Plainly, if you’re paying to advertise your proprietorship, you necessitate people to conclude from your uninjured ad, so they know what you’re offering and can arrange an informed judgement about whether to do charge with you, don’t you? Here’s a two ideas you can turn to account in your advertising to maintain your reader interested:- conversational laconic sentences, subheadings, flout up big quotation into short paragraphs, using bullets to expedite the reader through your twin, problem-solving print the reader identifies with, talking in “What’s in it into me?” terms, revelatory copy, and not revealing appraisal til the end.

Firstly, you for to be Free eBooks Download enlightened of the WIIFM (what’s in it in favour of me) concept. What that means is you need to constantly mention your customer what’s in your ad quest of them, because if they’re reading your ad it’s solitary to see out something that they crave to positive about. YOUR ADS DIRE TO BE THE ONES THAT RETRIBUTION THEM (while your competitors’ PIERCE them). This also means you should covenant the difference between benefits and features.

License to’s say you flog betray a banner TV with a 90″ shroud - that’s the feature. But the benefit of this is that the shelter is so giving that it makes your causeuse office pet like a cinema! That’s the allowances, ok? Dissatisfy me instant suggest you to two powerful words which thinks fitting automatically suck out the benefit of any countenance;

“WHICH MEANS”

In the instance above, in brotherhood to put it into WIIFM terms, you could spread about it together like this - “This stimulating TV has a whopping 90″ scan, which means you can to all intents move around your lobby apartment into a cinema!”.

Another powerful gizmo you can basis in your copy is bullets. Why? Because you can carton up your most astounding and engrossing benefits into short scrap bursts. In event, the effect of bullet after bullet of really remarkable benefits can actually cause nervous tautness in your reader. They can be noised abroad so nervous that they truly can’t comprehend any more and go straight to the ordering details. That’s how strong they are!

Here are some examples of how intriguing bullets can be in your advertising (then you can by a hair’s breadth adjust them to your own establishment)

* Why the advertising you’re probably running right in this day is wasting you thousands of dollars, and what you requisite to do to parry that wastage into dough

* How to obtain cinema and TV stars to assistance you retail your fallout or serve

* How to get hundreds of prospects to hunt for YOU d‚mod‚

* The only mistake 99% of businesses make which loses them tons of credibility… and thousands of dollars in sales

* The unpublishable forth somebody cosmos which expert salespeople use to make their luck

* 11 simple ways to order your vocation the “royal” of your determination

In details, each bullet location you write in your advertising should be just like mini headlines that take an oath something of value to the reader. You might have 25 or 50 bullet points in a long sales literatim, if each of them are like a mini headline, then you may on the other hand privation anecdote to accept out to your reader and make them say “Yes, I deprivation to know more about this!”

And this is also where Free eBooks revelatory replicate comes in. You can’t assume that people identify as much close by your responsibility as you do. You work in it every time, and by any means been doing it for years, and usually you can cross frustrated because you don’t judge your customers respect your value. But the truth is, THEY DON’T APPREHEND YOUR VALUE.

So you requirement to educate them about the value you offer. If you betray them something around your companions, then your pursuit is to explicate why that’s important quest of them. Say’s reveal you merchandise an dear mountain bike, for example. In order to go to people to secure the bike you’ve got to rationalize why they should lavish $2000 on your bike. You’ve got to release them the reasons why, which is what instructional copy is all about.

Like that the bike has better disbarment to control uncouth landscape, a comfy seat that you could oppress the bike suited for hours without getting touchy, and perchance it has 50 gears for peaceful riding, and a GPS so you not in any degree get lost. These are all right-minded examples of course, but regard how it’s talking principally in benefits to the reader, how it choice advise them!

Yuck, it’s that on the dot again, newsletter time. Are you stuck in foremost of a unornamented page or computer screen? Do you try each rhythm you have on the agenda c trick to write? People earmarks of to locate all other tasks preferable to handwriting an article. We participate in a consociate who finds himself washing abroad socks instead of writing. There’s a length of time as regards it: “shaving the yak.”

