What's the single vital skill every copywriter must master?

Search Engine Optimization and an in-depth knowledge of keyword/hashtags. Also knowing how to create click-worthy titles/headlines and strong Call To Actions.

Are you being paid to post in the forums?

I would say the ability to visit the website www.copyhackers.com. I just found out about these guys earlier this week, and I am really impressed.

Copywriting is just the tip of the iceberg.

Before writing a single word, the following things need to be covered.

#1: You Must Have A Quality Product
#2: Creating And Using The Ideal Customer Profile
#3: Credibility Produces Maximum Profits
#4: The Offer is Everything

I'm not sure you can put it down to one single skill. You need a wide range of skills to be a good copywriter.

Well, as there are 1,097 skills which are vital in learning the noble art of copywriting (+ or - 2).

Most are interdependent so you can't single out just one.

But…

After you've tuned and wired all of them into your mind - one "extra" skill is crucial (it can take time to fully grasp it).

Here goes…

Discover the people you most want to write for - and talk to them.

AKA - write, email, phone, network etc, etc - just tell them what you do and tell them how you'll do it successfully for them.


Steve


P.S. So what was so difficult to grasp? - You can't be all things to all people.

Ain't it obvious?

What's the difference between a blogger and a copywriter?

Sales.

Anyone can "write." That's really not hard to do. Not everyone can sell. And if you can't sell?

You aren't a copywriter.

No matter how clever or witty or whatever your writing is.

It's sales.

We're not writers at all. Face-to-face sales people speak to sell. But they don't go around calling themselves "speakers."

They say, "I'm in sales."

Well, if you want to be a copywriter?

You are in sales.

So stop calling yourself a writer. And learn the one skill that separates you from everyone and their brother with a blog:

The ability to sell.

If you don't 'master' that?

Lulz.

P.S. Sales is really just social skill with a direction. A purpose. So really, it's about having social skill. And you don't have to be the life of the party to have social skill.

But for some reason?

Folks want to be hermits and conjure up magical words without interacting with a soul ...

And that's what they (falsely) believe copywriting is.

Most wannabe copywriters would do themselves a world of good by taking a sales job for a couple months.

Instead of reading about writing.

But they won't.

They'd rather study Stephen King than actually sell stuff.

And wonder why ...

Copywriting as a career seems to suck for them.

When it's painfully obvious ...

They just can't sell.

Remember it's 1,079 + or - 2 (it's an estimation of all the different copy techniques you can learn - you might want to but you really don't need to).

It takes about 30 years and well over $175,000 in endless books, courses and seminars - I wanted to just because I enjoyed it.

Bryan gave the best answer - learn to sell.

And you can do that in 5 - 7 steps (anymore and you're waffling not selling).


Steve

There is an inherent flaw in the question.

There's no singles in a pairsa wingles.

What's needed is the sparka duality.

Settin' one idea against another, meetin' up with someone with sumthin' they wanted.

If it exists, they got it already.

If it doesn't exist, you gotta smack flint with a view to castin' light upon their face.

I would wanna be single-minded about that creative deal, an' how it might confer benefit on the mutualitya duo.

What I am not prepared to do is wave a one-spell wand.

Expelliamus!

I think that everyone has missed the first point.
BEFORE you can even start as a copywriter, you need to have
a strong command of the English language. Once you have accomplished that, then you can begin working on the 1006 essentials that will help you become a highly skilled copywriter.

What's the single vital skill every copywriter must master?

Meaning if you are already a competent copywriter?

The next best skill to learn is adapting to the world around you and creating a real business from the skills you have acquired.

A lot of copywriters here like to sit on this forum, stroke their egos and think they are hot shit. Most of them are glorified content writers who think writing articles for $50 a pop or a sales page for $500 is the big leagues.

Sadly they are so oblivious to the fact that they are getting paid peanuts while helping other people get rich (if they really are decent copywriters)...

It doesn't take much to create your own product or offer these days and if half of the copywriters were as good as they claim to be, they wouldn't need to sell their services... They could write their own sales copy for their own products and retire in 5-10 years... if they were any good. But I think I know why a lot of copywriters don't make that adjustment...

I've noticed that most people who call themselves copywriters these days are from an older time. They were around to learn copywriting from the older legends, when the internet and computers wasn't something they realized the potential of yet. These 'copywriters' learned a valuable skill set and when the internet showed up, they never really adapted to utilize it to its full potential. They wanted to send out mailings, not emails. They wanted to write sales copy for print ads, not learn how to build a website...

