21 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
21 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

If I only had about an hour a day for copywriting...

by JL8
18 replies
How would my time be best spent?
#copywriting #day #hour
  • Profile picture of the author Scotty Bee
    1) Define what you want to achieve
    2) Plan- how you going to get there
    3) Do- whatever it takes bearing point 1 and 2 in mind
    4) Review- Take a step back and see if what you are doing is making you get closer to 1)
    5) Persist
    6) Be consistant
    7) Never give up
    8) Stop Procrastinating
    9) Refer to step 1 and 2

    Scotty
    Signature
    www.scottybee.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8041441].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve The Copywriter
    ...handwrite 10 of the best sales letters (in different niches) 20 times.

    I'm not sure what you'll do in the second hour (lol).

    Steve
    Signature
    http://www.warriorforum.com/warriors...right-now.html
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8041548].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JL8
      Originally Posted by Steve The Copywriter View Post

      ...handwrite 10 of the best sales letters (in different niches) 20 times.

      I'm not sure what you'll do in the second hour (lol).

      Steve
      Where can I find great sales letters to hand write?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8042910].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author max5ty
        This is the part I'm having a hard time understanding...

        Maybe one of you can help.

        How can you want to be a copywriter but only have 1 hour a day to pursue it?

        I can't even see an ad without rewriting it in my mind...

        I drive down the road writing sales letters in my mind...about stuff I'm not even hired to sell.

        I go into a store and end up chatting with the owner for a couple hours.

        I read a newspaper story and swipe a phrase...

        Real copywriters live copywriting.

        I just don't get why anyone would try and tell someone how to be a 1 hour a day copywriter.

        Frankly I'm tired of every Joe, bob and betty thinking they've found a new work at home business to supplement their 9 to 5 job.

        We're in a business that creates and has created millionaires....we've built little stores into major companies...

        And we"re suppose to break everything down for someone who only has an hour a day?

        An hour a day?

        Get real.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8043192].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author JL8
          My goal isn't to be a "copywriter" per say.

          I simply want to write better ads, blog posts, craft better headlines and build better relationships in my emails.

          Things like that. If I need a sales page written I'd definite outsource that. But my end goal isn't to write copy for people.

          Anyways.... I only have maybe an hour a day to improve my writing, so I want to make the best use of that time.

          Gotta start somewhere right?

          So it sounds like writing out great ads by hand is the way to go. If I do that every day I'm sure I'll improve a lot.

          Where can I get my hands on great ads? I don't mind paying...

          Thanks.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8043217].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author tdj
            You can keep busy with this. Gary Halbert was one of the best copywriters to ever live. Follow his suggestions.

            The Gary Halbert Letter
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8043268].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    Originally Posted by JL8 View Post

    How would my time be best spent?
    Looking for a career you were serious about.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8042176].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
      What Steve said.

      But also have a person give you a subject (you can't pick it). Then you write 20 headlines that would be on the tops of sales pages. These headlines must all be from 100% unique angles not simply the same headline with variations.

      Then go back and re-write each headline once a day for 4-6 days until each is super tight.

      If you cant learn to write a good headline you can forget about the rest of the page, no one will ever read it anyway.

      Patrick
      Signature
      Free eBook =>
      The Secret To Success In Any Business
      Yes, Any Business!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8042517].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JakeDaly
      Originally Posted by max5ty View Post

      Looking for a career you were serious about.
      That's not fair, max. Lots of men and women are trying to set aside an hour or so a day to further their careers and better their lives. Time spent doesn't always equal proper intention.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8049708].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author LastingLifeSuccess
        LJ8,
        Try a day when you actually sit down and write for one hour. What I mean is stay at your station for one hour and write what ever thoughts, phrases, sentences, paragraphs come to mind. Simply prove to yourself you can actually write for one hour. Short of this "actual practice" you could again sit for the one hour with all intentions to write, but if you don't actually do it, take note of what's going on and journal that. In other words "call yourself out" and find out if you can really do what you set out to accomplish. Best of luck! . . .LLS
        Signature
        "How To Make $4,000-$8,000 Finder's Fees Snooping Around Public Records"
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8050300].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Matt Ausin
    Copywriters are the only writers (as far as I know) who believe writing can be improved by copying stuff out by hand.

    Poets don't do that. Novelists don't do that. Screenwriters don't do that. (Generally at least.)

    They read. And they write.

    That's my advice to you as well. Read, spot an idea and rewrite it, applying to your own situation. Then test it.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8043735].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author KingOfContentMarketing
      Originally Posted by Matt Ausin View Post

      Copywriters are the only writers (as far as I know) who believe writing can be improved by copying stuff out by hand.

      Poets don't do that. Novelists don't do that. Screenwriters don't do that. (Generally at least.)
      I read somewhere Hunter S. Thompson copied "The Great Gatsby" and "A Farewell To Arms" on his typewriter because he wanted to know what it felt like to write his favorite books. Boyo, that's a lot of typing.

      Here he explains to Charlie Rose how he tried to emulate some of the techniques of "The Great Gatsby" in his novel "The Rum Diary."

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8HTvqlm61M
      Signature
      Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
      - Jack Trout
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8043890].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JJaouli1
    JL8,

    I learned copywriting by reading a bunch of books and listening to seminars, along with some other stuff I'll recommend below. I'd recommend reading the Robert Collier Letter Book, How to Write a good Advertisement, all 3 John Caples Books (How to make your advertising make money, making ads pay and tested advertising methods) and the Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy.

    Then I would lookup John Carlton's letters on the OHP Direct website (The one legged golfer ad and the overweight guy ad are especially good). Then lookup Ryan McGrath and he has a bunch of ads that Gary Halbert recommended as well. Another good one is the sales letter by Scott Haines for "Shortcut Copywriting Secrets".

    Now the crappy part. Take these ads and just handwrite them over and over and over. Maybe 10-20x each.

    This is SUCH a bitch to do but I cannot stress what it did for me. I listened to lots of seminars, read books and I still didn't understand how everything flowed until I started to handwrite ads by Halbert, Carlton and Dan Kennedy.

    It really showed me how to write a headline, opening, problem-agitate-solve, bullet points, offer, guarantee, close, ps, etc.

    If you legitimately do what I just said you will improve your copywriting ability more than you can imagine within 90 days. But it might take you 2-3 hrs a night.

    Good luck man.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8043842].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Blake King
    Re-writing old sales letters and emails written by the best copywriters.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8047146].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ryan Kuchel
    Writing copy.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8047489].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dean mcevoy
    Open up to a random page in yellow pages, See what the topmost product is recommending, and write a sales letter for it. Get the letter critiqued, start again the next day.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8054953].message }}

Trending Topics