The terror of being new. What I've learned from my first sales page

by Sebastion

Posted: 13 years ago 9 replies

COPY WRITING

Research, notes, research, notes, research, coffee...Joy!!! $$$

You write 4000 words in one day and go "Yes!" Rest for the night...peacefully.

You get up, read the first 400 words and go..."Ohhhh..."

You spend the next nine hours over four days editing in between reading copy writing books and watching Mad Men.

Finally you get something that resembles good, read it and go..."Oh god, this is horrible."

Back to research.

Your story sucks. Not enough hooks. Forgot the urgency! The price justification is not going to work. etc, etc, etc.

Despair.

Imagine getting a bus boy job...TERROR.

Two Americanos. Power through a copywriting ebook...HOPE!!!

Re-write! Re-write!

Looks good! Looks damn good! I'm gonna be rich!!!!!

Show to friends. They don't like it.

Despair. Depression. Anger and fury.

Back to editing. Changes, changes, changes.

A week later, something good.

Give draft to the client.

They like it!!! Except for a loooooooooong list of changes and alterations.

"A good start" they say. Just make it, "Magical."

And you never, ever, complain--because you are living the dream.

#learned #page #pagehere #sales #terror

Woody C 13 years ago

At least you started and at least you got clients.

This is better than 99% of the people that get into this business.

The more you write the better you get, the more confident you get, and the more money you make.

You're right. It is a wonderful life.
- Thanks
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tobyR 13 years ago

great post and just so true. We all question ourselvs, can we do it, should we be doing it etc ? its tricky but then when you get it right and it works wow that what keps us all going
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Oxbloom 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Sebastion

Finally you get something that resembles good, read it and go..."Oh god, this is horrible."

I get this sensation every time I write anything.

What's important is that I've gotten to where I *know* that I know what I'm doing. So I trust myself and put it up anyway. When I invariably re-read it after some time away, it usually looks pretty good to me after all.

Belief in myself was one of my biggest stumbling blocks to becoming a writer. Luckily, I had that fear beaten out of me in the fiction world before I bothered with this one.
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- Nick Brighton 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Sebastion
  
  Research, notes, research, notes, research, coffee...Joy!!! $$$
  
  You had coffee too early that day
  
  Show to friends. They don't like it.
  
  Whoops. There's your second mistake. Friends aren't prospects.
  
  They like it!!! Except for a loooooooooong list of changes and alterations.
  
  "A good start" they say. Just make it, "Magical."
  
  Tell them to go read a Harry Potter book, then ask them why they hired you if they're gonna change everything before testing. Retarded, backwards economy on their part.
  
  Thanks
  
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  Sebastion 13 years ago
  
  I'm having fun with it.
  
  Thanks
  
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Ross James 13 years ago

I read something by Josh Burns that was posted on here by TCN and it opened my eyes.

He said, perfect = procrastination done = dollars - I believe it was him that said this and you have to agree, I do
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- MissLizzie 13 years ago
  
  Thanks guys for sharing - you've just reminded me that I've got a paid writing job that's due in tomorrow and I'm still hanging out here on the WF... :rolleyes:
  
  Better get back to the grindstone!
  
  Thanks
  
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  falco 13 years ago
  
  If you can afford it, you can always hire a good copywriter and avoid all "pain". Talking about personal work, a nice method is to write a sales letter without stopping and editing separate words / sentences to the end, give yourself a break and then reading it with imagination that you are the buyer, if you are not convinced to buy product instantly - rewrite
  
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AdmiralGloom 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Sebastion

Research, notes, research, notes, research, coffee...Joy!!! $$$

Two Americanos. Power through a copywriting ebook...HOPE!!!

Sounds exactly like my regimen, down to the Americano's.
- Thanks
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