How quickly can a novice get up to speed?
Hi,
I don't post here often so here is my background: currently I am a college student trying to figure out what to do this summer in between semesters.
I don't think I want to specialize in copywriting in the long run. Also, I was avoiding it because I thought it would require many many hours to get profitable.
Following this lively debate upstairs in the offline forum, I decided I should at least learn the basics:
http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...l#post11036554
I'm thinking:If it is available for purchases or is in the public domain, it makes sense that the campaign would produce similar results in similar industries.
tbh, while the intuition seems right, I feel a bit uncomfortable selling something which I am not 110% sure will produce results. I don't know what I don't know.
I read John Caples',David Ogilvy' and Claude Hopkins' book and to be honest, I still see it as a bunch of rules to be crosschecked and followed.
Even when I sold stuff, I had no idea about the other person's feelings. It was more like I was grasping with abstractions if that makes sense.
When I read copy, I fail to feel anything most if not all of the time.
The ability to intuit other people's feelings seems to be a quality that good copywriters have that I lack.
I know that in sales, even a half second hesitation can be the difference between sales and no sales. Or even a difference in intonation in closing, something so slight a novice would most likely overlook. Are there any analogues in the case of ad writing? E.g. Say I decide to rewrite a proven ad in my own words, I write the wrong turn of phrase and BAM, failure.
Is there a public or available for purchase database of such swipe files with the revenue it generated?
In your view, what is the quickest way to get a profitable campaign up to speed for a novice?
Any other thoughts on this matter?
I don't post here often so here is my background: currently I am a college student trying to figure out what to do this summer in between semesters.
I don't think I want to specialize in copywriting in the long run. Also, I was avoiding it because I thought it would require many many hours to get profitable.
Following this lively debate upstairs in the offline forum, I decided I should at least learn the basics:
http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...l#post11036554
I'm thinking:If it is available for purchases or is in the public domain, it makes sense that the campaign would produce similar results in similar industries.
tbh, while the intuition seems right, I feel a bit uncomfortable selling something which I am not 110% sure will produce results. I don't know what I don't know.
I read John Caples',David Ogilvy' and Claude Hopkins' book and to be honest, I still see it as a bunch of rules to be crosschecked and followed.
Even when I sold stuff, I had no idea about the other person's feelings. It was more like I was grasping with abstractions if that makes sense.
When I read copy, I fail to feel anything most if not all of the time.
The ability to intuit other people's feelings seems to be a quality that good copywriters have that I lack.
I know that in sales, even a half second hesitation can be the difference between sales and no sales. Or even a difference in intonation in closing, something so slight a novice would most likely overlook. Are there any analogues in the case of ad writing? E.g. Say I decide to rewrite a proven ad in my own words, I write the wrong turn of phrase and BAM, failure.
Is there a public or available for purchase database of such swipe files with the revenue it generated?
In your view, what is the quickest way to get a profitable campaign up to speed for a novice?
Any other thoughts on this matter?
Cheers, Laurence.
Writer/Editor/Proofreader.
Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.
Aspiring copywriters: if you need 1:1 advice from an experienced copy chief, head over to my Phone a Friend page.