How To Make Money Off Copywriting?

Good luck with that one Captain. Yes, the income is great... You have ZERO experience and think it only takes thirty days to learn, and then land high paying clients!!! Alrighty then... how exactly do you plan on doing this? Keep us posted.

You have an ambitious plan. You can read a lot of copywriting
books and information in 30 days but you learn by DOING
and that is the tough part time-wise. Copywriting is not
just knowledge but a skill you develop.

Great to have a plan anyway. Most people don't.

-Ray Edwards

Well from what I've seen posted around here you should easily be able to learn enough copywriting in 30 days to charge $150. If it sucks you can just tell people you tried hard and you're learning...

:rolleyes:

I'm going to send you a very short PM with some ideas you can implement. Obviously, your time and talent level is going to have an impact on how well you implement these ideas.

The first letter I wrote with the specific intention of making a sale, I made $15,000.

You can do it. You absolutely can.

- Rick Duris

Its all about how determine you are to succeed. I started my copywriting firm in June with zero experience and never once worked in a creative or advertising agency. I learnt everything from scratch.

Its also about how you sell yourself. My first deal came a week after I told my biz contacts that I am running a copywriting firm. I charged $1,500 for that deal, a 5 page web content. 6 months down, I estimated my average deal to be $2000 and above.

Start by selling yourself, your service. Meet with as many prospect as possible and learn what makes people buy. If you can sell, you can write copy because essentially, it's all about selling in print.

Someone once told me:"learn how to sell, because if you can sell, you can sell anything".

As Marcia said, you can make money in copywriting in 30 days. Just don't expect to become an A-list writer.

However, I always say reach for the sky. Then if you only reach the top of the mountain you've still achieved something.

Most people only aim for the mountain and are lucky to reach the first floor of a building.

It's hard work. And most people don't want to do it.

When I took on a coach at the beginning of my copywriting career, he gave me a task to do on the first day:

That task was to write out three long form sales letters, thrice each, by the time we spoke the next day. These letters were around 15 pages each. Tightly packed.

When he asked me the next day if I'd done it, I said I did. And it was true.

I sat down and wrote and wrote and wrote, until I finished the task.

I had cramps in my fingers several times. But I didn't give up.

And you know what?

He was surprised. He actually asked, "Really?"

I knew then others don't. Or at least, the majority don't.

I also did the Gary Halbert course he held in 1996. (No, I wasn't there. I wish I was).

I did the course at home.

I set everything up: CD player, desk, plenty of writing paper and pens.

I did that course from morning till night each day.

I finished in three days.

And I've done this with plenty of other courses.

And in a very short time, I've had some positive comments from some of the best marketers and copywriters in the world...

And made some decent cash with my copy.

My rates for writing?

Not always the same, but very decent.

So go for it.

Give it your best shot.

Very least you can do is be better than you are now.

You have to start or nothing will happen.

Give it your maximum effort.

But just so you know - a great copywriting education costs a lot of money and takes time. Even if you're fantastically gifted you'll still need to know a huge range of techniques.

And you can only get them by buying and studying all the best material.

I quickly added up the costs of all my books, courses, cd's and dvd's as well as all the seminars over the years and the grand total is well over $130,000.

And I still buy more stuff.

So...

Starting from scratch you learn the "basics" in a month.

Find a client and write them some copy.

6, 12, 18 months later that copy would now be dramatically better.

5, 10, 15 years later it'll be phenomenal.

So, the kicker question is - what's your income going to be like when you're a beginner?

And the answer is - it gets higher as you get better.

To be realistic, it's not a get rich quick business.

It's more of a lifetime passion.


Steve

If you're starting from zero background in copywriting, then it's going to be tough to reach expert level in 30 days. Experience-wise, you'll need more than 30 days to get there.

I went from 0 clients to full-time in 6 weeks when I started my copywriting business BUT I had already been studying and writing copy for 13 years at that point. So I already had a pretty deep foundation of knowledge and experience when I opted to hang my copywriting shingle.

Anyways... I say go for it and keep challenging yourself to get better in every facet of the game everyday.

Good luck,

Mike

Michael,

I can't speak for Steve but I bet the answer is yes.

I can however speak for myself... I have also spent right around the exact same number over the last eight years. And I still buy stuff just as he does. And in doing so I've made that back many many many many times from clients.

Your response seems to indicate you might be apprehensive about spending money to educate yourself. If you want to become a master, don't skimp on education.

Just so you know, my intent in my earlier post was not to pee in your Cheerios. It's great to have goals and go for it. But when I hear the word "expert" that means you would have the ability to charge what many of us here do. If after 30 days you cannot, don't quit, keep going, and re-evaluate how to get there.

Hell, the letter I wrote last week I charged 10k for and I do not call myself an expert compared to the guys who command 30k per letter. We're a crazy bunch (speaking for myself) and it takes a special breed to do this stuff.

We always keep learning and growing and we're nut's enough to love what we do.

Michael,

I've been in the wonderful world of copywriting for a while (28 years) so yes, it's been a fabulous investment.


Steve

...if I was starting all over again, I would concentrate entirely on Flyers and Postcards.

If you want, PM me for my "secret formula" which makes them work like magic, creating excellent profits for your clients, which means with a bit of effort and technique you can easily earn your $5k plus a month.


Steve

Good for you. Only concentrate on this and pretty soon you will be making hundreds off of the people who are saying that your goal is impossible.

Great goals spur men to greatness.

The thing is...what will you do after 30 days?

Throw in the towel and call copywriting the fakest thing since Kim Kardashian's rear?

Beat yourself up for not being able to do great things in 30 days?

