Copywrititng courses/books

Hi - might suggest first reading through this thread if you've not already:

http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...pywriting.html

It's not about web copy explicitly, but many of the books/courses/etc recommended there teach fundamentals that carry over / apply to web quite well.

One additional one I'm not sure is there is Nick Usborne from AWAI. May be worth checking his stuff out, too ... very focused on the web-writing niche.

Thanks Matthew.

Hi, there are lots of copywriting courses on Udemy you can check them out to see which suits your needs. (The site https://www.udemy.com/

Thanks stiger1. The only thing is a lot of the instructors there take forever answering the questions of their students and take a very long time getting back in touch with them.

yes that's true

Just as example, two pieces of WEB copy which knocked it out of the park, Corey Rudl's promotion for THE INSIDER SECRETS TO MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET and

Kelly Felix' promotion for his RICH JERK course. Both considered milestones of WEB marketing, both producing untold fortunes. You could spend the next month going over these bit by bit, word by word and break them down, analyze them to the Nth degree...

And learn very little about how to write web copy. Same goes for all those great ads in all the swipe files out there. There has to be some context as to their success. Where they were run, WHEN, and the target market.

Any basic copywriting course will give some structure to work with, now many have learned from studying and analyzing old ads and Internet promotions, and if you have the TIME, it may be a worthwhile pursuit for you. The very simple and basic book by Vic Schwab, HOW TO WRITE A GOOD ADVERTISEMENT has all the basic structure.

Here is my COURSE in a post. This for starting a business, marketing it, and for WRITING copy to sell products.

ONE. JOB ONE. The essence, the bottom line is...the bottom line is NET PROFITS. In order to get NET profits, one needs BUYERS.

BUYERS. When starting a biz, one knows WHO they are, WHERE they are, and the rest of the job, the marketing or tactical part is...getting your sales message (COPY) in front of them. The more you know about them, and when you intersect with them, then the better you are able to WRITE something which could move them toward becoming a buyer.

It is sadly amusing to see people who have struggled for years and years and have never earned a dime, having spent thousands on their Internet Marketing education....and today, there are literally tens of thousands of new copywriters which share a common thing, or problem and that is HOW TO GET CLIENTS?

So, as a beginner, my OPINION is (because that is what I promised in my subject header)...

Pick some areas you have interests in and immerse yourself in how the products and services are being marketed on the web. Choose any niche, or a few of them. take GOLF as an example. Spend days looking over every golf site you can find, read and save every piece of copy which is selling you something. What is the common appeal? Maybe there is or isn't one.

HOW and where are they reaching potential buyers, and what are they writing, or saying or showing to them to get them to buy? What other things do they offer? Do they have funnels? Back ends? Upsells? Down or cross sells?

My opinion is you will learn faster and become better as you analyze CURRENT advertising, and see what is being done today...then you can compare them to some OLD ads, like John Carlton's ONE LEGGED GOLFER ad to see how they get attention and build up the interest and desire.

Now, you may prefer to take your time, invest months or years into studying all the old classics until you feel comfortable enough to write, that's fine, many of the thousands out there have done this.

OR you may prefer to get up to speed as fast as possible by starting with what is working TODAY, right now, on the web, and also to start writing right now. When I did accept copy students (I DON'T NOW) the first thing I made them do, no matter what their knowledge or experience was...

was to write a promotion for a real product.

Start writing now, write on something you have recently bought. I'm sure you'll get a plethora of advice on the books to read, the courses to take and all that. IF you've got a full tank of time in your life and have no urgency, then by all means read, study and analyze away.

Good luck.

GordonJ

Quit getting hung up on thinking it's all in what you say...

a good product will sell even if you suck at writing.

I've seen people that never heard the word copywriting and sold a load of stuff.

Sit down and talk to a friend in everyday talk about what you're selling....

Use that to write your stuff... You'll sell more and save yourself the trauma of trying to be a copywriting star.

It's not magic.

It's not a super secret formula.

Stop thinking you need to discover some hidden secrets.

