Autoresponder Apprentice course is advertised as a really lucrative niche, but the earlier posts in this thread (especially Jay's) lead me to believe it might not be financially realistic for a new copywriter to specialize in this. Any thoughts?
Many thanks,
Kim

[Jay White]

Hi Kim--regarding your question, I have students who are doing very well specializing and students who are doing well by just adding AR writing to their list of services. From what I see, a lot of it depends on the niche you choose.

For example, I have a student who has lost a bunch of weight from a certain weight loss supplement. Her story is very intriguing. So I encouraged her to seek out clients who sell that supplement, because she can tell their story better than anyone else because she A) witnessed the results in herself and B) believes 100% in the product.

When she began following the blueprint I teach in Autoresponder Apprentice on how to find and secure clients, the response was almost immediate. Last I knew, she had several clients vying for her services (can you say, "highest bidder"?)

Another student of mine knew more about knitting needles than anyone I ever met. But what I didn't know was those things can costs hundreds of dollars, and serious knitting enthusiasts won't think twice about shelling out the big bucks for them. So I told her she needed to corner that market, as narrow as it was, because of how lucrative it could be. With her knowledge and writing skills, she was instantly ruling that niche and in high demand.

So yes, a lot of it depends on the niche you choose. But the real key is the work you put into it. If you're willing to go out and find clients, then you'll be successful. If you choose to sit back and wait for them to call you, you won't be. It's all relative to the commitment you make.

Hope that helps!

[KBookless]

Thanks, Jay, I appreciate the quick response. If I don't have a unique story like the weight loss person, or in-depth product knowledge like the knitter, or a strong background in a particular industry, is specializing right out of the gate even an option?

AWAI's product marketing is always a little hype-y, and the copy for your autoresponder class pretty much makes it sound like anyone who can type can make a ton of money writing autoresponder messages from day 1. I'm willing to spend the money for the training but I'd hate to find out afterward that AWAI's claims aren't realistic.

[Jay White]

Hypey? In direct response copy? Naaaaahhhhh....

All kidding aside, I know what you mean. Many of these types of products claim big things but can't back them up. However, I stand behind my product 100%. If you apply my copywriting principles to your autoresponders and market yourself in the way that I lay out for you inside the course, you should do fine.

Why? Because this is how I did it, and how many others have done it too. So it's proven to work. If it didn't work, I wouldn't have created the product. Simple as that.

As for the "money from day one" thing, I really can't say. Depends on if you hit the right client at the right time. But it's happening very quickly for some copywriters. Here's a great interview with one of them:

Four Retainer Clients in Two Months Writing Autoresponders

Finally, let me say this: you DO have unique stories and in-depth knowledge and strong backgrounds in various areas. You just haven't realized it yet. I meet so many copywriters that say, "I don't have any stories" or "I don't know what my niche should be". But after talking with them for 5 minutes and asking a few questions, I can give them several niches they would most likely excel in immediately. You just have to look at things a little differently (and yes, I go into more detail about this in my course).

Anyway, I hope you give it a try. Autoresponder writing has been very good to me, and very good to many others who have chosen this path. And remember, if you get the course and decide it's not your thing, no worries. There's a 6 month money-back guarantee behind it.

[KBookless]

Thanks Jay, that's very helpful!

[Best Damn Content]

It's true that there is enough room in the market to do it, but the best thing is to become an all-around writer where you can offer clients more than one written service. You'll make a lot more money that way.

[emailman]

Originally Posted by Best Damn Content

It's true that there is enough room in the market to do it, but the best thing is to become an all-around writer where you can offer clients more than one written service. You'll make a lot more money that way.

First order of business is that the individual needs to be able to write snap, crackle, 'n pop copy. Good flow, economy of words, alliteration. There needs to be the talent of teasing your reader. Always, ALWAYS leave them wanting what's coming next.

We have to 'givens' here. One is that English is the currency of the internet. Just as the USD is the currency used when we go into a 7 Eleven. May seem like a kindergarten observation, but English of the basis of all this stuff. Just look at the inept, clumsy, crude composition that blows across the internet. My point? There really ain't many good writers around when we consider the internet as a whole. That's what we really mean when we say there's a demand for autoresponder writers.

Now, 'given' number 2. Build value if you really want to bill that big fee. In my case, that means offering an autoresponder series bundled with the same message coupled as a podcast. That's a value added proposition. But see, there are a host of other email related services that one could bundle besides podcast audio. Ponder and pick one.

Hope to have offered something that strikes a chord with someone. Thanks!