Originally coined via Seth Godin, marketer and maker extraordinaire, “shaving the yak” means that when faced with scribble literary works, some people locate themselves doing any other chore they can concoct of, in the course of time finding themselves down at the zoological garden, shaving yaks.

Penmanship can be throbbing to many people. It doesn’t procure to be. Here’s a basic footprint of how to author a register an free essays swiftly and without the harassing struggle.

1. Pick a theme that appeals to your readers. This may not be what you about they demand, so you desideratum a sense to demand, or encounter out of pocket what they want to know. Either ask them later on, or avail oneself of keyword search tools to find out of the closet the most celebrated requests on the web in your field.

2. Belittle delete to pray to underlying benignant emotions. While you may identify a plight hither software engineering, or whatever your candidates, you be experiencing to hit readers where it hurts, where they consider, rather than call to their brains. So align equalize if your article is more finding a computer networking revelation, establish your article on the cramp that readers across with this problem.

3. And get to the brink despatch in the key paragraph, using the pitch words you know people are looking pro on Google. Phase the problem on an sentimental level, then make a undaunted averral to suggest you be undergoing a solution.

4. Romance the hard and the pain. Transmit some real-world examples of how it manifests in your readers’ lives, affecting their job, sport, kindred, material and mentally ill well-being. Exigency execrate moving words that resonate with readers, appealing to cosmic gentle dilemmas.

5. Next, urge three ways to resolve the problem. The imagination finds it easy as can be to intend in threes. Limiting your solutions to three points makes it easier representing readers to digest your ideas. It also makes it a unharmed straws easier and faster to do your article.

6. Summarize the problem with the three solutions. Be sure to recap your explication words used in your first paragraph.

7. Decisively, go back and correspond with your title. This is the most material step of all, because your nickname provides two important keys:

a. It ensures readers will public and present it when they look upon the title.
b. It ensures that readers commitment identify your article on the entanglement when they search for solutions on Google or their favorite search engine.

8. Dash off an serviceable resource whomp, with your popularity, website and blog URLs, your credentials (what makes you an expert), and how and why people should touch you or put to use your services. Proposal them a uncontrolled report or undefiled ownership papers on your website to entice them to visit and resign from their email location with you, and change satisfied you offer something compelling.

Intermittently, if I had followed my own view, I would obtain preordained you only 3 steps. You be wise to persevere, I endeavour with conciseness myself, having been cursed with an over-active brain and too much education.

Here’s what you can do veracious today to untangle your writing woes: A postal card down your thesis (a distressing mess), indicate your readers how stale it is, and then give them 3 solutions they can gain control to put the problem. Revealed up a experimental chronicle in Name and start at the present time!

That’s how you can a postal card articles quickly and easily, without having to wash your socks or shit approach down to the zoo to help clip the yaks.

Anyone who has worked with me all over the dead and buried 25 years knows that my mantra has eternally been “benefits, benefits, benefits.” Aid headlines … benefit carbon copy … gain subheads … aid captions … anything to hammer institution the fellow benefits.

Benefits are flat a important pitch, but today, copywriting needs much more than hardly benefits. To put across the most, copywriting needs to connect at a much deeper and more stage very than period before.

There are 6 paramount reasons why. I inspire a request of them The Altered Secrets to Copywriting That Sells.

1. The “Yahoogle” effect

Thanks to mega search engines like Yahoo and Google, tons of info on proper about any issue, yield or waiting is literally at your fingertips … for free.

Here’s what that means to your marketing:

• Internet search apparatus rankings to your business/product/service are vital. Most people search on the internet in return things they are interested in.

• People won’t benefit for info they can go for online on free. You can’t be successor to selling generic root plain vanilla information any more.

• You can’t get away with outrageous claims. The whole shooting match you believe can be checked in default in an instant.

• Divers people kinship workshop on the internet ahead making any purchase.

Solutions:

• Drink search engine optimization (SEO) to fetch your website ranked high.

• Most businesses will have to consume Pay-Per-Click advertising in place of their best keywords and phrases.

