70% of copywriters quit within the first year
Why?
They don’t know where to start
Blog articles are telling them one thing, gurus are telling another
Just follow these 10 copywriting tips to get started:
I failed at affiliate marketing when I was 16.
I failed at trading when I was 18.
I failed at blogging when I was 19.
I failed at E-com when I was 20.
I found copywriting when I was 21.
I had my first success after 4 big failures.
You don't fail unless you quit.
I failed at affiliate marketing.
I failed at day trading.
I failed at blogging.
I failed at ecom.
My first success was with copywriting because I stuck with it.
Keep trying & eventually something will work out.
I’ve generated millions for clients since starting as a copywriter
But I failed a lot in the process
Here are 8 copywriting lessons I wish I knew when I started
My biggest mistake was jumping from one hype train to the next.
I tried affiliate marketing, reselling, e-com, trading, etc.
If you're just starting choose 1 skill & stick with it.
The focus you have will pay off.
What gurus tell you business is like:
• Buy a course
• Do the work
• Make 10k a month
What its actually like:
• Buy a course
• Do the work
• Make a big mistake
• Go back to 0
• Learn from your mistake
• Hit new milestone
• Repeat
2 basic copywriting formulas you need to know:
1. AIDA
Attention - Interest - Desire - Action
2. PAS
Problem - Agitation - Solution
These 2 will be your foundation when you first start writing.
What people think being a copywriter is like:
• Write for 3 hours
• Collect royalty cheques
What being a copywriter is actually like:
• Research for 3 hours
• Write for 1 hour
• Realise the copy is terrible
• Question if you're dumb
• Rewrite everything
@theacoburn
Follow your passion.
An absolute waste of advice.
It's hard to even work out what this means.
Yet it's thrown around on social media all the time.
How people think copywriting works:
- Read 1 book
- Land 1st client
- Earn 10k a month
How copywriting actually works:
- Read 3 books
- Get rejected 100 times
- Land 1st client & make mistakes
- Learn from losses & repeat the process
Upwork copywriting posts be like:
"I need someone to write all my emails, re-write my landing page, market my product, fix my plumbing and walk my dog"
My budget is $10.
Copywriting isn't the dream its made out to be.
It involves a lot of "boring" work that gurus don't talk about.
Is it worth it?
Yes, but it's definitely not for everyone.
As a copywriter only a small percentage of your work is writing.
You need to:
• Edit
• Research
• Analyze statistics
• Understand psychology
Don't go into copywriting because you enjoyed writing essays in English class.
5 Copywriting books you need to read in 2024:
1. The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert
2. Great Leads by Michael Masterson
3. Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
4. Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz
5. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman
Here's a market research trick a lot of copywriters overlook:
1. Research the top 5- 10 influencers in a niche
2. Look at the different topics they cover
3. Break down the "pain points" they mention
4. Use these in your copy
They've literally done the research for you.
One thing nobody tells you about copywriting:
Once you understand it you see it everywhere.
The news is selling to you.
The government is selling to you.
Everyone you know is selling to you.
You begin to look at life from a new perspective.
Copywriting tip:
People don't buy:
• Products
• Features
• Services
They buy:
• Speed
• Status
• Benefits
• Solutions
• Convenience
• Opportunities
These are the elements you want to focus on.
Don't try to learn everything about copywriting in one go.
Instead break it down into sections:
• Research
• Headlines
• Formatting
• Transitions
• Subject lines
This will prevent you from getting overwhelmed.
The first year of copywriting is just being consistent.
> Writing daily
> Reading copy
> Sending cold outreach
Most people can’t deal with the “boring” tasks and so they quit.
Recently hired a guy to design my website.
Day 1: He's "sick."
Day 2: No updates.
Day 3: Tells me there's a connection issue.
Day 4: Tells me he's going to get it done & doesn't reply.
This is your competition.
These habits will put you ahead of 99% of copywriters:
Hand write copy for 30 minutes.
Study a course for 1 hour.
Write for 4 hours.
Read for 1 hour.
