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Starting in copywriting

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by p0werB0, May 15, 2019.

  1. #1
    How did you start copywriting, what did you use to learn and how did you get your first job?
     
    p0werB0, May 15, 2019 IP
  2. JoeSpirit

    JoeSpirit Well-Known Member

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    #2
    Over the years I've studied a number of copywriting courses.

    Although I've never worked as a copywriter for others I've written a number of pieces for my own needs so I'll give you some thoughts on your question based on my experiences.

    My first intro into copywriting was Brian Kieth Voiles' course "Advertising Magic."
    You can find "The Gary Halbert Letters" at no cost at http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/. It's a good source.
    John Carlton's "Kickass Copywriting Secrets of A Marketing Rebel" is good.
    Paul Meyers has a course available titled "Creating Killer Content."
    American Writer's & Artist's Institute's (AWAI) 6-Figure Copywriting courses are good. Not really cheap. As an aside I believe that AWAI uses these courses to seek out writers who show big promise at success for writing controls. They have a lot of copywriting work available and, I think, a shortage of copywriters to perform that work.
    A Google search for training for copywriter job returned 25.7 million results. You can check those out but I would caution that you research carefully. Some of that stuff is most likely created by would-be copywriters who know nothing about copywriting.

    I wish you great fortune in you quest. Copywriting is a good field.
     
    JoeSpirit, May 15, 2019 IP
  3. gunsnro

    gunsnro Greenhorn

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    #3
    I read a lot of good quality articles and tried to write using similar techniques. As well I got my first job by randomly chatting with one guy at LinkedIn which later offered me to write some articles for him.
     
    gunsnro, May 22, 2019 IP
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  4. JoeSpirit

    JoeSpirit Well-Known Member

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    #4
    The best way to learn is through experience.

    The very best way to learn is through the experience of others.

    I don't think anything holds a candle over studying other's failures and triumphs and then putting their lessons to productive use.
     
    JoeSpirit, May 31, 2019 IP
  5. loki781

    loki781 Greenhorn

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    #5
    I have run many websites over the years and thus was required to constantly be creating new articles for them. After many years of writing for my own properties I realized I was actually very good at it. I started posting in forums and accumulating clients that kept coming back to me for their content needs. Everything happened very naturally and my skills have slowly expanded and evolved to encompass a wide array of related fields as well such as advertising, marketing, link building, and search engine optimization. These additional skills definitely have given my an advantage and helped my clients tremendously. Once your clients start seeing results they are more likely to return and give you more work, so its imperative you give 100% to each piece of content you create if you want to be successful!
     
    loki781, Jun 5, 2019 IP
  6. JEET

    JEET Notable Member

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    #6
    I learnt copywriting through various free and paid courses.
    Later when I started selling products online, then got lots of experience with hit and trial. Some sales copies worked, some did not.

    Then I started writing articles to promote my websites, which was a different type of copywriting.
    Here the intention was to share useful information which will bring people to my website.
    You can see some samples of this here: https://MunafaSutra.com/post/all

    The sales copy on the website was a different approach, targetted towards motivating people into buying my products.
    Sample here: https://MunafaSutra.com/page/ebook

    I did some press releases also, which were not as successful. I guess I suck at that... LOL
     
    JEET, Jun 9, 2019 IP
  7. JoeSpirit

    JoeSpirit Well-Known Member

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    #7
    Seems to me the article approach is more productive. Did you find that to be true in your case?

    I think that succeeding with press releases is a special art that needs to be developed over time.
     
    JoeSpirit, Jun 12, 2019 IP
  8. Spoiltdiva

    Spoiltdiva Acclaimed Member

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    #8
    The firm I used to work for had me do a few so that they wouldn't have to hire an expensive copywriter.
    I stuck to the basics and managed to pull it off. I would always come up with a catchy headline followed by gobs of info at the end. A catchy title is a must to begin with.

    Personalized pitches to journalists and editors worked well also. I made sure to include good data and content. I tried my best to make the target market feel invested in what I was promoting. I accomplished this by offering a lot of detail. I included top experts and I showed all that I had done my research. Last but not least I enjoyed putting in relevant quotes.

    As @JoeSpirit said, it all has "to be developed over time".
     
    Spoiltdiva, Jun 12, 2019 IP
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  9. JoeSpirit

    JoeSpirit Well-Known Member

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    #9
    Good experience reveal. Especially that about the "catchy headline."

    In Magic Words Ted Nicholas stated that a single change to the headline of sales letter (with no other changes) increased the response by 1800%. That was in direct mail before the internet. But the headline is always the first tool you have to draw interest.
     
    JoeSpirit, Jun 14, 2019 IP
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  10. JEET

    JEET Notable Member

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    #10
    @JoeSpirit
    Article writing is productive if you wish to interest people into reading more (by following a link to your website), or to show yourself as an authority on the subject to gain reader's trust.
    But this will not work in sales copies.

