Copywriting...Future Survival

by Eric X
14 replies
Recently I have set my mind on becoming the very best copywriter/marketer I can be. I have been scrambling through careers for the past 21 years (im 22). I always had a knack for writing, and can write allot pretty effortlessly.
I have read a great deal of copy writing/marketing material.

I have recently discovered a new trend (that many of you have noticed) going on within the copy writing industry. Two things are happening 1) web designers/developers are taking allot of the copy work (by default) 2) somehow people have learned to live on measly wages charging very low for their services.

Internet marketing consultant seems to be the natural service to add to your arsenal, but with lack of technical know how it doesn't come off well to potential clients (I've tried allot).

I was thinking, why don't copywriters learn to develop/design websites on their own?
Is the industry really drying up for the freelance copywriter?
What are some skills you would suggest a rookie copywriter pick up to offer a more well rounded service offering?

This is my first post and thanks to all that respond.
#copywritingfuture #survival
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    From my experience, there are three areas that small business owners most often need help understanding and implementing...

    • Traffic generation
    • Testing and tracking
    • Developing a back-end strategy

    Alex
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    • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
      The industry is not drying up. I have more work than I want. When you reach that position, you also charge whatever you want.

      The biggest tip I can give is not so much to read all the greats etc.. Be better than they are/were.

      Instead; develop a product, or buy the rights to one. Write your squeeze page, sales letter and AR series.

      Drive traffic to it and keep testing and tweaking it until you're selling at least twice the industry average if not more.

      You'll learn so much more when you do it "hands on" with your own product and your own money on the line.

      Plus, you may have just found your career.

      My own offers and products bring me in far more than clients do.

      Just my 2 cents.

      Patrick
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      • Profile picture of the author splitTest
        Originally Posted by Enfusia View Post

        The industry is not drying up. I have more work than I want. When you reach that position, you also charge whatever you want.

        The biggest tip I can give is not so much to read all the greats etc.. Be better than they are/were.

        Instead; develop a product, or buy the rights to one. Write your squeeze page, sales letter and AR series.

        Drive traffic to it and keep testing and tweaking it until you're selling at least twice the industry average if not more.

        You'll learn so much more when you do it "hands on" with your own product and your own money on the line.

        Plus, you may have just found your career.

        My own offers and products bring me in far more than clients do.

        Just my 2 cents.

        Patrick
        I do however, think this is good advice. Developing and marketing your own product is probably a better way to go than trying to write for others. (Especially if you're a noob...)
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim R
    Originally Posted by Eric X View Post

    I always had a knack for writing, and can write allot pretty effortlessly.

    ...web designers/developers are taking allot of the copy work

    ...it doesn't come off well to potential clients (I've tried allot).
    Dude, it's 'a lot'.

    If you want people to take you seriously as a copywriter you can't make these kind of mistakes.
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  • Profile picture of the author TJoseph
    Find out what other successful copywriters are doing and DO JUST THAT.

    If they have a blog there must be a reason why, if they're developing products that do X and Y there must be a reason.

    You'll cut your learning curve by half if you just follow what the successful guys are already doing, but you first of all must know how to write copy so your mind is able to make sense of the what and why.
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  • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
    Originally Posted by Eric X View Post

    Recently I have set my mind on becoming the very best copywriter/marketer I can be. I have been scrambling through careers for the past 21 years (im 22). I always had a knack for writing, and can write allot pretty effortlessly.
    I have read a great deal of copy writing/marketing material.

    I have recently discovered a new trend (that many of you have noticed) going on within the copy writing industry. Two things are happening 1) web designers/developers are taking allot of the copy work (by default) 2) somehow people have learned to live on measly wages charging very low for their services.

    Internet marketing consultant seems to be the natural service to add to your arsenal, but with lack of technical know how it doesn't come off well to potential clients (I've tried allot).

    I was thinking, why don't copywriters learn to develop/design websites on their own?
    Is the industry really drying up for the freelance copywriter?
    What are some skills you would suggest a rookie copywriter pick up to offer a more well rounded service offering?

    This is my first post and thanks to all that respond.
    CORRECTION.

    Things are NOT drying up for the Freelance Copywriter who knows how to think and to sell. They're drying up for the confused person thinks they're a copywriter because they have a lap top and the ability to write in complete sentences.

    I believe, for reasons I won't get into (Read the 8th Habit by Stephen Covey if you're interested) that commodity service providers are going to have a damn hard time in the new economy, for the same reasons farmers had a hell of a time during the rise of the industrial age.

    They're getting paid for the work of their hands and not the work of their minds. Economic shifts on a global scale ALWAYS have that impact.