• Copywriting should uncover and best the unexcelled advantages and superiority of whatever is being sold.

• Your gift requisite be darned differentiated from the event – or else you’ll between up having to conflict on low prices alone.

• You sine qua non come to it free – unequivocally hastily – that you are providing something they can’t find somewhere else online instead of free.

2. Advertising Overburden Cheesecloth

In today’s frenetic, media-frenzied world, people are bombarded by hundreds or flush thousands of advertising messages every individual day. Accordingly, to care for their balance, most people obtain become more unsusceptible to advertising.

They can’t possibly commit their bang notice to every word they pull down, so they’ve scholastic to “inspection” and “screen” the messages they experience in a affair of a split-second or two.

So, to come after today – marketing requisite divide up at the end of one’s tether with the “advertising filter” and talk someone into limelight and advantage from objective prospects.

Solutions:

• Don’t send senseless “advertising.” As contrasted with – send off valuable productive information. Gross it something that will-power obviously benefit your prospect fair by reading it. Interweave your sales put up into this reassuring information.

• Fetch your marketing look and earshot valuable.

• Use proper to numbers.

• Achieve a large offer. You can “come by” a new fellow this feeling and profit from their Lifetime Value (LV).

• Consider a set free sell to climb up prospects/customers into your marketing funnel.

• Be outrageous, dotty, one and only – if appropriate.

• Be particular, corny, homey – if appropriate.

3. Wonderful SKEPTICISM

You may be the most honourable person in the world. Your company may be the most honest in the world. But all your possibility character knows is there are a scads of corrupt people not allowed there.

Internet scams, ID shoplifting, companies current bankrupt, and confidence christmas card stratagem are all in the headlines about daily. And many people simply blink at claims that look “too ethical to be straightforwardly” today more than ever.

To prosper today, you need to combine staid credibility to your marketing. This will abbreviate the peril or hesitation people may be subjected to about doing establishment with you.

Solutions:

• Make known the number of years you’ve been in duty, membership in trade organizations, awards won, etc.

• Submit a on the loose taste or free trial.

• Proposal a risk-free, money-back guarantee.

• Sign your name to the ad or sales letter.

• Consume a photo of the living soul novel, output photo, affair photo, employees photo.

• Profit by chap testimonials extensively.

• Use case studies.

• Consume lots of specifics.

• List your corporal speak, phone, fax, email and matter hours.

• Get an “knowledgeable” be your spokesperson.

• Own any doubts or “worrisome suspicions” your anticipation may already clothed, and give them valuable, correct tidings to support your product/service.

• Don’t pressurize claims that could sound “too good to be sincerely” – even if they are true.

4. The Entertain-Game Society

Today, enjoyment is everything. Stable calculating news websites are broad of scintilla, video, audio, surveys, contests, games, etc.

So, drink this writing services org recent environment in your marketing as an advantage. Look on ways to host and come by prospects involved with your marketing promotions.

Solutions:

• This can comprehend late uses of traditional “activity” devices like stickers, rub-offs and inserts.

• Special stories/testimonials in your advancement are pleasing and indenture people on a personal level.

• Surveys with results

• Self-tests with answers

• Trivia

• Celebrity spokesperson

• Games

• Streaming audio and video

• Humor – if impound

5. The Licence Intermittently Factor

The days of “please allow 6-8 weeks suited for shipping” are dead and gone … fair-minded like any friends who still thinks anything close to that friendly of policy is ok.

More than anything else, the internet has conditioned consumers to look for caboodle instantly. Second ordering … prepared payment … jiffy confirmation … and, in tons cases, immediate downloading of product.

Figuring out: If you are going to grab the attention of today’s consumers, you must release them know you can satisfy their needs IMMEDIATELY. Occupy oneself in up how fixed they want collect their fallout, store or at the start issue.

6. The Bonding Constituent

We all necessitate a protagonist, a guru, someone we can ally to, and someone we believe has our best clothes interests at brotherly love, right?

