Be Yourself!
been working my way through some threads/posts and seeing what's going on. Now, I'm not picking anyone out, and saying "You! Why're you pretending?" but I just want to get one thing straight.
Sounds stupid right? I mean, how can you be anyone but you? Well, the truth is that most people on here are learning copywriting from other people. Whether it's from courses, coaches or a stack of PDF's on your HDD. Whatever it is, you're learning copywriting...
and that's great!
Seriously, I'm pleased for you guys - There's tons of work potential, and if you're good at copywriting, and passionate about it, you're going to the top, my friends.
However, here is where the problem lies. Some of you are looking at the forum, looking at some of the seriously awesome copywriters on here (Mark, Rick, Mike, Arfa, etc - you guys know who you are) and thinking...
The problem is, you're just copying someone else! You're not bringing YOU into your copywriting. And trust me when I say, that's where most, if not all of your failures lie. No one wants a carbon copy of someone else - hell, that's boring.
Not just that, but it comes across as fake, weak and downright DULL copy. You gotta project YOURSELF into your copy, and let that wicked personality of yours shine! Then your copy becomes passionate, interesting and it makes people wanna LISTEN to you.
People want to listen to what you have to say, and they're gonna BUY what you have to sell, whether you're writing for a client or for yourself.
I realise there's TWO points I'm trying to make here, and I'll quickly sum them up for you:
1.) Be YOURSELF. Don't be a copy of anyone else - your copy will fail because of it, and you'll get nowhere. You'll also end up hating your job. It's how it is.
2.) Be PASSIONATE. Your copywriting career will go nowhere if you don't get passionate about what you're doing. There's a lot of people that see this forum, hop in and think "Jeez, these copywriters earn a TON of money! I'm gonna be a copywriter and get that kind of cash!"
Thing is, us copywriters LOVE what we do. I LOVE what I do - I don't take projects on that I'm not passionate about. If I do, they end up total crap. I don't enjoy myself, and the client loses money because of it. You have to WANT to do this job - to experience the highs, the lows, and everything in between.
Copywriting is NOT an easy job, as many think it is - Trust me, I know. I used to be an article writer charging $25 per 500 words. That's high for most writers, and I took one look at copywriting and thought:
Man, was I wrong. Copywriting takes time and patience, things I didn't have before. I just wanted money, and I wanted it NOW. But that's not the way you get to be a good copywriter. Hell, that ISN'T a copywriter - full stop.
Copywriting is a process, a creation of something. You ever heard the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day?"
Well, great copywriting isn't wrote in a day. The sooner you know and accept this fact, the better your copy will be, and the more you'll enjoy your job.
Basically what I'm trying to say (I waffle...a LOT) is this:
Be yourself, and find YOUR own style. Not Makepeace's, not Halbert's - YOURS. Bring your unique voice to the profession.
And be PASSIONATE about it - enjoy the process. Then something beautiful will be produced - something that'll make you, your client, AND your customers VERY happy.
Best of luck guys,
Ben.
BenPalmerWilson Copywriting
Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.
BenPalmerWilson Copywriting
BenPalmerWilson Copywriting
BenPalmerWilson Copywriting
BenPalmerWilson Copywriting
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