How did you get good at writing copy?

Hi,

The down and dirty method to writing good copy faster...

If you are an entreprenuer then you would want to focus on copy from the niches that you want to write for. (I am assuming you want to write your own copy reviews of products, affiliate doorway pages, and write copy for your own products.)

So a quick way is to go to Clickbank.com and Search the keywords for the niche you want to write in.

Then select Gravity from the drop down list to sort by Gravity. This is a Clickbank sales metric. (See Clickbank's Help files for term definitiions.)

You can also sort for Popularity. That sorts by how many affiliates are promoting that particular product. Now although this is NOT the best way to find a high converting sales letter, you will at least be able to sort by sales, and by what is popular to find out what affiliates are promoting right now.

Then print out and study these sales letters, and write them out by hand.
Yes, I know that is a lot of work, but that is one of the things I STILL do even after writing copy for 14 years. And it does work well to help you understand the methods they are using to sell the reader and the order of the parts of the sales letter.

I would highly recommend doing a search on THIS forum to find the gems that are right here to help you with your copywriting education. Just do a search on copywriting tips, or any subject you are looking for and you will find exceptional copywriting suggestions right here.

I mentioned some of the top copywriting products I have purchased over my 14 year career as a copywriter. If you search "Jennie Heckel" you will find lots of my previous posts and some of the products I have purchased to furthur my education.

There was a great post that listed all the "Top Copywriters" on this forum not too long ago. That is another great way to search via the Warrior Member names for their informative posts.

But in the end, studying the masters of copywriting is the best way to get a firm foundation under your writing.

But most new entreprenuers want fast results. If you are writing copy for your own products the Clickbank idea is probably the best route to go short term help.

And checking out the thousands of posts on THIS forum and reading them over is invaluable to your education. But to really hone your talents, it means studying high converting copy and copywriting for years.

Such is the beast.

But the rewards of working for yourself and selling your own products with copy you wrote -- is immeasurable!

Good luck!

It helps to instill the rhythum, flow and cadence of the copy into your subconscious mind too. You will find all sorts of styles and formats of sales letters on Clickbank.

I agree with Jennie...pick out good sales letters - the ones that make you want to buy - and write them out by hand.

The only way to get good at it is to practice, practice, practice.

I read once that you have to write 10,000 pages of bad copy before you can write a page of good copy.

MOPA- one other thing that will help your copywriting is to see how other marketers use copy in all aspects of their sales funnel. Peruse this thread here for some links:

http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...ing-lists.html

I'm no spelling champion by a country mile, but I think you want the word "Morbidly" in your username.

Good luck.

I had a mentor. Its the fastest way to get good. - Rick Duris

Testing and tracking.

Scrap the scraps and only repeat the tried and proven true.

The results are your best teacher.

Through the results, your copy evolves.

Survival of the highest response creates the control.

Dance with the methods that got you there.

Forsake the rest like a bad habit...because that's what anything other than results are...

Sweet little nothings to appease the enemy of your copywriting success--the vanity of ego that has yet to die.

Thanks to all who replied.

What I get from you guys is this:

1. Study good copy. Maybe get on clickbank as a starting point to find some.
2. Try to learn sales in person. I don't know how I'm going to get that experience, given my situation (im in the military).
3. Write something everyday.
4. Start testing. Get something out there.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I figured it would be better than starting a new one with a similar theme.

I have no experience with copywriting but want to learn. I don't really have a current project to test on. I heard a lot about the gary halbert letters. Is it a good idea to just go through those and write them out by hand?

the best way to get good copy is to have a proven copy writer write it for you.

the best way to get good at writing copy yourself is to copy ( repeatedly) great sales copy. a exercise that I recommend is as follows

1 pick a classic sales letter
2 copy it down.
3 go through each paragraph and try to figure out what emotion that paragraph is trying to invoke ( fear, greed etc)
4 pick a product or service and write a sales letter following the template of the sales letter you just studied.

do this about once a week and you will find yourself writing pretty damn good copy in no time.

remember writing copy really isn't about being creative its about getting sales - no need to rewrite the book - do what works and reap the rewards.

- Jonathan Webb

Hand writing good copy is very useful. You won't believe it until you stick with it for awhile.

That said, nothing focuses the mind like your own cash on the line. Create or find a product, write a sales letter and start selling. You'll learn a lot.

There's also a gold mine of info inside this forum. It takes a while to sift it, but worth panning for. Here are some thread titles under different topics that can help your education:
http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...pywriters.html

Understanding why people buy in the first place

Here's my 3-step formula:

1) Become an avid student of human psychology. Figure out why people take the actions they do. Look for "cause and effect" in human behavior. Study frames, perceptions, rhetoric, debate, logical fallacies, etc.

2) Be hungry about advertising. Critique and tear apart every ad you see. What did it do right? What did it do wrong? How would you improve it? How are each of the elements working together to get the sale? How does it stand out? Does it speak to the viewer/reader/listener in the right way?

3) Write. Constantly hone your skills by working to put together new ads. Doesn't matter if you get paid. Rewrite ads in the newspaper. Put together space ads for imaginary products. Take a story you hear on the news about someone doing something amazing and turn it into a sales letter. Etc.

-Daniel

P.S. Oh, and read books. They aren't a replacement for any of this, but they will help supplement your knowledge. There's a big-ass sticky with some great books in it at the top of the forum.