If you are such an amazing copywriter, then why don't you...

Hey there Dayne, I can't speak for all copywriters, but here's my answer:


A lot of copywriters already do that I have a few products that do well for themselves. However, it takes time. Time to set up the website, create an amazing product, write the copy, tweak it, find JVs or sustainable traffic, test it, etc.

Now, that's not to say it's not worth it to spend the time and energy putting it all together - but it does require either a lot of resources or a lot of time doing a lot of things OTHER than writing copy.

On the other hand, you can write copy and cut a backend deal. You get paid upfront, and you get royalties on the sales.

Although the backend is a smaller share than if they did it all themselves, it's worth it because all they had to do was the copy. Someone else had to put together the product, get the traffic, run the business etc


Another route is for a copywriter to pair up with a traffic guy or someone who specializes in something else - and they'll split the profits.


And for others, they truly love copywriting and want to just be able to focus on their craft. Some singers want other people to manage everything for them so they can just sing.

Some copywriters want nothing more than to be able to write copy.

Maybe some people need fast income rather than inversting months, and months to see proper results.

My thoughts.

I personally think the answer is a lack of self-belief... in a lot of cases. Not to mention a lack of patience and willingness to go through the learning process.

If a copywriter is capable of producing tons of cash for clients, why not themselves?

However...

Danielle is absolutely right.

It takes time. Somtimes years to get a product off the ground. The process of list building, creating original copy/content to drives passive traffic onto your website and testing the receptivity of your product doesn't always happen overnight.

It can. But rarely does.

You should always have multiple seeds planted to eventually harvest. That includes writing for others, whether it's just a straight up pay-and-work gig, a JV or a combination of the two.

But yeah...

Ultimately, you should have multiple streams of passive income coming in from your own products. No offense, but if you don't, you're an idiot.

Mark

P.S. I also take on client gigs to keep becoming a better writer. This whole sales copy writing gig isn't my dream. I want to write novels. But man, creating conversational copy is the best way I've found to build my dialogue writing ability. Love it, love it, love it.

P.P.S. There's nothing like helping people realize their vision. It's orgasmic and addicting.

Sales = Copywriting + Great Product + Traffic

Copywriting is just one element (yes, important) of the
sales equation. If you are a copywriter and have a great
product and know how to get traffic, then you should
be making yourself wealthy. The combination is however
rare.

-Ray Edwards

Spot on stuff Mark and Danielle

One thing I will disagree with you though Mark, is the idea that product creation can take a lot of time to get rolling. It doesn't take long to have a great report on a niche subject that can help people, and get it up online with some decent copy and website.

Heck, I did this for a $19.95 report a few months back and had the report, copy and site up within a few weeks only, and put it up on FB ads, and got around a 2% conversion rate on it, and around a 50% ROI. Not too shabby.

Of course the problem with FB is, ad blindness and also, you start advertising to the same people, not as many NEW ones like you can on PPC on the search engines.

But I DO agree with you that it can be time consuming to get traffic, testing, etc. No doubt about that! That is the biggest time constraint, but once you do find a solid source, you can run that over and over again. I did that for many years with a product that was over $80, and sold it daily day in and day out.

Also, a marketing buddy of mine knows of a guy who runs a small ad in an offline publication in California, and has for years, and makes THOUSANDS a month by selling a report that is like $7 or $9, I think he said. Crazy!

Anyway, my main point is...product creation doesn't have to be hard. And products don't all have to be sold at high prices to make some good cash each month.

That's a great question. And honestly, most of the top copywriters do indeed
have their own products. It's just a natural progression.

I mean, seriously... if a copywriter has any business sense, they'll soon see that creating and selling their own products is a logical progression.

For me personally, I did things a little backwards. i started my own information product business back in 2001 or so and just wrote the copy myself for all my products.

After selling over 3 million dollars worth in a specific niche, i started getting asked by others in that niche to write copy for them.

so that's when i also stuck out a "copywriter" sign and did that as well, for the sheer fact of its nice to have multiple streams of income.

But honestly, many copywriters have no desire to manage all the other parts of a business... such as product creation, getting traffic, managing employees, etc..

I remember reading this passage on the AWAI site a few years ago and thinking how marvelous it sounds... and the fact is, I know many, many copywriters who make a ton of money just taking a client here and there, and then enjoying life and all the free time they want...