Repeat this daily for 3 months and you’ll outperform 99% of the competition.
When I started copywriting I had no experience.
No logo.
No website.
And within 3 months I was outperforming other copywriters.
It's not about what you start with it's about how fast you can learn.
Copywriting tip:
Use numbers to support your claims.
Example 1:
"I will help you increase sales through email."
Example 2:
"I will help you make an additional $10k in email revenue in the next 30 days or you get your money back."
Numbers make claims more believable.
If I had to start copywriting from scratch here's what I'd do:
1. Read Breakthrough & Scientific Advertising
2. Offer to work for a family friend in exchange for a testimonial
3. Sign up to the email lists of potential clients
4. Rewrite their emails & send them over for
For my first 2 years of copywriting I worked on an old laptop that crashed daily.
I'd use any extra money I made to buy books & courses.
All I did was work, gym, and sleep.
I lost friends & my family doubted me.
Stop looking for the perfect situation & just start.
Copywriting expectations:
• Easy 6 figures
• Travel and earn
• Instant success
Copywriting reality:
• Huge learning curve
• Spend 90% of your time at a desk
• 6 months of failures & hurdles before your 1st big gig
"How do I land my first copywriting client"
1) Study 2-3 books
2) Buy 1 course
3) Send 10 DM's/ day offering free work
4) Land a client
5) Deliver great results
6) Get a testimonial
& Repeat and charge for your services
If you want to understand human psychology don't just look at copywriting books.
Instead:
• Study cults
• Study propaganda
• Study strong leaders
This is where you'll learn the most.
Facebook Copywriting groups be like:
"I need someone to write all my emails, re-write my landing page, market my product, fix my plumbing and walk my dog"
"My budget is $100"
If you're just starting with copywriting out steal this schedule:
8-12 am: Write copy & complete outreach
11-3pm: Study old school copy
3-5pm: Study copywriting/ psychology books
5-7pm: Exercise
7pm: Free time
If I had to start copywriting from scratch I'd do this:
1) Buy a copywriting book & study it
2) Sign up to brands email lists
3) Rewrite 3 emails & say they can test them
4) If they perform offer a small retainer
5) Reinvest the money you earn into more education
Simple.
The best copywriting trick out there:
Actually writing.
You already know what to do.
Stop looking for quick tricks & shortcuts.
If you're not going to put in the work just quit.
I’ve been a copywriter for 4 years
In that time imposter syndrome has been a constant battle
It's caused me to procrastinate, doubt myself & slowed my progress
Here are 8 ways you can overcome imposter syndrome:
I’ve been a copywriter for 4 years.
In that time I’ve generated multiple millions for clients.
Here are the 7 steps I’d follow if I had to start from scratch.
Here are some simple ways to improve your copy:
1️⃣ Keep a journal
2️⃣ Read every day
3️⃣ Use a swipe file
4️⃣ Practice every day
5️⃣ Learn from your critics
Do the following and you’ll be well on your way to success.
72% of copywriters believe that soft skills are more important than hard skills for success.
But what skills do you need?
Here are 12 soft skills I used to go from $0 to $10,000/month.
If you can’t afford a copywriting mentor do this:
Buy books & study them to build your foundation.
Use this knowledge to land a client.
Use the money to buy a course.
Use the knowledge from that to land a higher paying client.
Use that money to hire a mentor.
Simple.
5 steps to land your first client:
1) Find a brand you like.
2) Sign up to their email list.
3) Rewrite their first 3 emails.
4) Send the emails to the CEO/ CMO.
5) If they like them pitch your services.
If they don’t you gain experience.
It’s a win-win.
"I want to be good at copywriting"
Okay, are you willing to go through:
• Days where you want to quit
• Thousands of mistakes
• Hundreds of rejections
• Imposter syndrome
• Fluctuating income
If not then a safer career path might be a better option.
One of the most underrated skills for copywriters:
Patience.
Learning copywriting takes years.
Getting results for clients takes weeks.
Seeing writing improvements takes months.