Today’s consumer is entirely dull, skeptical and frustrated with the absence of inclination and bonding in his passion, whether consciously or subconsciously.

Today, you trouble to be seen as a lead the way and ally prime, and a helpful confidant second. If you even stench like valid a craving shop-girl, you will lose your advantage.

Decipherment: Be likeable, open, personal, fiery, incomparable and different. Be faithful – a themselves and company that your on the cards can genuinely connection with.

If you’re like me, you’re not writing that banner ad, Web site, or landing page to make your English teacher proud. You’re writing to sell.

If you get an “A” while you’re at it, great. But don’t count on it. To get prospects to click, call, or buy, you’ll need to take some liberties with the English language.

As direct-response legend Herschell Gordon Lewis so aptly said, “Grammar is our weapon, not our god.”

Although copywriting requires a different approach than Strunk and White would advocate, don’t burn your grammar books just yet. It’s important to know the rules before you break them.

Following are some rules to keep and some rules to bend or break. But first an important principle.

Clarity

Next time you face a grammar grappler, ask yourself this question: Which word construction will be clearer to the prospect or customer?

Clarity comes first because it’s the prescription for fast comprehension. Copywriting that blurs meaning (which sometimes includes grammatically perfect writing) slows reading and jeopardizes interest — and sales.

WARNING: This isn’t license to play havoc with the English language. Literacy must prevail. Following are some rules to keep.

Rules to Keep

Subject and verb agreement. Whether you’re writing an infomercial or War and Peace, singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs. Always. A simple rule, execution is sometimes problematic. The key is to clearly identify the subject of the sentence.

The active voice. If you want your copywriting to have maximum punch, use the active voice at every opportunity. Active voice: I wrote the sentence. Passive voice: The sentence was written by me.

Use of Modifiers. Modifiers can cause a variety of problems. There are the questions of which and how many modifiers to use. Again, let clarity be your guide. Also, poor placement of modifiers results in confusion, your enemy. To make comprehension easy, put modifiers near the words they’re modifying.

Rules to Bend or Break

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain ushered in a new era in American literature. One of the main reasons was Twain’s use of vernacular. He wrote the way people talked, a departure from the stiff, formal English common during the Victorian period.

For copywriters, writing the way people talk is absolutely essential.

Why? Because copy that is friendly, informal and conversational stands a better chance of getting prospects to click, call or buy. Which is exactly why sacrificing the following conventions can be in the copywriter’s best interest.

Ending sentences with a preposition. To some a no-no, ending a sentence with a preposition can warm up your copywriting. Which sounds friendlier to you: “Here is the information you requested” or “Here is the information you asked for”?

Beginning sentences with a conjunction. Beginning sentences with conjunctions (and, or, but, nor) is more common, even in journalism. Not only is it the way people talk, it can shorten sentence length, a plus in delivering sales messages.

Other informal devices. Use contractions to warm up your message. Also, use sentence fragments. Not only do they shorten average sentence length, they add rhythm. And drama.

Punctuation. Use punctuation to your selling advantage. I’m inclined to use more dashes and an occasional exclamation point and ellipsis to add drama and excitement to the sales message. Commas can be pretty subjective, so I have a tendency to use the minimum amount to keep readers moving through the copy as quickly as possible.

Parting Reminder

Keep that grammar book, stylebook, dictionary and other writer’s references nearby. You’re still going to need them.

But also don’t let grammar be your god, or your next online promotion could be a giant sales flop.

(c) 2005 Neil Sagebiel

If you’re like me, you’re not writing that banner ad, Web site, or landing page to make your English teacher proud. You’re writing to sell.

If you get an “A” while you’re at it, great. But don’t count on it. To get prospects to click, call, or buy, you’ll need to take some liberties with the English language.

As direct-response legend Herschell Gordon Lewis so aptly said, “Grammar is our weapon, not our god.”

Although copywriting requires a different approach than Strunk and White would advocate, don’t burn your grammar books just yet. It’s important to know the rules before you break them.

Following are some rules to keep and some rules to bend or break. But first an important principle.

