Do you want to know the big problem with new-to-copy ...writers?

In other words, following on from Mal's point, leave out the corporate talk. Or jilted turns of expression. Keep it natural. Warm. Flowing. Just like you would normally, talking to a friend.

A conversation is a two way process. Talking and listening.

So when seeking to persuade others around to your point of view in sales copy, raise their natural objections within the body copy itself and do this conversationally. You shouldn't need to be taught how to do this. It should come pretty naturally to most of you.

Nobody agrees with you 100% of the time, when you're talking with someone sometimes you may see their brow furrow for example and you know you've hit on a slight nerve. An objection to your point of view which requires further explanation. Exactly the same in copywriting, imagine these objections in advance and overcome these possible objections on the fly as they enter your mind.

You don't need to have a frequently asked questions section. Nobody talks like this to a good friend. Just address these points in the body of the copy conversationally keeping it completely natural.

You're looking to achieve a smooth exchange of communication, a smooth transition from one emotion to another not dragging your prospects emotions across jagged rocks. It's about developing a foundation upon which you can build good strong relationships long into the future. In a nutshell, making friends with your target audience.

So just be - friendly.

Really, it's as simple as that.

And what do friends do? They recommend you to other people, "Hey this guy / gal is a good sort. You should get to know them."

Same with copywriting, you want people to make friends with your communication style and in doing so, recommend your services to other people. This is the art of a good conversation. Making relationships stronger so more trust exists between the parties involved.

Where you enjoy more trust based on good conversations which emotionally engage well with others, so they perceive there to be a good benefit from knowing you and the way you write, this naturally will lead to more referrals in your copywriting business.

Just like in 'real' life. The two are inseparable. Both philosophies are firmly intertwined.

Best,


Mark Andrews

Ricky Breslin is his name. Braids, Weaves, Twists, Natural Black Hair | Braids By Breslin

Hell of a nice guy and good marketer.

The courses here are ok but haven't had much opportunity to play. There are 3 within 5 miles of my condo. I'm working 7 days a week getting businesses setup where I can work 2 days a week. But it takes time.

14! No thanks. I'm writing in shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. The sliding door is open, the sun is shining and the waves and crashing in.

Here's the Copywriting Maniac's Lair Today (excuse the phone photo and the mess, but I'm working):


I'm drinking Sol down here in a michelada. Do you know what a michelada is? They rock and you can get an awesome one here with a great burrito:

The Surfin Burrito | Facebook

Tell Corey I sent you.

Back on topic...

I'm going to share a bit of how I write because it is different from most of the people I see. I'm a guy with a short attention span. The hardest part of writing copy for me is sitting down in the chair.

Here's how I do things: (btw: I talk about reading and that is what I prefer. I HATE writing for audio and video products unless they have a transcript)

1. Read it like the target audience.

2. Read it again and highlight EVERYTHING that could be a bullet, headline, major section you need to cover.

3. Determine the pain points I'm targeting. This usually involves research, if I don't know the market.

4. Now I brainstorm for the hook. This is so critical but I never move forward until I have it. This can be frustrating for clients because you can't rush it. When it hits me, I know it.

Almost ready to write...

5. With the hook and pain points, I start writing headlines. I'm not Brian Keith Voiles, but I do write 50 or more, some very similar, some very different. I admit to using headline swipe files for this. It sparks the creativity.

6. Finally, I open Dreamweaver and put in one of the best headlines, IMO.

7. I'll expand some deck copy with some of the other headline ideas or some of the killer bullets I've pulled out of the document.

8. Now I write non-stop from the salutation to the product introduction, usually about 5-6 pages

9. Next, a trick taught to me by John Hostler. I move down to the bottom and write my PS's, my order box and my close. This area of your letter is so important, you don't want to be rushing to finish it if you write top to bottom. Everyone pages down here very quickly and it needs to be killer copy.

10. Move up to the product introduction, splat in my researched bullets. I work really hard on bullets because I think they are really important. One bullet in a 20 page sales letter can make a sale. I've studied bullets more than any other part of copywriting, other than the headline. John Carlton, Gary Halbert and Ben Settle do great bullets.

11. Read aloud, edit, smooth the flow, add bucket brigade phrases. Editing is almost ALWAYS cutting, not adding.

12. Done

After using the headline swipe file, I'm on my own. I'm not referencing books etc, other than my own notes.

Except... I do have a spreadsheet bullet creator which I wrote to help write bullets but that's mine so its not like I'm relying on the advice of others. I put in the key point and it will output 21 different types of bullets.

I'm new to all this and i have many pdf's and tutorials. You end up just reading and not doing.

I went on an NLP course recently and the best thing i took from the course is this presupposition.

If you want to understand.

Act!

I think at some point you have to forget the tutorials and start writing and be prepared to fail(which is probably the quickest way to learn).