You're always in Starbucks. Are you on a first name basis yet, or do they just know you as "the crazy bald guy"?



And I second Vin. His coaching has taken me to the point where I'm booked up until January. Not a bad situation to be in.

Having said that... in my experience most of the best mentors are both choosy and expensive... so you need to have your stuff together before you start working with them.

-Dan

While John's courses are good, IMO, there will be a world of difference between the home study version and the mentored version.

Nothing beats mentoring.

Having said that, here's what I would point you to right now, especially if you're just starting out: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...e-payment.html

And you can't beat the price.

Thanks Ewen

You're right... I absolutely would NOT point people to my sig link.

The one below.

Whatever anybody does, DON'T click that link.

Also don't think of a pink elephant.

Hi

I am one of Paul's students and am three months in on my coaching.

(BTW, I haven't been paid to write this )

My verdict? Jump on this while you can - his feedback is invaluable and he points you in the right direction when you are struggling.

I have done some of these online copywriting courses you can download for less than $100 and let me tell you this - Paul's course blows them all out of the water. I was amazed at the depth of information in the course, and after each module, you complete an assignment for which you get feedback and pointers to improve.

I am surprised at how much I have learnt on this course and although I haven't completed it yet, I can already see that the difference between my copy pre-course and now is like the difference between night and day. It's that stark.

Grab it while you can - and its a lot cheaper than some other copywriting courses which don't even help you get clients. (I can't wait for my first big fish!)

best regards
Arfa

I agree... but only to a certain extent.

John Carlton's one-on-one mentoring is $9,999 A MONTH, according to his website.

Of course that's value for money, without a doubt.

However, I suspect even John cannot simply "turn out" a great copywriter in the space of a month. He's gifted, but he isn't a miracle worker

On the other hand: books and courses don't provide their readers/viewers with FEEDBACK, and CORRECTION when they make mistakes, and they don't provide any encouragement, motivation and "hand-holding" that many people need (or at least, think they need).

And while forums (such as this one) can be immensely useful for the budding copywriter, the advice they get will always be mixed... useful stuff, mixed in with bad advice... sometimes leaving them confused or worse.

So... WHILE they're saving up for John's $9,999 a month fee, mentoring with someone, even if they're not at Carlton's godlike level, is still a great way to go...

... because it provides them a nice, smooth step UP the ladder, where they can get the motivation, encouragement, feedback and consistent correction and advice (not the sometimes contradictory advice of a forum) they need.

In fact, I'm sure Carlton would much rather mentor someone who was "nearly there", as it were, and has all the essential copywriting skills down pretty well, rather than someone who barely knows how to put together a persuasive sentence.

Feedback. Motivation. Consistent correction and advice. A sounding board.

That, in a nutshell, is my case for the "outside the Top 10" mentor.

It's a quick boost in the right direction, while they're saving up for John's $9,999 a month mentoring.

Hmmm...interesting that you say this, although just because someone doesn't fall in the top 10 does NOT mean that they are incapable of delivering excellent stuff.

My own example - I worked as an over-qualified classroom assistant for years to work around my son. My teachers were horrified I wasn't a proper teacher - they quite happily allowed me to manage a group of 18 children on my OWN and guess what? My group achieved 8 A's and 10 B's, and some of these kids were failing. One of my students who I taught science and maths went from a D in both subjects to an A.

My point is, just because someone isn't a top gun doesn't mean they cannot give you great guidance. One of the downsides of a top gun is perhaps they may not have as much time to help you when you need it, especially for the little things that they think you should know.

And in any case, being great rests not just upon your teacher, but on you as an individual. If you have the dedication to work hard and commit and over-deliver every step of the way, you have the qualities to make it big, and you WILL get there, regardless of how long it takes.

just my two pence worth, but I felt i should say this because it is unfair to mentors who are not in the top 10, but are still very successful.

Your line of thinking can be fairly accurate in most industries but not always.

For example, Ted Williams is considered one of the best pure hitters in major league history. Yet he was a complete flop as a major league hitting coach because he wasn't a good teacher of what he knew.

Another factor to consider with mentoring with a top gun is... some of them don't teach because they don't have the patience or desire to do so.

Food for thought,

Mike

Hi there... Sparkie,

I've seen you quote "Elements Of Style" as one the essential guide to good copywriting twice now, so I'm compelled to jump in and say while I agree that it is THE best book on grammar I've ever owned... and have also touted it as boldly as you do for help with understanding basic rules of grammar...

... there are about 10 things more important to selling with words than anything you'll hear from Strunk and White.

You could fill an entire bankruptcy court's file cabinets with sales letters from companies who placed proper grammar over salesmanship and went belly up. And find 10 times the amount of despicably unpolished sales letters written on a 6th grade level that brought in millions.

So, for what it's worth to you or anyone who comes here looking for clues as to what it takes to write winning copy... my advice is to know the rules of grammar well, but only so you can break them more better. :-)

Kevin