(From AWAI's Copy course)

Now I “work” a few hours a day. I write one, maybe two letters a month.

About a decade ago, I moved from crowded and too-hot-for-me Florida to a little historic town in the Vermont countryside.

I have no bosses, no commute. I write from an extra room I set up in my home. Some days, I’ll head to the little writing studio I decided to rent in the heart of town, just for a change of scenery.

For a break, I’ll walk over to the old Equinox Resort for lunch … grab a coffee at the local market … or take our new puppy, Yukon, over to Hildene Meadows for a run.

I absolutely love the freedom of it!

But what surprises people most (and may surprise you, too) is the income my “retirement” lifestyle gives me: around $300,000 a year.

If I really wanted to, I could make a lot more. Some people I know who’ve learned this skill are making $500,000 … even $1 million a year. (You’ll meet a few of them in a minute … many are friends of mine.)

Here’s the thing, though …

Anyone who likes to write can learn the same skill that lets us earn a very comfortable six-figure income from home, year after year.

And depending on who your clients are, you’ll get some nice perks as well. I’ve been on dozens of trips over the years – Barbados, France, Spain, and beautiful five-star resorts throughout Canada and the States.

My last trip was a seven-day cruise aboard a Crystal Cruise ship, the “Ritz-Carlton” of cruise ship travel.

---------------------------

Again, that was taken from AWAI's sales page for their copy course.

http://www.awaionline.com/copywritin...e-six-figures/

I guarantee you that alone is reason enough why some copywriters simply
are happy just writing copy :-)

It's easy. Being an entrepreneur sucks. Being an entrepreneur means systematizing, management and a level of number crunching I simply don't enjoy.

Not to mention - the pay isn't shit until you're making a ton of money.

So the pay, the numbers and the managing are three great reasons. And I'm sure there are plenty more.

- Alex

The short answer is a lot of them do.

The long answer is basically what Danielle said.

I think the problem is a lot of copywriters are short sighted... They got into this profession thinking they could be the next john carlton or gary halbert making millions every year writing for big products with royalties.

Truth is you don't even have to be a gary halbert or john carlton to make millions each year on the internet...

Copywriting + paid advertising expertise + good affiliate offer ='s a very powerful combination.

Most people in the affiliate marketing space only have paid advertising expertise + a good offer to promote and they make a lot of money (Hundreds of thousands to millions every month, most of it can be done on auto-pilot). You can imagine then, what a decent copywriter could do if you throw that skill set in the mix.

I also think a lot of copywriters are short sighted in that they don't think they can learn another "skill".

I'd also say that most copywriters are from an older generation. The newer generation doesn't really know what copywriting is. Older people grew up in that direct marketing period where copywriting was huge. Nowadays the younger marketers don't really know anything about it...

You'd think that would give the older generation a leg up on the young guys, but instead of using their skills to make a boat load of money... they are too afraid to get their feet wet with advertising, because who wants to start all over again and learn a new skill if you're 30-40+ years old and your satisfied making $10k every month writing copy for other people.

That's fine for the older guys, but you up and coming young-lings need to take a more rounded approach to internet marketing if you want to succeed in this competitive realm of internet marketing.

And even though I'm not a fan of frank kern, he is a great example of a well rounded internet marketer...He can write copy, he knows how to advertise and he creates his own products. That should be every copywriters goal. You can't build a house with just a hammer. You should develop other tools that can compliment your copywriting and help you attain your goals faster... That way you don't have to be like these old guys writing copy to pay their readers digest subscriptions.

Hi there

Here's my 2 cents worth.

Many of the clients I work with have built up large businesses and comprehensive product ranges over the years.

They have literally invested hunderds of thousands of dollars and hours into their products.

the seminar business or consulting business is a good example of this.

Rather than changing my life path and passion and setting up a seminar buisness so I can write copy for it, it's a lot more fun and less hassle to work on their copy for a great financial reward.

I know one sales copy guy who makes $200k a month writing sales copy and advising on marketing...understandably he's not too fussed about making products.

If you are exclusively writing copy for litttle information products online then it does make more sense to have a few of your own out there.

Not everybody has access to such high value products? Do you think the copywriter for BMW can easily sell his own products?

You know, sometimes its just a matter of just liking to copywrite and not do anything else. But I can see how it can seem like a small jump from copywriting to creating your own stuff to sell