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It's Sooo Hard!

by AnabelleFlorida
12 replies
I love to go on cruises, do it all the time, I've traveled near and far, and I've had tons of fun, but ...

I'm well aware of the dangers posed on and off a ship!

Yeah, there are dangers.

I believe no one should sail anywhere without this important knowledge.

So I wrote a small eBook about Cruising Safely and I want to put it out there, but I'm finding it hard to write copy for myself.

Is it just me or ...?

I have no problem writing copy for anyone else, the various businesses, services, and products ... but now that I'm writing for myself, I seem to be stuck and not pleased with my own work.

It's kind of weird.

Why am I experiencing this? :confused:
#copywriting for self #cruise travel #cruising #hard
  • Profile picture of the author Jason_V
    Gary Halbert's now famous "Coat of Arms" ad that made him millions of dollars took him 18 months to write and refine.

    I also read somewhere, but can't remember where so I can't cite it, David Ogilvy also toiled at great lengths with his ad that advertised his own advertising agency; the now famous and often copied (in spirit not letter) "How to create advertising that sells"
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    "When you do something exactly wrong, you always turn up something."
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  • Profile picture of the author Sean Fry
    Sometimes it's difficult to write copy for your own product. You're too close to it. That's why it's actually better to do it in reverse...write the copy first, then create the product.

    On a side note: Is there really a market for "cruising safety?"
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    • Profile picture of the author Cool Hand Luke
      Originally Posted by Sean Fry View Post

      Sometimes it's difficult to write copy for your own product. You're too close to it. That's why it's actually better to do it in reverse...write the copy first, then create the product.
      Bingo. This is the single biggest lesson I took from Chris Haddad's VSL course. It's soooo much easier to do copy when the product itself doesn't already limit you.
      Originally Posted by Sean Fry View Post

      On a side note: Is there really a market for "cruising safety?"
      Also, this. I would highly doubt this is a particularly extensive or lucrative market.
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  • Profile picture of the author Don Grace
    I hear ya, the first time I wrote for my own deal it bombed. And that was only my second bombing letter after about 100 winners at the time.

    If you have a compelling story to tell though I've found it much easier.

    But Sean brings up a very interesting point, is there a market for that? I Googled "cruise ship safety" and there are no advertised info products in AdWords. Or related searches. That is usually a dead giveaway there is no market.
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    Get a colleague to take a look at your product and feed
    you some ideas. Creating a product can make one resent
    it and start feeling the product is stupid and not worth
    much. A fresh set of qualified (copywriter) eyes can help.
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    • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
      While it would appear on the surface that there is no market for it just like an iceberg there is a large part that is yet unseen.

      License it to travel agents on an annual recurring billing for say $11.95 a year (under a buck a month) that they can give it as a free bonus to all their cruise customers. You create the bonus that the travel agent uses. Get 5,000 travel agents using it and you have a little extra income.

      Or let the travel agents have it for free and you do some crafty marketing in the book with affiliate links but not look like you're selling just recommending.
      You could give it away on all kinds of travel sites and forums.

      Patrick
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      • Profile picture of the author AnabelleFlorida
        Originally Posted by Enfusia View Post

        While it would appear on the surface that there is no market for it just like an iceberg there is a large part that is yet unseen.

        License it to travel agents on an annual recurring billing for say $11.95 a year (under a buck a month) that they can give it as a free bonus to all their cruise customers. You create the bonus that the travel agent uses. Get 5,000 travel agents using it and you have a little extra income.

        Or let the travel agents have it for free and you do some crafty marketing in the book with affiliate links but not look like you're selling just recommending.
        You could give it away on all kinds of travel sites and forums.

        Patrick
        Hi Patrick, thank you for responding (thank you all for responding!)

        I'm passionate about the subject, but it's not a big project, so I'm not going to go crazy over it.

        Cruise safety is a real issue, and even though I've never had a real problem, I have stories to tell!

        Unfortunately travel agents and cruise brokers want nothing to do with this report. Even though it's mostly a positive read, they don't want to bum people out by reminding them of potential dangers.

        I told them it's a plus, a benefit, it's information that will keep travelers safe while preserving the entertainment and fun!

        They continue to not see it that way, so I have some more work to do, but anyway ...

        Working on copy for my own product has been a bit frustrating, I suppose it's lack of objectivity, I'm too close to the product.

        Maybe putting it away for a couple of months and returning to it with fresh eyes?

        Maybe.

        Goodnight.

        Sandman is already tucked in ... patiently waiting.
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  • Profile picture of the author KitchenTableWarrior
    It is hard sometimes. It's not just you. Trust me.

    Walk away from it for a day, even two. Then come back and put it together. Removing yourself for even the shortest time can clear all the crap out of your mind.

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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    Think in terms of the whole package... look at PLR
    stuff you can get to put together some bonuses
    or whatever.

    Sometimes the initial appeal catches attention
    (in this case a rather fearful one) but cannot
    clinch the deal, so you have to find a way to
    get the prospect's attention with fear, take
    him or her on a journey, and emerge with hope
    and enthusiasm.

    See how that works?
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    To put it otherwise:

    What's the good outcome?

    You scare the crap out if the prospect (death on the high seas)?

    Disentary? rape?

    I doubt it.

    Make the sun shine.

    What can you really deliver?

    An informed, safe, happy experience?

    For whom?

    And what is the criteria of that said person for a good, safe time?
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  • Profile picture of the author Bob Teller
    Banned
    You're not the first nor will you be the last copywriter Anabelle who has experienced this problem. Many copywriters experience this.

    By way of example, I get contacted often by other highly experienced copywriters who feel they are too close to their own project. The most recent one a copywriter offering $10,000 coaching sessions. Too close to his own project, he asked me to write the copy for him. To give him the outside perspective he needed.

    Thankfully it's not a problem I experience myself.

    If you need a hand shoot a message over.


    - Bob Teller
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