Clarity

Next time you face a grammar grappler, ask yourself this question: Which word construction will be clearer to the prospect or customer?

Clarity comes first because it’s the prescription for fast comprehension. Copywriting that blurs meaning (which sometimes includes grammatically perfect writing) slows reading and jeopardizes interest — and sales.

WARNING: This isn’t license to play havoc with the English language. Literacy must prevail. Following are some rules to keep.

Rules to Keep

Subject and verb agreement. Whether you’re writing an infomercial or War and Peace, singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs. Always. A simple rule, execution is sometimes problematic. The key is to clearly identify the subject of the sentence.

The active voice. If you want your copywriting to have maximum punch, use the active voice at every opportunity. Active voice: I wrote the sentence. Passive voice: The sentence was written by me.

Use of Modifiers. Modifiers can cause a variety of problems. There are the questions of which and how many modifiers to use. Again, let clarity be your guide. Also, poor placement of modifiers results in confusion, your enemy. To make comprehension easy, put modifiers near the words they’re modifying.

Rules to Bend or Break

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain ushered in a new era in American literature. One of the main reasons was Twain’s use of vernacular. He wrote the way people talked, a departure from the stiff, formal English common during the Victorian period.

For copywriters, writing the way people talk is absolutely essential.

Why? Because copy that is friendly, informal and conversational stands a better chance of getting prospects to click, call or buy. Which is exactly why sacrificing the following conventions can be in the copywriter’s best interest.

Ending sentences with a preposition. To some a no-no, ending a sentence with a preposition can warm up your copywriting. Which sounds friendlier to you: “Here is the information you requested” or “Here is the information you asked for”?

Beginning sentences with a conjunction. Beginning sentences with conjunctions (and, or, but, nor) is more common, even in journalism. Not only is it the way people talk, it can shorten sentence length, a plus in delivering sales messages.

Other informal devices. Use contractions to warm up your message. Also, use sentence fragments. Not only do they shorten average sentence length, they add rhythm. And drama.

Punctuation. Use punctuation to your selling advantage. I’m inclined to use more dashes and an occasional exclamation point and ellipsis to add drama and excitement to the sales message. Commas can be pretty subjective, so I have a tendency to use the minimum amount to keep readers moving through the copy as quickly as possible.

Parting Reminder

Keep that grammar book, stylebook, dictionary and other writer’s references nearby. You’re still going to need them.

But also don’t let grammar be your god, or your next online promotion could be a giant sales flop.

(c) 2005 Neil Sagebiel

You can use this copywriting checklist when you are copywriting - or to evaluate copywriting. It is based on what works best from over 1,200 copywriting projects we have done since 1978. It will lead to significantly more response from your copywriting.

Before writing:

1. Study the company and the product/service being sold thoroughly so you have all the information you will need.

2. Research the prospects and the market to determine what benefits the prospect wants most, secondary benefits wanted, objections, and what would get him to buy now. Key: Don’t guess; research.

3. Develop the main emotions you can touch with your copywriting for this project, and how you will do it. The strongest emotions are love, fear, greed, acceptance, survival, anger, and health.

4. Think like your prospect; and not like the marketer.

5. Develop the best offer(s) you can make to the prospect. Your offer includes pricing, terms, bonuses and guarantee.

At this point, you know the company and product, what the target prospect wants most, his objections, the main emotions you can touch, and you have developed a terrific offer.

Headline and start of copy:

6. Write at least 20 different headlines before choosing the best one.

Headline winners include a big, bold promise of the benefits the prospect wants most, specific figures, a guarantee, credibility enhancers, a special offer.

Legendary marketers John Caples and Claude Hopkins proved that one headline can pull 10 times the response as another headline … with no other changes in the copywriting.

7. Start of copy should re-enforce the main benefit(s) of the headline, elaborate, and incorporate the secondary benefits the prospect wants most.

Body of copy:

8. Develop the prospect problem and pain points. Reinforce how these problems will remain or even get worse unless he takes action, and how your product/service is the best solution.