    Case in point, most writers, write. They get paid to write. They don't, however, think. So of course they don't get paid to think. They don't whip brand new, mouth-watering ideas and selling angles out of the ether. Writers who CAN do this will always be in high demand, because, as Wallace Wattles said: "Thinking is the hardest kind of work a man is called to do.".

    My advice, screw being "well-rounded," that's what they teach in colleges and universities. Not hating, I have a degree myself. But colleges and universities don't teach you to make money. They teach you to be another cog in the wheel.

    If you're serious about "future survival"...hell, if you're serious about "THRIVING" (not surviving), in the new economy, and writing is your thing, learn to work with your mind and not just your fingers.
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  • Profile picture of the author pewpewpewmonkeys
    Find out what other successful ________ are doing and DO JUST THAT.
    Said Ford about horses, never.
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    Some cause-oriented hackers recently hacked one of my websites. So I researched what they're about and then donated a large sum of money to the entity they hate the most.

    The next time they hack one of my websites I'm going to donate DOUBLE.
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  • Profile picture of the author NRabosa
    Originally Posted by Eric X View Post

    Recently I have set my mind on becoming the very best copywriter/marketer I can be. I have been scrambling through careers for the past 21 years (im 22).
    I learned writing my own name when I was 4. I salute you for accomplishing so much in just a period of 21 years. What's to fret? I believe anyone can write, and since you have the knack for writing you should hone your skills more to be "best copywriter/marketer" that you can be.

    Allot time to proofread your work and have it peer reviewed whenever possible.

    Is the industry really drying up for the freelance copywriter?

    Nope. They[Employers] are just being picky to hire the "best copywriter/marketer" that you are aiming to be. Somehow, you're on the right track. Just keep on studying and improving basic grammar, vocabulary and sales pitching.

    What are some skills you would suggest a rookie copywriter pick up to offer a more well rounded service offering?

    If you would want to stand out, bring something fresh to the table. Write something that has never been written before. Like, I've read a book about Dino Erotica. Well, that's something new to me and got a peculiar following. (Not that I'm into Velociraptors doing it, but that was a novel idea indeed) Emulate your favorite writer and give it a touch of your creativity. After all it's just words jumbled up to create sentences, and sentences jumbled up to create paragraphs. Paragraphs that create money. Sometimes just a phrase would be enough to captivate the world. Go figure.

    I hope my full dollar on your query gets into you. I'm not a perfect writer myself, but just like you I aim to be one.

    See you on the top,
    NRabosa
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  • Profile picture of the author angiecolee
    Technically speaking NRabosa, yes... anyone can write.

    Can they all write well? Oh HELL no.

    Creative writers can get away with words jumbled together. That is NOT copywriting, though.
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    Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.

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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Originally Posted by Eric X View Post

    Recently I have set my mind on becoming the very best copywriter/marketer I can be. I have been scrambling through careers for the past 21 years (im 22). I always had a knack for writing, and can write allot pretty effortlessly.
    I have read a great deal of copy writing/marketing material.

    I have recently discovered a new trend (that many of you have noticed) going on within the copy writing industry. Two things are happening 1) web designers/developers are taking allot of the copy work (by default) 2) somehow people have learned to live on measly wages charging very low for their services.

    Internet marketing consultant seems to be the natural service to add to your arsenal, but with lack of technical know how it doesn't come off well to potential clients (I've tried allot).

    I was thinking, why don't copywriters learn to develop/design websites on their own?
    Is the industry really drying up for the freelance copywriter?
    What are some skills you would suggest a rookie copywriter pick up to offer a more well rounded service offering?

    This is my first post and thanks to all that respond.
    Bad headspace, my friend. Get out of it.

    There will ALWAYS be pricecutters in any field. Ignore them. They suck, they know it, and that's why their rates are so cheap. Any real business owner will know they suck the moment they see their pricing.

    What you don't know yet is that people who have a profitable business do not mind paying good money for competent service and results. Not at all. In fact, they enjoy it. "THANK GOODNESS!" they exclaim to themselves when you take their check, "That's one thing I don't have to worry about."

    And when they see Mr. Low Price come bouncing along, they let El Cheapo bounce right off them. "You obviously don't really believe you can help anybody," the prospect says, "because otherwise you'd be charging a reasonable amount for your expertise." Would you want a lousy contractor working for you?

    FILTER. Filter for business owners who understand the difference between a web designer and a copywriter, and why you would want both on your side. Filter for business owners who have a profitable operation. They have money. That sounds so freakin' dumb put that way, but it's a simple fact: desperate people seem to exclusively go after dead broke prospects. Probably because it matches their self-image. When your client has money, it's easy for them to give you some. When they don't, it's always a struggle. Who would you rather deal with? Again, sounds elementary; but then, why don't people do it?

