A couple questions on how to learn copywriting.

Lately, I've been giving the benefit of the doubt when it comes to searching WF for answers because I was looking for information and even though there is a dedicated thread (an all in one) on the subject, I couldn't find the answers I was looking for.

I tell you this Nate because this question gets asked on an almost weekly basis and up til now, I felt the poster was too lazy to use the search feature of the forum. Anyhow...

START HERE: Answer this question, WHY do you want to learn copywriting?
Your answer will help determine which books to get started with.

IF you are wanting to write for your own business or your own products, get some Dan Kennedy books, maybe the NO B.S. DIRECT MARKETING and /or ULTIMATE SALES LETTER to start with, check your local library too, most have Inter-library loaning where you can get almost any book out there to be sent to your local library.

WHY Dan Kennedy to start?

Track Record. And relevance in today's market. He is still very ACTIVE, so he has kept up with modern technique and the Internet too. You could get quickly overwhelmed with all the great books out there, and Dan may (or may not) appreciate this but, he is now of an age where many consider him to be a "Classic"...HA!

So he is a bridge between Old School and Modern Times.

What to write about?

Start with writing a letter to your favorite cousin or former teacher telling them about the latest thing you have bought....whatever it is. What have you recently spent 20 dollars or more on? Or what book did you buy?

Write them a PERSONAL letter, tell them why you are writing to them, tell them about the product (or service)...then ask to buy it. To make this easy, go to Amazon and look at books, maybe buy one. Write about it.

You can find plenty of good copy coaches right here, go to the stickies above and look around.

IF you are wanting to become a professional copywriter, probably mentoring is the best way to go, or spend a few minutes looking through the threads on the subject.

gjabiz

PS. Very recently I wrote a step by step plan to get started, you might want to start with that.

#7 in this thread:
http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...pywriting.html

I'm looking to write copy for my own products.

Wow, great stuff gjabiz! Thank you.

Very solid tips by gjabiz there. I'd follow every step they laid out. I second the advice to start with Dan's books on copywriting bcos I started out with Dan's teachings too and he is easily in a league of his own and great at teaching how to write copy for sure.

Also consider reading his letters and seeing how you can incorporate the style into how you write (as you build yours). I learned faster by doing and you may be the same way.

Another method you can use if you want to jump right into it, pick a product in the niche you're in, preferrably a premium product (when you pay that adds to your commitment) then go ahead and study the product in depth and create a letter to sell it to your own audience. You can go as far as posting it up and using it as a lead in letter to an affiliate site if the product you picked has an aff program attached.

The way to know if a letter is good is not really by how it sounds to you the writer or even a casual reader but how many people do what the letter asks compared to how many truly targeted prospects see it.

So acid test your skills once you're ready and don't take it hard if nothing or very little happens just go at it again from a different angle and keep writing it's the best way to learn as earlier adviced. Read to know and write to learn.

I have access to a really awesome free ebook by the founder of this forum released back in '97 that's still quite relevant today and great for newbies as well, it helped get my feet wet and generating sales fairly quickly from my first attempts. PM if you'd like a copy and I'll email it to you no strings. It's called "How To Write So People Buy Now" by Allen Says a truly excellent guide especially for beginners.

Hope this helped.

Cheers,

Kunle

1. When I started, all my practice came from bloging and my first job as a copywriter. It was freelancing, and it was very undemanding. You practice by learning. Practicing on your own doesn't really do anything for you, because you've got nobody there to give you feedback.
2. Classics FTW, I think. A lot has changed, but at the same time, the core principles stayed the same.
3. A coach will do very little for you. Mostly providing feedback and some tips, which is something that you will get from freelancing gigs anyway.

Here's one way to learn copywriting:

Get an entry level job as a copywriter at a company that employs direct response copywriters...

Why? Because these companies are desperate for good copy, and will pay base salaries on top of royalties to get it. They typically also offer training and 1-on-1 mentorship for entry-level copywriters.

For example, gjabiz often talks about Suarez Corporation Industries (SCI). Agora Publishing is another company that hires a ton of copywriters. (Full disclosure: I'm an employee of Agora).

One easy trick to get hired is to live nearby their office, or be willing to relocate. For example, to work for Agora Publishing's many divisions, you must be able to work at their offices in Baltimore or Florida.

If you'd like more ideas how to get a copywriting job like this, track me down and shoot me an email.