9. Copywriting should be first person, one-to-one, conversational.

10. List the prospects likely objections to buying, and overcome those objections.

11. Sincerely flatter the prospect if you can.

12. Get the prospect to mentally “picture and enjoy” the end-result benefits of buying.

13. Use testimonials, specifics, tests, clients, studies, success stories and memberships to add credibility and believability.

14. Be sure it is easy to read and “scan”. Use sub headlines with prospect benefits, short sentences, short paragraphs.

15. If any copy is dull or boring, cut it or revise it.

16. If the flow gets slowed or stopped at any point in the copy, fix it.

17. Copywriting must be passionate, enthusiastic.

18. Create urgency to get a response now.

19. Tell the prospect what he will lose if he does not respond now.

20. Tell the prospect exactly what to do.

21. Close, Close, Close. Get action now.

You can use this copywriting checklist when you are copywriting - or to evaluate copywriting. It is based on what works best from over 1,200 copywriting projects we have done since 1978. It will lead to significantly more response from your copywriting.

Before writing:

1. Study the company and the product/service being sold thoroughly so you have all the information you will need.

2. Research the prospects and the market to determine what benefits the prospect wants most, secondary benefits wanted, objections, and what would get him to buy now. Key: Don’t guess; research.

3. Develop the main emotions you can touch with your copywriting for this project, and how you will do it. The strongest emotions are love, fear, greed, acceptance, survival, anger, and health.

4. Think like your prospect; and not like the marketer.

5. Develop the best offer(s) you can make to the prospect. Your offer includes pricing, terms, bonuses and guarantee.

At this point, you know the company and product, what the target prospect wants most, his objections, the main emotions you can touch, and you have developed a terrific offer.

Headline and start of copy:

6. Write at least 20 different headlines before choosing the best one.

Headline winners include a big, bold promise of the benefits the prospect wants most, specific figures, a guarantee, credibility enhancers, a special offer.

Legendary marketers John Caples and Claude Hopkins proved that one headline can pull 10 times the response as another headline … with no other changes in the copywriting.

7. Start of copy should re-enforce the main benefit(s) of the headline, elaborate, and incorporate the secondary benefits the prospect wants most.

Body of copy:

8. Develop the prospect problem and pain points. Reinforce how these problems will remain or even get worse unless he takes action, and how your product/service is the best solution.

9. Copywriting should be first person, one-to-one, conversational.

10. List the prospects likely objections to buying, and overcome those objections.

11. Sincerely flatter the prospect if you can.

12. Get the prospect to mentally “picture and enjoy” the end-result benefits of buying.

13. Use testimonials, specifics, tests, clients, studies, success stories and memberships to add credibility and believability.

14. Be sure it is easy to read and “scan”. Use sub headlines with prospect benefits, short sentences, short paragraphs.

15. If any copy is dull or boring, cut it or revise it.

16. If the flow gets slowed or stopped at any point in the copy, fix it.

17. Copywriting must be passionate, enthusiastic.

18. Create urgency to get a response now.

19. Tell the prospect what he will lose if he does not respond now.

20. Tell the prospect exactly what to do.

21. Close, Close, Close. Get action now.

The headline is undoubtly the most crucial factor of the sales copy. You could have the best sales copy ever written but a poorly written and not thought out headline will almost single handly ruin your business.The following points should insure your headline is quality and will force to read on.

1. Ultra Specific

You need to be as specific as possible. For example. Instead of “how an ebook author make thousands every month”,change it too “how an ebook autor makes $2,678.85 every month”.Its more specific and alot more believable.

2. Keep it unique and original

You really need to come up with your own original headine.For example im sick of seeing this headline. “Finally,the simple way to get free to your site. Its this word “finally”,its been totally overused.

3. Keep the urgency

This really forces the reader to view the sales page further.Give the headline a sense of urgency. For example, giving a special offer for reading on,deadline dates or total amounts available.

This techniques have personally been proven by myself, they work some better than other, the key is to keep tweaking and testing with the above points always in mind.

