Dear boys and girls, gather round, Uncle Gordy has a sweet story to tell ya...

PSYCH.

I'm not going to treat you like children and the vast majority would be insulted if I did.

You want to become a paid copywriter or learn to write copy that works?

Lose the thin skin. Toughen up.

When I started the big bully copywriter training me would tear my paper to pieces throw it in my face yelling and screaming at me declaring that I didn't know who my mother was, calling me every name in his book (and he had a big book.)...and then let the whole office know how lousy I was...

and that is when he thought my copy "wasn't bad"...

But since he was hauling down 7 figures and I was like low man on the totem pole...I thought, maybe, just maybe...he knew more than I did.

It is NOT personal, don't take negative critiques or rejection personally or you won't last long.

Here are the 4 biggest mistakes I've seen in the last 10 days from you copywriters who have submitted copy...

IT'S BORING. Cardinal sin number one. 15 pages of copy??? Really?? I got one of those, and after about page 2, I heard zzzzzzzzz, and caught myself before I hit the floor and hurt myself.

IT'S HYPE. There is hype that works and then there is UNBELIEVABLE from the opening sentence B.S. HYPE. The majority of the pieces fall into this.

IT'S I, I, I, I, ETC. One piece had 15 I's in the first few paragraphs. Our contorl piece has 0. You can write copy without having to use the all about I approach...cause it ain't about any I/me it's about THEM and what they get out of it.

And IT'S TIMID. It is meek, mild, Clark Kent copy...almost apologetic.

Let me give you a few tips. Copy is, and I believe this is true, SALESMANSHIP in print.

Even today, many of the better copywriters have some sales experience.

I'd bet the majority of younger writers, or cubs or newbies have NO sales experienc and it shows. You don't know or understand the sales process.

And Storytelling...you don't need two pages to tell a story, because it quickly becomes blah, blah blah...

LOSE the reader's interest, you've lost a sale.

The story should be relevant to the sale...pushing the reader ever so gently down the path YOU want him to take.

So, don't take offense to rejection or negative critique.

If you are unwilling to find a part time job selling something, at least read a few books on the subject so you know there is a process...and the copy reading process should closely follow that, with exceptions of course.

Boring, Hype, I, I, I, and Timid are the biggest mistakes I've seen from YOU warriors in the last few days who have submitted copy.

Just trying to help.

And they lived happily ever after. The END.

gjabiz