Copywriting Courses?

Here's a couple of recent threads that might help:

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

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

I'd rather you pick up a few recommended books mentioned in the thread in this subforum than attend the awai course. Some people may say "oh great, nice, wow" but I believe the same information can be acquired through real hands on practice, rewriting great copy and reading these books by the greats.

If you really need a course, get Secrets of a marketing rebel by John Carlton.

If you need teaching for super basic fundamentals, I found a marketer who pretty much can teach it - his name is Jason Fladlien and his Copy E Class.

If you need ads as case studies, go for the Robert Collier letter or Sugarman's Adweek book. If you need swipes, go to hardtofindads.com or infomarketingblog.com .

- Winston Thaler

Since I wasn't around for the other discussion I'm going to throw in my 2 cents here.

The AWAI course was written for copywriters writing for the large direct marketing companies. Therefore it's much less edgy and much less emotionally charged...and less effective. It's good anyway as a basic primer.

Signing up at AWAI is like buying a product from Agora, Boardroom, etc. The real education is in observing their marketing process.

I was at the AWAI bootcamp in 2000. I had already studied Jay Abraham, Ted Nicholas, and Dan Kennedy. Even that bootcamp I thought was very basic. Recently I was upgraded to a complimentary Circle of Success membership. Their very high end training. It was good, but nothing compared to stuff I've gotten from Clayton and John Carlton.

Things have changed so much in the last 5 years. The fundamentals never change, but the level has been raised higher and higher in terms of educational materials.

It's just like being a jazz musician. In the 70's there was NOTHING. It was all learned through apprenticing with someone in the field. Then gradually courses started to come about. And today there are so many courses people have to do heavy research to pick the best ones because nobody has the time/resources to go through all of them. And who wants to waste their time even if they did?

They sell biz up products or things that are really basic watered down info on a niche area like social media, or video marketing, etc.

If you want to be a copywriter get a mentor. If not, hire a pro. You could easily spend years and thousands of dollars on courses and still not "get it." Same thing for any area. Guys trying to meet women. Buying books and going to expensive bootcamps. Just get with someone good with women and go out with them. They'll show you what you are doing wrong. Or ANY other skillset.

Books are great, but they aren't going to pop out of their covers, pat you on the back and say, "You're doing great!"... or, "Get off your butt and finish off that second draft!"

Plus, when you learned to drive, it was very handy having someone sitting there next to you, to give you FEEDBACK, to point out times when you were about to hit a lamp-post or an old lady.

In my experience... as a copywriting coach (not hitting old ladies)... feedback is a critical element, and books can never give you that.

At best, they can give you some general principles.

So in my completely, totally unbiased opinion...

...I would recommend some copywriter coaching.

Paul,

Spot-on advice!

Having a mentor... putting yourself in situations where you can interact with the best of the best are things that make the difference between good and great.