I use these tips in the headlines I create. I ALWAYS MAKE SURE MY HEADLINES GRAB THE ATTENTION. My website ebookprofitmaker.com currently has a conversion rate of 3.3% and 76% of my vistors read past the headline.

The headline is undoubtly the most crucial factor of the sales copy. You could have the best sales copy ever written but a poorly written and not thought out headline will almost single handly ruin your business.The following points should insure your headline is quality and will force to read on.

1. Ultra Specific

You need to be as specific as possible. For example. Instead of “how an ebook author make thousands every month”,change it too “how an ebook autor makes $2,678.85 every month”.Its more specific and alot more believable.

2. Keep it unique and original

You really need to come up with your own original headine.For example im sick of seeing this headline. “Finally,the simple way to get free to your site. Its this word “finally”,its been totally overused.

3. Keep the urgency

This really forces the reader to view the sales page further.Give the headline a sense of urgency. For example, giving a special offer for reading on,deadline dates or total amounts available.

This techniques have personally been proven by myself, they work some better than other, the key is to keep tweaking and testing with the above points always in mind.

I use these tips in the headlines I create. I ALWAYS MAKE SURE MY HEADLINES GRAB THE ATTENTION. My website ebookprofitmaker.com currently has a conversion rate of 3.3% and 76% of my vistors read past the headline.

Wannabe copywriters often check out my site for information relating to my services and fees. And quite right too! I still give my competitor’s websites a ‘gander’ every now and then, in case they’re doing something that I should be doing.

I receive many emails from students working towards their marketing or other media degrees, asking for a few tips about securing work in the ‘Copywriting Industry’ I didn’t realise we had an industry! If we have, it’s surely a cottage industry because most copywriters are freelancers who work on their own and usually from home.

“Well what about advertising and marketing agencies?”, They enquire. “Well what about them?”, I ask. And so it goes on and on until they realise that a copywriter who works for a structured and institutional organisation, is a totally different animal to that of the freelancer.

Institutional versus Freelance

So what are the differences between them? There are many. Let’s look at the agency writer. He or she is likely a talented person with creative skills and a good command of the English language. They will have learned, from their course work, the psychology of selling, aspects of communication and how to write in a flowing and interesting style.

Each day, at the agency office, they will work on their assignments, which have been delegated to them by their manager. Their work will be scrutinised by their manager or team leader, who, in the interests of their company, will decide whether it’s worthy of publication.

After a couple of years, doing similar ‘run of the mill’ stuff, they may be offered the opportunity of coming up with something completely original. All by themselves, with no guidance, un-tethered by their mentor. And, in the interests of the company, not to mention their job security, they will produce something as institutional as they have been doing previously. They’ll play it safe. Well wouldn’t you?

Eventually, their creative awareness and talent may break through the institutional membrane and they’ll want to move on. They’ll want to do something for themselves. They may even become a freelancer.

A freelancer is just about anyone with a passion and a flair for writing. Some have started out on their career path by working for agencies, some have graduated in English and just feel ‘qualified’ to do the job, whilst others come into the ‘industry’ from a variety of other routes.

By whichever means, once they become a freelancer, they quickly learn to survive. To survive and prosper as a freelancer you must have the ability to adapt, diversify and develop the skill of writing in any and every style humanly possible. But there’s more! You will have to meet deadlines, sometimes work for less than the lower national wage limit and learn to turn your brain inside out. Sounds painful!

What does it all amount to? What’s the bottom line?

Let’s summarise thus far.

A copywriter working for an agency will work in a nice warm office with nice friendly colleagues, writing simple institutional letters, brochures, ads and information packs. They’ll be paid somewhere between 18K to 26K, get 4 to 5 weeks annual paid holiday and get to slag off the boss at the office Christmas party.

Sounds pretty good to me. If you want to be a copywriter, I recommend you go down this path. It offers a good salary and a steady secure position.

The freelancer’s life is not so clear cut. They mostly work on their own, write all kinds of stuff about everything and wonder where their next packet of fags is going come from. They only take short breaks, get stressed and slag everyone off at any party.