Change goals and follow the next shiny object, "copywriting is great, but this is GREATER!!"

Continue learning, writing, testing, failing and succeeding???

What happens next, what happens after 30 days?...

I made 6 figures with my own products before I even knew what the hell copywriting is.

I was following rules I didn't even know existed.

If you want to start making REAL money sooner, rather than later...

...dig deep into the human emotional psyche.

Connect, connect, connect.

Mark

30 days almost up. Any update?

If you have a background in sales or at least have an understanding of how the sales process works you may be able to put together a decent sales letter in 30 days.

You're ambitious my man. Just an FYI, no one "becomes" an expert in 30 days, or 30 years even. It's a continuous process. My advice, pick a niche and stick with it, something you're an expert in. If you're already an expert in the content, all you have to become an expert in is the writing. I'd suggest a good copywriting course (Free one) but it would probably get my post deleted.

-Good luck.

I havent read anyone elses posts, but I will tell you that some of the best writers I know have been GREAT writers (well ahead of the curve) from a very young age. I think it's kind of like being an artist...you CAN teach yourself, but the very best folks have it in their blood. Also, if you're writing ad copy, you also need to be a good salesman on top of having great writing....I find this to be a rare combo. This is why alot of business people hire professional writers.

Lots of these big-name copywriters will be shouting out at newbies about how you can be rich, making 100,000 bux a sales letter.

I've only been in the business 2 or 3 years, but I'm only making $50,000 a year. So maybe I'm doing something wrong. Then again, I live in Asia and only work 4 hours a day, so I don't have the economic pressure that many people in the states do.

Regardless, sustaining yourself via copywriting is completely feasible. But it's not a secure job. Some months you'll be raking in over $10,000 in projects, while others will leave you feeling unemployed.

I'd like to know the influx/outflux of people in this profession. I imagine those who are looking for stability leave pretty early.

Michael, when I started copywriting, I spent several months diving in and out of self-help courses and books. My first real copywriting course was apparently claiming I could make $50,000 a year - It was based on the AIDA formula and had a 'Power copywriting' module with it that contained a template for a sales letter. I finished both courses in a week and it gave me a VERY basic grounding in copywriting.

My first ever REAL copywriting (not content writing) paid out $1300 (but I will stress here that I wrote a 40 page ebook, sales letter and 5 articles for that price) for 2 weeks work.

I put a lot of work into it, and for someone who was struggling back then, it was a lot of money.

Looking back, the number of hours I put into that is about half of what I put into a sales letter now.

The original crash course I took in copywriting was NOTHING compared to the 6 month intensive I did while being coached by a top copywriter...I do the entire sales funnel now and even though I've had some excellent conversion rates, made my clients a LOT of money and worked with agencies and mostly B2B clients, it's been a continual learning experience.

I NEVER stop learning.

True mastery comes from a hunger to be better, to know more, learn more and do more.

Expert in 30 days? I doubt it, but then who am I to judge?

Pretty decent and making good money? Absolutely

I echo the others here - you don't master any craft in 30 days, but you can certainly make a lot of money...

I've PM'd you with a link you will find useful to get a LOT of clients quickly...

Best of luck to you!

It's important to position yourself so business comes to you.

I think it's also beneficial to be able to sell yourself, to go out and get the business, especially in the beginning years. Doug D'Anna covers it pretty well in this interview with Mike Humphreys:
Market Your Copy and Doug D'Anna Exclusive Interview

There's also some good discussion on approaching business owners here:
http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...g-clients.html

...and good stuff here like, "This is a game of perception and positioning. You have to be confident and make your pitch. It doesn't matter if you have experience (really, even if you have skill) as long as you have balls YOU WILL SELL some people. ":
http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...ting-copy.html

In the end, it's like starting any other business--it takes guts, persistence, constant education and hard work.

Here is what you can try: rewrite advertising, because you could do it better. Become aware of all the copy around you. Just for fun, and to get some writing samples, rewrite some of it. If this gives you a real buzz, and you find it easy. Most copy is basic and uninspired.

Okay well this should be fun.

I am an okay creative writer, turned to copywriting. In the last two weeks actually. My method is really simple. First of all I sell a few (3 per day maybe) 300 word sales letters on Fiverr... yeah yeah laugh it up. Today I worked for a Messianic Jewish charity, an MLM marketer selling get rich quick seminars, and a lady who wrote a pretty neat book about bullying and the signs/effects of that. Why?

Easy... I get feedback. I get straight forward feedback and I work at writing copy. Oddly enough 3 jobs this week have turned from $5 sales into $45 , $150 and $80 sales. I sent them a short version. They liked the sales letter. I sold them a 1000 word version. Yeah it's chump change. But I literally started a fortnight ago. And for me this is the closest to a copywriting school as it gets. I get to write and write and write and when I'm not writing I read. Anything I can find on the process. David Ogilvy and Dan Kennedy videos on YouTube get watched a lot. Rick Duris and his blog CopyRanger is a sweet research resource.

Then I spend a few hours per night with a pen and paper under a lamp in a dark room. And just...........write. Usually headlines. Sometimes chunks of copy.

I think about what I've bought recently and WHY. Why did the sales copy convince me?

I also post some efforts on here. Take the advice, go back, adjust, try again. There's no real point at which you are done with the process I guess? You just start somewhere and keep going. As long as you are moving forward it's fine.

30 days?

Hell a week ago I wrote Great White Seeks Dark Horse as a headline. I feel like shooting MYSELF in the face for that lobotomy.

Just post on here. If people are kind which they are. They will advise you.

If you are smart which I hope you are. You will shut up and listen.

Anyhoo... my 2 cents.

James