The right product will sell regardless of what you write... If you just talk like a normal person talking to a normal person

Read the following:

Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples

The Ultimate Salesletter by Dan Kennedy

And the Gary Halbert Letter ( all back issues easily found on Google )

If you truly read and study these materials along with building a nice swipe file of web ads, you'll have a great foundation to become a solid copywriter.

https://www.warriorforum.com/copywri...pywriting.html

The above post was made in April 2019. One could go back two decades here and find pert near the same question, it is,

after all,

ASKED WEEKLY isn't it?

So my crystal ball sez; In 2021, pick a month, some warrior will ask what books to read, what courses to take to become a high paid copywriter.

Most of these, from say, a decade ago, can be found writing receipts at their job, maybe flipiing burgers or selling shoes. Sure, some have made it. Sure there will always be a demand, a need for them until AI surpasses us all...

But as far as easy money goes, Create a copywriting course based on the suggestions on what to read and who to study, you'll be in high cotton for years to come.

GordonJ

PS Working on it. Can't decide to charge 10 bux or a 1000? Or 2

I disagree that you just need to talk like a normal person and call it good. Normal people stumble through sentences, repeat themselves, use filler words, lean on colloquialisms and jargon, etc., etc. Good copywriting isn't magic, but it does require training and discipline, like learning a new language.

I would recommend "Copywriting Secrets" by Jim Edwards and "Building a Storybrand" by Donald Miller. If you really want a deep dive, pick up "Story" by Robert McKee. It's not a marketing book, but presents narrative techniques that back up what the other books have to say.

And just like a language, don't think you're done learning when you become fluent. Languages evolve, and good communication is an ability you acquire over a lifetime. Just so, good copywriting is a lifelong pursuit and you should always be ready to learn more.

Since nobody has stated the obvious, and not caring what names I get called,

Nate, the written word is a valuable tool, and needs to be used properly.


You have several choices.
1. Improve your spelling, grammar, etc.
2. Or if you're either too busy or simply don't know how, pay somebody to help you. Whether it be a writer, an editor/proofreader or some combination.


Feel free to check out my site if you need help in that area.
I didn't write this reply with that in mind.
I do have skills and experience in that area so I share where I can.


I don't say all this to be mean; simply to educate.
It's your choice how to proceed.



I wish you well in your endeavours.

Hi, Nate is lots of copywriting courses on Udemy and Uacdemny you can check them out to see which suits your needs.

Books & ads by David Ogilvy and Claude Hopkins. Most of the brands they promoted are still alive today.

This doesn't happen with Gary Halbert, Eugene Schwartz, among others. Most of their copy focus on getting quick sales.

While the Hopkins & Ogilvy style focuses on long-term sales.


All the big names are worth studying, but you should prioritize:

• If you're into Affiliate, you can imitate what Halbert have done.
• If you're under a brand, Ogilvy & Hopkins are the way to go.

I get e-mails from Ben Settle. He's a top copywriter that sells books about copywriting.

I subscribed to his list just to accumulate some of the best Subject Lines I've ever seen. And his sales letters for his extravagantly priced book (which I have occasionally bought) are works of art, to be studied.

Here's the funny thing about copywriting.

Let's say Copywriter A puts out a letter. And if you ask them? It's not great. Maybe just average. Maybe they even kinda "phoned it in". Maybe they'll tell ya it sucks.

But if it generates big money?

It becomes "great copy." And people study it.

Even funnier. Copywriter can't get clients. Even though getting clients IS a copywriting gig. Your own.

So they blog about copywriting.

And become a genius. To their fans. And make lots of money. Selling to their fans. But some of their fans ... own businesses. And hire the copywriter.

Who couldn't get clients.

Money's that easy to make. If you see it.

P.S. If I had to recommend, for a friend, a crash course? Cashvertising is my pick.

Think structure not pretty words. This will help you grasp copy better than anything. Also learn to sell is critical. Copywriting is just selling on paper.

I've been happy with Sean Vosler's work.

Also another gem that very few know about is Blair Warren's Forbbiden Keys to Persuasion.

Tom Hopkins Master the Art of Selling is a masterpiece. You will learn sales language that can be easily tied into print/web copy

There is no specific course for copywriting. It only requires practice to write creatively. And, with experience one can become good at copy writing. Copywriting is everywhere around us, you only have to observe and start practicing to write it.