So now we got a stagnant pool of people sitting around calling themselves copywriters and stroking each others egos by writing "tips and advice" on websites and forums to prop themselves up like they are gods gift to copywriting, all while selling 'high converting articles' for $50 a pop.

I can't hate them for that... People can do whatever they want to make a living. All I can say is... What a waste of potential. These copywriters start out wanting to learn the most valuable skill set for any business (learning how to sell something) and once they learn how to do it, they 'chicken out'. They get cold feet. They think they aren't good enough. So they reserve themselves to selling their valuable skill set for enough money to pay the bills. And then they run around claiming to be successful, yet they are doing the same thing as a 9-5 job, just without the physical labor part...


It's a sad cycle that you don't want to be apart of. I see it way too often around the internet and even here...

So if you want to be a successful copywriter, then the best skill a copywriter must master is the ability to adapt and grow beyond just copywriting. Don't be another stagnant person sitting around the copywriting camp fire talking about how great you are. Use your skills to create a real business and become something more than just some guy who writes words that get someone else rich.

These are really good answers.

I am a copywriter.

And the compliment I am given most often by clients is "Why can't I write like this?"

So I would say, without sounding like a braggart, is you must master writing what people want to read.

There's a copywriter on this forum. His name is Rick Duris.

He makes the distinction of writing copy that's impelling. Meaning the motivation to read comes from within the prospect.

As opposed to writing copy that's compelling. Meaning forcing them to read.

"Compelling copy" is a great alliteration. But I've been taught that the best conversions are when people buy for their reasons, not yours.

So I would say the ability to write copy that's impelling is a skill you want to master.

But I do like the answers above. Especially Laurence, Ewen and Gordon and Refusetolose.

I'm going to incorporate them into my training.

In my opinion its story telling. Through a story Tell how your product is going to solve their problem.

While I can't say there is a single skill... in my experience you should try to master these three "Rs":

Reading ...
Read over all the past and current marketing materials, publicity articles and now online reviews that a client has. You will learn things you didn't know about the product or service that the client has forgotten.

The story goes that David Ogilvy was looking over reviews from an old car magazine that mentioned how loud the clock sounded in the new Rolls Royces. From that came the famous ad headline; "At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock."

Researching ...
This skill concerns "lurking and listening". Some where online is a forum, discussion or social media group where your ideal client is expressing themselves about a similar product or service as you will be writing about. Research and study those rants, whines and frustrations. There is gold in them snark-fests!

Listening is just plain old fashioned eavesdropping. If you can visit a client's store or tag along on a service call. Become wallpaper and listen in to what customer's ask, complaint about or get frustrated with. Take special note of questions. Questions are just hidden objections you need to address in your copy.

If the client is online, ask someone not familiar with the product to tell you what THEY see and watch how they navigate the sales funnels, landing pages and buying sequences. Does you copy need to explain the download link ONLY comes in the email?

Now finally, the last R. Re-Writing...
While I get some great ideas and phrases while writing hot... my best writing always, always, always, comes after the fires of inspiration have cooled and then I rewrite my copy.

I'm writing this hot...just talking to myself and typing away. I guarantee this piece is too wordy, has typos, misspellings, dropped prepositions, and confusing conjunctions.

But as Mark Twain said, "I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead."

Just my 2 cents

As a copywriter you're bridging the gap between what your client has to offer, and what their target market needs.

Yes you need to be able to write (not sure why people are saying that copywriters aren't writers), yes you need to be able to sell (although having done both, selling through copy requires a completely different skill set to selling over the phone/face-to-face) but you also need to be able to LISTEN.

You need to listen to the client (you might know best and you can do your best to persuade them of that, but sometimes you really do have to do it their way!), to the audience (what is their problem that your product is solving?) and often to influencers in your area. If they're happy to share their experiences through social media and their blogs, taking note of what has and hasn't worked for them can be a good starting place.

Listening in those three critical areas before making a start, should bring you success before you've even put pen to paper

A lot of good answers but... Too good for the question.

The question asks for something every copywriter must master. The advanced answers are for specific types of copywriters.

Every copywriter who wants to work for a large marketing company?
Every copywriter who wants to be a one-person outfit?
Every copywriter who wants to create a business that she/he can bequeath to her/his children 14 years henceforth?
Every copywriter who works only for TV ads? only does direct response marketing? does any and all types?

I think the OP should refine the question, don't you?

Otherwise, we keep Ewen having to adjust (correctly, if I may say so) answers or people disagreeing, though beautifully, about the ONE.