    Sales copies need to trigger one or the other emotions. Either make the person feel as if they found a goldmine, a solution to their problem, or just fear of losing something good.
    I don't know if you read the "Rich jerk" sales copy or not, but it continuously focused on "fear of losing something awesome" and "insults to reader", and it converted brilliantly.
    One of the best sales copies I ever read, and it was one of the most popular sales copies of last decade.
    The copy was so strong that it immediately caught the attention of affiliates, and they instinctively knew that this product will convert. It got heavily promoted by affiliates.
    The product (ebook) itself had nothing special or different in it, but the copy was awesome!

    There was another product, Brad's SEO software. That one also converted very well in those times (last decade)
    Focus of his copy was on presenting him as an authority on SEO, and on providing an easy solution to a problem.
    His approach was a complete opposite of RichJerk's approach. No insults, no fear, but the goldmine approach, finding the best solution for your problem approach.
    Half the people would get convinced on the sales copy itself, and for others, he had newsletters, presenting him as an authority on the subject.
    If you read his newsletters, you'd automatically start respecting that guy.
    Product converted very well!

    @Spoiltdiva
    Many thanks for the suggestions. Will try to work with these next time I do a press release :) Thanks :)
     
    JEET, Jun 16, 2019 IP
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  11. JoeSpirit

    JoeSpirit Well-Known Member

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    #11
    @JEET
    Good points on the different between purposes of copy and article writing.

    I don't recall actually reading the Rich Jerk copy although I do remember it. I think my focus was elsewhere at the time. Back when I studied the AWAI copywriting courses I remember hand writing the Wall Street Journal piece many times to get the feel of it. It was touted as one of the classics that told a story of success and failure. Emotions tickled there too.
     
    JoeSpirit, Jun 17, 2019 IP
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  12. digitalbrunette

    digitalbrunette Greenhorn

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    #12
    @JoeSpirit is right and I will add a bit of my own recommendations as I am actually learning copywriting as we speak.

    I recommend looking for some viral sales letters which can easily be found on Clickbank. Just head over to the sales pages of the products that have the best gravity and see what they those pages are 'saying' in order to keep people's attention and sell to them.

    You will notice a pattern with great copywriting and you can even create your own formula to start making your own copy to sell your own products/ services.

    Goodluck! :)
     
    digitalbrunette, Aug 24, 2019 IP
  13. JoeSpirit

    JoeSpirit Well-Known Member

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    #13
    True. Clickbank is a great place to fine working sales copy.

    Another way is to watch for those pieces that stay in circulation. If they keep showing up they're making sales. Those are the controls - the pieces that every active copywriter wants to beat. Study them.

    Also, sign up for the newsletters of the marketers who are recognized as successful in their niches and study what they're marketing and how they're doing it. They're succeeding for a reason and you can get training from them free just by studying the content that they give away.
     
    JoeSpirit, Aug 25, 2019 IP
  14. HildaGordon

    HildaGordon Peon

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    #14
    Hi! I'm a professional writer. I've read a lot of blogs, articles and books. My first job is my own blog! Also I work with different writing services. If you want to be a writer you can get your personal help here. I hope it'll be helpful for you.
     
    HildaGordon, Sep 4, 2019 IP
  15. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #15
    Yes, lots of personal help here at digitalpoint.
     
    sarahk, Sep 4, 2019 IP
  16. Maurizione

    Maurizione Peon

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    #16
    Hi! I would suggest to start with little steps but the most thing is to read really a lot.Try to work with small companies to gain new experience, it can be useful to build good connections. And once agaon - practice make it perfect. All luck to you
     
    Maurizione, Oct 2, 2019 IP
  17. Tim Nollan

    Tim Nollan Peon

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    #17
    I have been working as a copywriter since university time. It was only through experience that I improved my skills. At first I helped my classmates, and after graduation I went to freelance.
     
    Tim Nollan, Oct 17, 2019 IP
  18. Cameron Ramsbottom

    Cameron Ramsbottom Peon

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    #18
    Hello,

    The best way to start is to choose the topic you like and practice your skill :)
     
    Cameron Ramsbottom, Oct 21, 2019 IP
  19. Syn Gates

    Syn Gates Peon

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    #19
    I started with my personal Facebook account. Firstly I tried to write somethings to gain interactions from my friend list, 15% - 20% of friends give reactions is a good portion for a post's performance. Choose some topics, write some short posts and then review them to learn why some of them gain more interactions, some of them don't. Moreover, I always improve my research skill to gain useful input, so I can write high-quality content.
     
    Syn Gates, Nov 5, 2019 IP
  20. transparentcloud1

    transparentcloud1 Peon

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    #20
    Hello! I started with a description of sports articles http://odds2win.bet/. As always with any research, in the beginning, it is certainly important to overcome fear and misunderstanding and tune in to success. For me, the coolest thing was to sort out the subject of my research and start making pretty decent money. Understand the essence of the game, sportsmen, strategies and transfer everything to paper.
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2019
    transparentcloud1, Dec 24, 2019 IP