I've been looking into taking a few copywriting jobs over the internt. Being the perfectionist that I am, I want to find some good tips on how to write good copy. I know that there are a few dvd, cd, and book products out there that offer tips on how to do this and I was wondering if any of you had some experience with them. Dan Kennedy's products in particular come to mind as a prospective product, but I know that there are others out there.
D.K. has some good stuff out there (check Ebay too). The Ultimate Sales Letter Book should get you thinking. It's not an all-in-one book at all. But for $10 you can't go wrong. I've been doing it for ages and have all sorts of books, so I'm not really sure what to recommend. First, you need to ask yourself what you'll be doing. For instance, are you looking to write sales letters, radio spots, tv ads, etc? I'd pick something and get good ad it before branching out. And focus on the basics (why we do what we do, principles, etc), because you can apply that to whatever format you're doing. My advice is to learn about why we do what we do, because that's universal regardless of the audience (affluent, working joe, etc). And start looking at ads. It would be good if you had some magazine subscriptions. Pay attention to the ads that are there for at least a few months. One book I have is a collection of hundreds of sales letters from the past. I usually keep any ad mailed to me in a huge bin (got several). Your first stop in ad copy land (something that I think many products do poorly) is: mastering the headline. I don't care if you can write copy that would make the Pope sign up to a porn site. If your headline sucks, you've failed. Just one last tip, don't go hog wild with buying stuff. Everyone and his brother has a "copy that sells" course (yawn). Most of it is just a rehash from other stuff and some of it is poorly constructed as far as universal use goes. Step one: Buy 1-2 books (like the DK one) to get you thinking. This will guide you from here out. Step two: Start reading other ads (sales letters, inserts, whatever you're into) that you know are working. Step three: Begin to practice what you're learning and try to get feedback from others. You don't need a client. Write ads for stuff you like for starters. Good luck
The other way of looking at it is, if your work is being accepted by people on the net then try to get feedback from everybody that you use. Its free, other than your time and gets you into a discussion with the people you want to be doing the work for. Cheers Harland
I have found useful browse Google Books finding further reading on almost any topic. Most of the information found there is a preview, but that way can rule your criteria before buying a sales copy book.
Whatever method you choose, remember to enjoy the writing. As a rule, most are more dedicated to something they enjoy. It makes the learning process more tolerable.