    Personally I find copywriting an exhausting pursuit to keep up with. And I've been studying it for 20 years. It takes far more energy and focus to continually learn and apply the skills necessary to remain a competent copywriter than it does to be an able sales trainer. But the payoff is fantastic. Copywriting work may be far more intense for me, but I make more money faster and have far more control over the process and end result than I do training someone how to sell.

    Being able to "write a lot" is not the hallmark of a copywriter. I can only write copy about an hour a day, maybe two--because of the intensity and the exhausting quality necessary for producing persuasive work. I have to fire myself up with coffee and loud music--and you'd better not interrupt me or I'll take your head off (I lock my office door for this reason. I think one of the Beatles said something like, "Don't come near us when we're on stage; we're crazy then and we'll kill you." Maybe it's a creativity thing.) But I can write article content effortlessly all day long. What you've talked about is on the article writing side. That won't really make you money. Copywriting is where the real profits are, because that's how you can make a huge difference in revenue for your customer. Start learning some copywriting skills, and pick a few niches to focus on.
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  • Profile picture of the author splitTest
    Originally Posted by Eric X View Post

    Is the industry really drying up for the freelance copywriter?
    .
    From copywriter Bob Bly's website:

    Can Robots Replace Human Writers?



    Solution: become a robot!
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  • Profile picture of the author Sajun Becker
    As the folks above me have iterated, work for competent and effective freelance copywriters is NOT drying up.

    If anything, we are somewhat in the mid-crest of a marketing wave and there THOUSANDS of businesses are dying for good copy.

    It's your job to establish the value you provide to the people who don't know that they need good copy.

    After all, you're not selling words, you're selling results.
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    • Profile picture of the author Eric X
      Thank you everyone for your
      It seems that the most beneficial thing I can do will be to work towards developing grade A copy. Talented copywriters (or any profession) will always rise to the top.
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  • Profile picture of the author splitTest
    It's always nice to read confident, optimistic prognoses for the industry, but I believe it's changing for the worse.

    OP - I think your idea of adding peripheral skills to your repertoire is a good idea, especially for noobs. I'm personally boning up on graphic design and list buying. I think it's much easier to offer a "total solution" than just copywriting.

    You can even make the environment of "price-cutting" for creative services work for you by hiring graphic designers and other peripheral services providers on the cheap, as you offer a "total solution" to clients. (Just make sure you have expertise in those fields before you hire others...)

    It's much easier to sell local businesses, for example, on "advertising" (the total solution) than on copywriting, which they may not even know what to do with... Even with informed marketers, it's easier to trump the competition if you're offering a total solution, rather than just copywriting.

    Way back when, a writer could get $300 for a press release. Some of the lists of "recommended rates" for various writing services still reflect rates like that, but the real rate for press release services has dropped considerably with the rise of an army of web freelancers (and wannabees), plus the bidding sites. (And you're much better off if you also do distribution and have a rolodex of media contacts who are friends of yours ... ie. the total solution).

    Press releases are a bit different from sales writing, but they have a few things in common: you can't guarantee results, quality is "subjective" on the part of the client, and there's lots of cheap competition... These are the reasons rates for press releases have dropped, and I see rates for sales writing doing much the same... It's already happening where it comes to stuff like writing product descriptions for websites and catalogs.

    Unlike the old guard, the next gen of marketers will know all about sites like elance and crowdsource, etc., and they'll turn there for everything from product descriptions to sales letters.

    On top of that, copywriting is a real "personality" based, relationship-based business. If you don't have that side of your pitch working strongly for you -- that is, if the client doesn't see you as someone who will be able to write copy better than them -- I think you'll struggle just being a copywriter.

    Now, some might say -- real copywriters point to results they've gotten, to back up the quality of the work. Copywriting is not subjective at all, they'll say. I don't buy that. Most clients (as in most, not all) don't know a damn thing about the results you're getting.

    They're going to hire you based on your portfolio and their confidence in you. They're not going to ask to see your other clients' books. It's relationship-based, which is a tenuous existence for some.

    ...So, all told, I think you'll do better if you add skills to your repertoire that clients know they can't do for themselves. Then they're more likely to "take a chance" when you tell them all about the power of your copywriting.

    I'd say, work on becoming the "total solution" rather than just the copywriter. Someone who can pick the list, write the copy, do the design and sell that whole blast to the client rather than just copy. It's just easier to sell.
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