To All The Broke Copywriters...
Are you still broke trying to sell stuff because nobody wants your stuff because the sales letter you're using to sell stuff is junk even though it sold a lot of stuff in the past?
Do you think copywriters only do sales letters or videos?
It's ok, it's not your fault.
Yes, it is sales in print...
...but it's not JUST long drawn out sales letters that drone on and on about some garbage someone is trying to sell.
It's not JUST VSL's that has someone drooling on and on and on about some secret formula they discovered after falling out of bed one morning flat broke and ugly.
Now, having written the last two paragraphs, let me put a disclaimer in: Both of these methods can work to some degree if you're catering to the expert landing page funnel sliding dreamer that landed on a website promising them an out of body experience if they just became a copywriter.
In this post I want to suggest a reason you may still be broke as a copywriter. You may not be studying all successful copywriters because you're still stuck studying the same basic stuff you read about online from the so called experts on how to write the perfect sales letter or video.
I want you to also consider copywriters that make a boatload of money for themselves and the companies they work for by selling products that the everyday consumer is buying...and no, the everyday consumers that spend billions and billions of dollars a year aren't buying "get rich quick junk".
Maybe, just maybe you're focusing on just certain copywriters and not exploring the whole field. Maybe, just maybe you're only focusing on one type of copywriting, like sales letters or videos and you're not broadening your horizons to learning what works now. Maybe, just maybe it's why you're still broke.
A lot of new so-called copywriters think small. Many are happy selling a pile of crap and making a few hundred dollars. You're not a real copywriter...you're just a person trying to find a hobby. Real copywriters aren't bottom feeders. Real copywriters know their words create empires.
Problem with talking about copywriters on this forum is that some only consider someone a copywriter if they wrote a letter or video trying to sell ebooks, sell out another seminar or course on making money...and sometimes all three at once...all while in their underwear.
Some drool and cry and go weak in the knees reading and watching the super awesome crap that was written to successfully sell this stuff, all while trying to dissect every word and phrase and the placement of every period and coffee stain so we can copy it.
Guess what?
Truth is the good copywriters most never hear about are the one's that are making themselves and corporations billions of dollars. These good copywriters are the one's that are the modern day thinkers. They've adopted to the modern times...and they're not selling get rich quick junk.
You too can learn from these modern day thinkers...
There are ads that are super successful. Are you studying them and learning why an airline stole the market in the Southwest with one simple ad?
There are commercials that are super successful, are you studying them and learning why a mom and pop store in Idaho started selling out of their products so fast they had to buy their own fleet of trucks that ran 24/7 just to keep up with customer demand?
Social Media drives the market nowadays. If you can become a whiz at Social Media you can drive sales through the roof. Are you studying the successful campaigns that have made corporations millions?
New products that are successful have brilliant packaging. Are you studying the winners and learning why a simple widget in Florida went from 0 sales to millions overnight?
Are you studying the viral campaigns brilliant copywriters are creating that add thousands of new customers overnight?
Are you studying the marketing campaigns that took a company in Oregon from 1.5 million a year in sales to 27 million in sales in 14 months?
Guess what? All of these success stories are courtesy of some brilliant copywriter that was and is a modern day thinker.
Huh? You didn't realize there are copywriters that don't write sales letters?
So yeah, if you're only stuck on collecting sales letters that sell an ebook by some guru...or another video that sucks at best, and adding them to your swipe file, you've no idea everything you're missing out on.
You're overlooking the copywriters that build mega empires and take small companies to world leaders in their market.
You're overlooking the copywriters that are responsible for taking an unknown product and turning it into a household name.
If you're going broke trying to copy what the internet gurus are doing, start learning what the mega successful copywriters selling real products are doing and start copying their ideas...they work for a reason.
This post was inspired by someone that asked for a critique for a sales letter they wrote. I could only wonder where they came up with the idea of another sales letter. They obviously were only copying what one of their gurus does on the internet.
To wrap up this post...
...if you're a sales letter type of guy/gal, good luck to you. These days more products are being sold through simple ads, commercials, social and viral media campaigns, etc., then you'll ever sell with just another sales letter...and yes you will still be a copywriter.
Hmmm...wonder if we'll see someone wanting a commercial critiqued, or a Facebook campaign critiqued...
What? Another sales letter?
Just trying to get you to explore all the possibilities.
Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.
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