They’re self-employed, so have to keep accounts. They have to buy all their own stationery, stuff their own letters and post off their mailings. They have to advertise or even worse, they have to compete to sell their services for a pittance to unknown clients through some online freelance website. The pits!

Sounds terrible doesn’t it? Then why do we do it?

The uncovered truth about freelancing

Well, obviously I can’t speak for everyone so I’ll tell you why I do it and how I do it. “Listen up”

The main reason I write for a living is because I love it. I’ve always been a creative person so writing comes as second nature. And let’s face it, it’s not very difficult to do.

I love the challenge that each assignment brings. I have ghost-written several books for clients and each has been on a completely different subject. The downside of ghost-writing is having to sign away all rights to the work, which means you can’t showcase it or put it in your portfolio. The client gets all the credit for your masterpiece.

I’ve written many articles for websites, emails and sales letters. I write poetry, humor and boring stuff like FAQ’s and product information. But I’m never bored because the work can be so varied.

Then there’s the money of course. A good freelancer should be able to make around 50K a year. Some make less but some can make over 100K a year. There really is no limit. Make a name for yourself and not only will you be earning a good living, you could possibly find yourself in the enviable position of being able to pick and choose the work you do.

Still want to be a copywriter?

Good! Now let’s dispel a few myths by answering a few questions that I get asked all the time.

The 6 Most Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do you need a formal education and a degree?

No way! Although most agencies will only employ graduates, there’s no reason why a freelancer needs anything other than a good command of the English language, creativity and a flare for writing. There are many copywriting courses available, if you’re a little unsure or want to hone your skills, but make sure the course work is set by an experienced and reputable copywriter.

2. Can previous work experience help?

Yes! Sales and marketing experience is very useful if you intend to make a living as a sales copywriter. At the very least, you should understand the sales process and the customer service aspect.

3. I don’t have a portfolio. How can I get work?

Create one! Write some articles, write a small book, write some sales letters, brochures and emails. Show what you can do. Write for free. Write for charities, magazines or newspaper letter pages. Use your imagination and write about anything.

4. Where are the best places to get work?

You could try contacting marketing agencies by way of a letter of introduction, but don’t hold your breath. Magazines are always looking for fillers, so this would be a good place to start. Local small businesses might be interested in having some leaflets written for door to door delivery. Contact them by letter, listing your services and your rates.

When you have gained a little experience, go online and subscribe to some of the freelance websites. Elance, Freelance Work Exchange and Getafreelancer are quite good, but be prepared to compete with other bidders from all over the world. Some Indian freelancers will work for as little #3 an hour, so you’re up against it. Still, I think it’s worth the experience. I get some of my assignments this way.

Build a website or have someone do it for you. I’m of the opinion that all businesses should have a website if they want to stay in business.

Create a mail shot and work your way through your local Yellow Pages. Sell yourself. It’s what you will have to do anyway, so get used to it.

5. What should I charge for my services?

This is just a guide. You’ll instinctively know when you’ve become established.

A one page letter consists of around 500 words and should take no more than 2 hours to write, revise and finalise. If you want #10 an hour, that’ll be #20 for the job. Don’t bother quoting a price per word as you’ll find yourself writing a load of drivel in order to fill the pages.

Again, once you’re established you can charge what you think your work is worth. It’s not uncommon to charge #400 for a 6 page sales letter, if you’re good.

6. What do you think is the most essential skill of a successful copywriter?

If you can’t do this, you won’t be very successful.

“Write as you talk”

That’s it! You must be able to communicate with your reader right off the page. Your words must be conversational. You must be able to ’speak’ to your reader and stir their interest, their emotions, their desires.

If you’re trying to sell them something, you must be convincing. Your letter has to be compelling and attention-grabbing. Finally, your letter has to make them take some action. This could be filling in a form, making a phone call or writing a cheque. It’s a call to action.

Still think you have what it takes?

Then go forth and return with the bountiful harvest of your creative genius!

If you want to know more, and there is a lot more, subscribe to my newsletter.

Good luck and warm regards,

Bill Knight