Patience will be your best friend.
5 Harsh Copywriting Truths:
1) Writing by yourself can be isolating
2) Copywriting has a huge learning curve
3) It takes months to build a steady income
4) You will get rejected more often than you win
5) You'll spend 99% of your days writing at a desk
It's not all big wins.
It's not enough just to be an "email copywriter."
You need to stack your skills.
Learn how to:
• Design
• Manage lists
• Build funnels
• Write sales letters
The more you skill stack the better you'll stand out.
Bad news: Copywriting is saturated for low-quality copywriters.
Good news: Copywriting is booming for high-quality copywriters.
Develop your skills now and you'll be part of the latter.
4 years ago I started copywriting from scratch.
I had no clients, no experience, and no knowledge.
Today I've generated multiple millions for clients in various niches.
It doesn't matter where you start. What matters is how much you really want it.
In the AMEX lounge at the airport
Some guy noticed I was reading 1984
Started chatting- turns out he runs a business & needs a copywriter
Meeting booked for Friday
New to copywriting?
> Offer to work for a low price
> Read 2/3 copywriting books
> Re-write copy that works
> Start/ buy a swipe file
> Get social proof & repeat
Don't overcomplicate the process
The past few weeks have taught me that finding good writers is insanely difficult.
The market is saturated at the bottom but it takes the bare minimum to stand out.
5. Read copywriting books
Some great books are:
> Breakthrough Advertising- Eugene Schwartz
> The copywriter's handbook- Robert Bly
> The Boron Letters- Gary Halbert
> Cashvertising Drew Whitman
> The ultimate sales letter- Dan Kennedy
"Is copywriting saturated"
This is the most common question I'm asked.
In all honesty... yes.
At the bottom.
There are thousands of terrible copywriters out there.
But if you work on your craft for 6+ months you'll easily stand out.
If I could only ever read 3 copywriting books again I'd choose:
1. Scientific Advertising
2. Breakthrough Advertising
3. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook
These 3 give you everything you need to succeed.
9. You Can Become An Expert In 4 Steps
You don't need to read everything there is on copy
Instead:
• Re-write emails for 5 brands
• Read 3 copywriting books
• Re-write 5 landing pages
• Study copy for 10 hours
Do this & you'll be ahead of 90% of CEOs
As a copywriter you'll always have setbacks.
• You'll have brain fog
• People will reject you
• Your copy won't perform
You'll differentiate yourself based on how you perform during these setbacks.
You can buy all the books…
Hire every mentor out there…
Go through every copywriting course…
But if you don’t write you’re not going to make progress.
Don’t confuse studying with actually doing the work.
Getting started with copywriting?
Get yourself a swipe file.
Study what’s currently working best.
Learn how to build your own.
This will give you a head start.
When people think copywriting is:
• 4 hour work days
• Nomad lifestyle
• Quick money
• Easy to learn
What copywriting actually is:
• 8+ hour days when starting
• Steep learning curve
• Low money at first
• Working at a desk
Don’t be fooled by “copywriters” selling the glamorous lifestyle to sell you a course
Most your days will be:
• Typing from a laptop at home
• Spending hours researching an idea
• Starting from scratch as you found a better idea
Be ready to put in the work
What people tell you copywriting is like:
1) Buy a copywriting course
2) Land a client
3) Deliver results
4) Land a second client
What copywriting is actually like
1) Buy a copywriting course
2) Apply what you learn
3) Results are slow
4) Eventually land a client
5) Deliver
Upcoming copywriters:
Please stop asking to work for more experienced writers for free.
This is a big loss for them.
They have to spend time training you & get very little ROI.
There are much better ways to get your foot in the door.
Here's a copywriting trick a lot of businesses are afraid to use:
Exclusion copy.
"This course/ product isn't for you if..."
This helps your ideal customer confirm your service is for them & gets rid of time wasters.
If a guru tells you that you can become a copywriting expert in 3 months block them.
You can become a good copywriter in 3 months.
To become an expert it'll take you decades.